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Suggestions for first HF antenna
- Thread starter Turbo T
- Start date
Also might make sure no moisture is getting to center connections. My preference is just keeping a simple connection with single band dipoles.
Twisted shield to one leg and center conductor to the other leg and seal.
Nice thing about simple dipoles are usually problems are simple as well.
If all else fails, make another one.
Twisted shield to one leg and center conductor to the other leg and seal.
Nice thing about simple dipoles are usually problems are simple as well.
If all else fails, make another one.
I did recheck everything using a multimeter set on the ohms position and I saw no continuity between the hot and ground leads.
Are you using new coax or some old stuff you had kicking around that could of maybe been damaged? Seems like you did your math correct because the figures you gave for the length of each leg seems on point for 28.400MHZ. I would be concerned about the coax. If the coax is in good shape and there isnt a break anywhere in the feed line(coax) double check your connection to the dipole itself.
If you are confident in the build of your first dipole then i would check to see if the radio is any good. Is it brand new? A hand me down? Was it modified? If the finals are blown on the radio it would make the SWR be sky high.
If you are confident in the build of your first dipole then i would check to see if the radio is any good. Is it brand new? A hand me down? Was it modified? If the finals are blown on the radio it would make the SWR be sky high.
I'm a little confused,...... all SO-239 (chassis connectors) are female,.... why do you need a barrel connector?
there are 2 types of SO-239,.. a ONE hole and a FOUR hole type
PL259 and SO239 Connectors
Turbo, you used it on 11 and it worked ok, was this an attic install or temp inside to try it?
Something is compromised somewhere.
Where are you going to hang it when your satisfied with it? If outside, do you have a tree you could string it about 9' off the ground? Another thing do you have enough wire to do two more legs. Enough coax to your radio? Just cut the end off one end of coax, strip outer jacket down around 8". Separate coax shield from center and twist shield and twist together one leg to it and center to the other leg. "you don't need to solder at this time" actually you don't at all, just twist tight. Raise it it 8-9' and check your readings. If happy lower it and solder tape etc... raise it to where you want. Make the legs longer if you want and just fold back the wire to tune. When happy, I just twist the ends of the wire making a loop where it's folded back if there's enough and connect my rope to the wire. Dipoles are simple easy and nothing from a radio shop needed except coax to make, then enjoy.
Sometimes we over complicate things and have troubles, I have.
Hope this helps.
Something is compromised somewhere.
Where are you going to hang it when your satisfied with it? If outside, do you have a tree you could string it about 9' off the ground? Another thing do you have enough wire to do two more legs. Enough coax to your radio? Just cut the end off one end of coax, strip outer jacket down around 8". Separate coax shield from center and twist shield and twist together one leg to it and center to the other leg. "you don't need to solder at this time" actually you don't at all, just twist tight. Raise it it 8-9' and check your readings. If happy lower it and solder tape etc... raise it to where you want. Make the legs longer if you want and just fold back the wire to tune. When happy, I just twist the ends of the wire making a loop where it's folded back if there's enough and connect my rope to the wire. Dipoles are simple easy and nothing from a radio shop needed except coax to make, then enjoy.
Sometimes we over complicate things and have troubles, I have.
Hope this helps.
I'm using some used RG8X, 18 ft of it to run between the radio and the dipole....same stuff you buy at truck stops. I've used this same coax for other uses w/o any issues. The radio is a brand new radio (Magnum 257) that I've used at a 1.1:1 SWR on a Wilson 1000. No mods on this radio and I'm pretty sure the finals are still good. AFAIK it still transmits ok.
The barrel connector is because I needed to run 2 pieces of RG8X together to make the coax reach from dipole to radio.
When i ran this dipole on 11 M, it was outside mounted up 12-14 ft off the ground. I used twine and secured one end a foot away from the house on the downspout and the other end was secured via a 12 in. piece of garden twine, to my 2 M. antennas pole. At the time the SWR was 1.3:1 (IIRC) on Ch. 1 and past 2.1:1 on Ch 40.
Hmmm.. Anytime I have made a dipole antenna I had to do lots of adjusting the length till I got the SWR down. If you tried it in 11M and it was ok like 1.3:1, but on 10M it was 3+:1 then you need to shorten it till it reads good on 10M if you are going to be using it on 10M.
I like the idea of making homemade antennas, wire or whatever, I recently got the ARRL Wire antenna classics book volume 1 and gonna do lots of experimenting. I got my General Class license a year ago and have barely used it, LOL, but have been into 11M since 1992, so I have built a few wire antennas, dipoles, quads, V's, and even homemade groundplanes. If you are itching to get to talking on 10M, I have used in the past and currently A99, Imax2000, and Maco V5/8 all are widebanded enough to give you 11M and 10M coverage without bad SWR. I think the Maco may be on the edge though, if I remember right.... However I currently use an Imax 2000 and the SWR is great all through 11M-10M, and in the past when I tried an A99 just because someone sold it to me for $20 so I said WTH why not and bought it, it also worked good on 11M and 10M. Imax 2000 with GPK is an investment, at least $150 shipped if I recall correctly, the A99 is a bargain at only $40 or so I think, but if you want the GPK kit with the A99 (highly recommended) then for that amount of $$$ I would say just get the Maco V5/8 will be about the same cost as A99 with GPK and should outperform and certainly will outlast the A99.... I just bought the Imax 2000 just to try it out, and so far happy with it, but I know it will either get struck by lightening soon or just start falling apart from wind/sun/rain, as it does wobble like a spaggetti noodle in the wind so it's doomed to come apart sooner or later, when it does, if I want another GroundPlane Antenna that is not homemade, I will get the Maco V5/8 again. I had one for 10+ years and it was a great all around antenna.
I like the idea of making homemade antennas, wire or whatever, I recently got the ARRL Wire antenna classics book volume 1 and gonna do lots of experimenting. I got my General Class license a year ago and have barely used it, LOL, but have been into 11M since 1992, so I have built a few wire antennas, dipoles, quads, V's, and even homemade groundplanes. If you are itching to get to talking on 10M, I have used in the past and currently A99, Imax2000, and Maco V5/8 all are widebanded enough to give you 11M and 10M coverage without bad SWR. I think the Maco may be on the edge though, if I remember right.... However I currently use an Imax 2000 and the SWR is great all through 11M-10M, and in the past when I tried an A99 just because someone sold it to me for $20 so I said WTH why not and bought it, it also worked good on 11M and 10M. Imax 2000 with GPK is an investment, at least $150 shipped if I recall correctly, the A99 is a bargain at only $40 or so I think, but if you want the GPK kit with the A99 (highly recommended) then for that amount of $$$ I would say just get the Maco V5/8 will be about the same cost as A99 with GPK and should outperform and certainly will outlast the A99.... I just bought the Imax 2000 just to try it out, and so far happy with it, but I know it will either get struck by lightening soon or just start falling apart from wind/sun/rain, as it does wobble like a spaggetti noodle in the wind so it's doomed to come apart sooner or later, when it does, if I want another GroundPlane Antenna that is not homemade, I will get the Maco V5/8 again. I had one for 10+ years and it was a great all around antenna.
I am going to try shortening it, but why it's pegging out when i can't find a source of short is beyond me.
I have heard about people using the A99 and Solarcon 2000's on 10 M but I was under the impression you had to modify the antenna to work on 10 M and not just plug and play as you have described.
I did have another ham tell me I need to just invest in an antenna tuner and stop chasing gremlins.
I have heard about people using the A99 and Solarcon 2000's on 10 M but I was under the impression you had to modify the antenna to work on 10 M and not just plug and play as you have described.
I did have another ham tell me I need to just invest in an antenna tuner and stop chasing gremlins.
I don't own a tuner, but I would love to have a MFJ analyzer, those are the way to go with any antenna, homebrew or commercially built.... You only need a tuner if you are going to go hoping all around the HF band on a antenna built for just 1 band, the antenna will not necessarily perform well, the tuner will only save your rigs finals, will not make your antenna "tuned" and "on band".
Because 10M antenna's are small, your most effective and easy to build antenna would proabably not be a dipole, but instead a single Quad Loop. Two pieces of wood, a cheap roll of wire, and a specific length of 75 ohm coax for the matching network would make an excellent starter antenna, would blow a dipole away and because it wouldn't be a super huge antenna because it's for 10M it would be practical to build and hang from a tree or put on a wooden post or something. It will be directional, but so is a dipole. I have not had to modify or retune the A99 or Imax 2000 for 10M, worked fine out of the box, never moved the tuning rings, pretty sure they are preset for using it both in 10M and 11M. I suppose if you wanted PERFECT SWR, you would have to retune it, but why do that, the amount of reflected power at 1.5:1 SWR is nothing when just running a rig of builtin power (like your 257), now maybe if you had a Henry 8K or something you would want to worry about being 1.5:1 SWR... But probably even then, not much reflected power.
Because 10M antenna's are small, your most effective and easy to build antenna would proabably not be a dipole, but instead a single Quad Loop. Two pieces of wood, a cheap roll of wire, and a specific length of 75 ohm coax for the matching network would make an excellent starter antenna, would blow a dipole away and because it wouldn't be a super huge antenna because it's for 10M it would be practical to build and hang from a tree or put on a wooden post or something. It will be directional, but so is a dipole. I have not had to modify or retune the A99 or Imax 2000 for 10M, worked fine out of the box, never moved the tuning rings, pretty sure they are preset for using it both in 10M and 11M. I suppose if you wanted PERFECT SWR, you would have to retune it, but why do that, the amount of reflected power at 1.5:1 SWR is nothing when just running a rig of builtin power (like your 257), now maybe if you had a Henry 8K or something you would want to worry about being 1.5:1 SWR... But probably even then, not much reflected power.
I think if you put the dipole near any metal object facing the same direction (in parallel) to the dipole it's going to cause it problems if less than 9 - 18 feet away or something along those lines. Needs to be away from metal objects, as with any antenna. Move it out into the open for testing just to be sure you aren't getting some problems from nearby metal objects, then tune the length of it, otherwise it will change again when you move it away from the metal objects... Try the quad loop, I had a single on 11M and it kicked butt, and then I built a 2 element Quad for 11M and I was on 27.025 making contacts, LOL... Quads kick the most ass, hands down, but their size makes them impractical for use in 160-40M etc... They become quite large at those low frequencies but at 10M it's easy to manage size...