The "N2ITH" Dipole antenna system.....

[Robb]

Yeah, what gets me about these 160 meter dipoles is that they require a huge height to become optimal. Otherwise if they are installed at the minimum height, you've got a omnidirectional cloud warmer wasting away transmitter power and DX loss - just because of a poor propagation angle and the wrong height.

Also, $100 paid out -or less- for an antenna build requireing a huge space (preferrably a north to south wire direction as well) so that east to west can be established (hard to do). And, either perfectly located super tall trees to provide this necessary height AND spacing - or a pocketful of money to put up 140 ft towers where you want/need them.

No wonder it is such an expensive hobby. Inventiveness and ingenuity cannot always be realized. Some operators/situations just don't allow what N2ITH has going for him at his QTH.

Take some pictures when you get it up and together, I really want to see them.

 

[hookedon6]

I've seen quite a few OCF antennas called a 'Windom', but don't think I've ever seen a real 'Windom' except once. A Windom is an OCF antenna, but an OCF antenna is almost never a Windom... 'Doc

yep! i gotta agree, OCF, not WINDOM ,
kinda like a "multiband" G5RV
details, details, details

 

[WX2MIG]

Question.....

I recall hearing or reading somewhere's that a 1/2 wave dipole cut for 40 meters will also work on 20m and 10m.....

If that is infact true, then you would get 3 bands out of one antenna without the need for a tuner......????


My main priority is to get an HF radio first, the antenna tuner may have to wait until I can also afford a decent unit. So once I do get an HF radio, I'll be looking to erect an antenna that will give me the most coverage without the need for a tuner. Once I can add an antenna tuner to the system, then I'll start to really experiment with wire antennas.
Also once I do get a tuner, I might have just enough room to run an end fed random wire from the back of my property to a tall maple out front....

 

[Moleculo]

recall hearing or reading somewhere's that a 1/2 wave dipole cut for 40 meters will also work on 20m and 10m.....

If that is infact true, then you would get 3 bands out of one antenna without the need for a tuner......????

Generally when you feed a dipole with ladder line, you have very little loss when using a dipole on higher bands than what the dipole is cut for. You can also get lucky and find a low SWR on the harmonic frequencies. So, if you dipole is cut for 7mhz, you will find a low SWR point on 14 mhz. If you want to do something like this, it would be better if you also used an antenna tuner. Then you can also work 6m, 12m, 15m, 17m, etc. When you get your HF rig, you can also get one that has a tuner built in. Of course if an amplifier is ever in your plans, that internal tuner won't do you as much good. But I wouldn't jump straight to the amplifier until you've worked HF without one.

If you build a dipole for 40m and amount of wire or space is an issue, you can make some load coils for 80m, even 160m. That's very cheap and easy to do. Find my loaded 80m dipole thread that I did a while back and look at the pictures, measurements, etc.

BTW, if you don't want to buy an antenna tuner, build one. They're easy to make and the parts are all that hard to find.

 

[W5LZ]

I also think that 'cloud warmer' description thingy is a bit over done. You might be surprised at what some of those 'cloud warmers' will do if you give them half a chance. Don't discount them until you try them. Most of us have little chance of having antennas at an optimal height, at least not in town, on an average. A 'WAS' or 'WAC' isn't unreasonable at all with the 'average'/typical, lower than it ought'a be antenna.

Most typical multi-band antennas are a compromise in some way, not to mention costly. There are several 'good' ones around, but few that are really out$tanding in the majority of instances. That's not to say you shouldn't try something if you want to, just keep your expectations reasonable, sort of. Starting with something that's as simple as a dipole is a pretty good way of getting your feet wet. You'll have something to compare other antennas to.
- 'Doc

 

[Beetle]

Question.....

I recall hearing or reading somewhere's that a 1/2 wave dipole cut for 40 meters will also work on 20m and 10m.....

If that is infact true, then you would get 3 bands out of one antenna without the need for a tuner......????


My main priority is to get an HF radio first, the antenna tuner may have to wait until I can also afford a decent unit. So once I do get an HF radio, I'll be looking to erect an antenna that will give me the most coverage without the need for a tuner. Once I can add an antenna tuner to the system, then I'll start to really experiment with wire antennas.
Also once I do get a tuner, I might have just enough room to run an end fed random wire from the back of my property to a tall maple out front....

Nope. A dipole cut for one frequency and fed with 50-75 ohm coax will work FAIRLY well on odd multiples of that frequency. A 7 MHz antenna will "work" at 7x3 = 21 MHz.

That same dipole, still using coax for feedline, will NOT work on an even multiple of the frequency. 7x2=14 MHz. Your feedpoint here will look like several thousand ohms. Same for 7x4=28 MHz.
Just odd multiples.

This is where parallel line and a good tuner start to look better and better.

As for the "end fed random wire", be sure to install a very good counterpoise; otherwise you might be pretty disappointed.

 

[hookedon6]

I also think that 'cloud warmer' description thingy is a bit over done. You might be surprised at what some of those 'cloud warmers' will do...- 'Doc

any antenna is a compromise one way or 'nother. i often run a homemade NVIS antenna that is great when operated where it is designed to perform..... 600 - 800 miles (radius).

i not only warm the clouds, i get the earthworms too

 

[WX2MIG]

Nope. A dipole cut for one frequency and fed with 50-75 ohm coax will work FAIRLY well on odd multiples of that frequency. A 7 MHz antenna will "work" at 7x3 = 21 MHz.

That same dipole, still using coax for feedline, will NOT work on an even multiple of the frequency. 7x2=14 MHz. Your feedpoint here will look like several thousand ohms. Same for 7x4=28 MHz.
Just odd multiples.

This is where parallel line and a good tuner start to look better and better.

As for the "end fed random wire", be sure to install a very good counterpoise; otherwise you might be pretty disappointed.

((( DAMN...the New York Times lied to me again )))....:sad:

I honestly don't recall where I heard that, and it might of been a dipole fed with balance line.....too many dead brain cells to go by me....

I got time yet, and I know we'll figure something out that'll work.......

 

[HiDef]

Question.....
So once I do get an HF radio, I'll be looking to erect an antenna that will give me the most coverage without the need for a tuner. Once I can add an antenna tuner to the system, then I'll start to really experiment with wire antennas.
Also once I do get a tuner, I might have just enough room to run an end fed random wire from the back of my property to a tall maple out front....

Looks like you like to build stuff. Build a tuner. They can be made from junk parts especially at lower power levels. Plenty of good and some not so good designs on the WWW.

Balanced feedline and a good tuner can get you on all H.F. bands. One can even get on 160 with a short doublet if there is enough copper in the right places.