RF Systems Mini Windom antenna

[WisconsinRailfan]

Does anyone have any experience with the RF Systems Mini Windom antenna? I have a Icom R-75, and live on a very small lot with no trees. I was looking to mount it in the attic, or better yet, mount it outside along the gutter line.

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Steven

 

[ka3jjz]

Does anyone have any experience with the RF Systems Mini Windom antenna? I have a Icom R-75, and live on a very small lot with no trees. I was looking to mount it in the attic, or better yet, mount it outside along the gutter line.

Thanks in advance for any advice,

Steven

To me that's seriously overpriced, at least the price on the Universal website would suggest. I remember seeing a couple of them floating around the Winterfest last year, and as I recall, people were using them with their Eton E1s. For such a small antenna, it's OK, but performance tends to fall off in the tropical bands. If you tune in the 60 or 90 meter bands (or in the 80/75 and/or 60 meter ham bands), I would think you would be disappointed.

For a whole lot less, you can get a Par antenna, and you get Dale's near-legendary support as well. Or you can wind your own 9:1 transformer (notice I didn't call it a balun) and put up what wire you can, which to me is the cheapest - and maybe the most fun - way to go. Just how much space are we talking about here? More specifics needed, I think. For example, how big is your lot? Do you have a wooden fence or similar that surrounds it (if so, it's a prime candidate for a loop type antenna, or maybe even a eue.....). 73 Mike

 

[WisconsinRailfan]

Thanks for the reply,

As far as my lot - there is nothing that can really be done there - backyard is the drive way, front yard a sidewalk, side yard another house, the other side is about 6 feet of yard then a road. I do listen to the tropical band a lot, so this antenna will not work for me - thanks for that information. I have been looking at the PAR, just not sure how I would set it up, I was also looking at the Wellbrook Loop. I sent you a PM with a Google view of my lot if you are interested.

Thanks again for the information, you saved me some money

73,

Steven

 

[ka3jjz]

Steven, I know for a fact that the PAR can be mounted in many different configs, and it will surely work as a sloper. Putting the matchbox near the ground will allow you to fool around with different settings until you find one that works. I don't think I have found anyone who didn't like PAR antennas - they simply work. The Wellbrook is very expensive, but I know several who have them and like them

Speaking of loops don't ignore them for your ham station, either. Since you have a small lot you need to take advantage of the square footage - and loops have a nice benefit of rejecting certain kinds of noise, always a problem on HF in general. Putting up a vertical would work, but they tend to be noise magnets - something you don't want to hear. Look around - there's even a skywires Yahoo group where such antennas are discussed in detail 73 Mike

 

[WisconsinRailfan]

Thanks again for the reply,

I am going to try the PAR for my R75. As for my HAM station, once spring gets here, the guys from the local ham club and I will get together for that project. Hope to catch you on-the-air.

73,

Steven

 

[ratboy]

I have made and used a lot of different antennas on my HF radios over the years, and two stood out versus the other ones. The short Alpha-Delta Sloper has been a great antenna, and the other is a slinky sloper made from a couple of slinky's soldered together, stretched out along a rope, fed by RG-6 Coax. This thing had huge lower freq signal strength, and I have another one made up, ready to put up this spring. The original had to be trimmed from 3 slinkies to 2, as local AM stations were totally overloading my receivers, to the point an AM BC filter wouldn't get the S-Meter off the peg with 20db Attenuation. It was great from 7MHZ on down, and still good to about 22MHZ. 80 Meters and Trop band were incredible.

Best thing was it cost about 20 bucks, including the rope.