Beginner Antenna Questions, yet again

[ke0ncp]

If you heard WWVH on 10 mHz your antenna is doing fine.... propagation today has been the pits for the most part on the higher bands. I think after all the weeping and gnashing of teeth in this thread.... and when you get your radio fixed... your OCFD is going to serve you well. Easy to blame the antenna... it's a much cheaper fix than the radio.

Yeah I feel like I am in a good spot with it now. But that is an unexperienced opinion that's based off of only a few moments on a bunk radio. Only time will tell but I feel good about it.

Now onto building a dual purpose 2m delta loop for a radio I don't have hahaha


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SCPD]

I am going to respectfully disagree with you Popnokick, with (I quote)....
.
" If you heard WWVH on 10 mHz your antenna is doing fine...."
.
I can connect my metal filing cabinet to any HF comm radio here and pick up all the WWV's(H,B, etc), CHU's, BBC's --in the world-- but I can't talk across town on such an "antenna." Just because Matt can HEAR WWVH is no indication how well his antenna is transmitting. And, as I stated in my first comment- I am sure his antenna will radiate- just how WELL it radiates is what is in question. And this is what he originally ask'd.
.
But be that as it may- he has certainly gotten a lot of feedback ! You can only contribute so much, and then you start to grow Donkey's Ears..... Heck, we haven't even heard what the SWR is on his OCF.
.
Experience teach's a hard school, but some will learn in no other....smiles
.
So, Matt, Good Luck Cowboy, ... y via con Dios!
.
...................CF

 

[ke0ncp]

I am going to respectfully disagree with you Popnokick, with (I quote)....
.
" If you heard WWVH on 10 mHz your antenna is doing fine...."
.
I can connect my metal filing cabinet to any HF comm radio here and pick up all the WWV's(H,B, etc), CHU's, BBC's --in the world-- but I can't talk across town on such an "antenna." Just because Matt can HEAR WWVH is no indication how well his antenna is transmitting. And, as I stated in my first comment- I am sure his antenna will radiate- just how WELL it radiates is what is in question. And this is what he originally ask'd.
.
But be that as it may- he has certainly gotten a lot of feedback ! You can only contribute so much, and then you start to grow Donkey's Ears..... Heck, we haven't even heard what the SWR is on his OCF.
.
Experience teach's a hard school, but some will learn in no other....smiles
.
So, Matt, Good Luck Cowboy, ... y via con Dios!
.
...................CF

Understood. And I am one that learns best from seeing it for myself

As mentioned I am very new to the hobby so the only swr meter I have is for 11m though I sure I can check 10m swr with it.

I have posted in my local section to see if anyone around me has an analyzer that they can swing by with so that I can check swr across the bands.

I do plan on purchasing an swr meter I just haven't done so yet.

Until then I will let my donkey ears grow and hop on the saddle




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[majoco]

Let's not get into the minefield of a resonant antenna and one with low VSWR - they don't necessarily go hand-in-hand. Stick with a proven design or a shop bought antenna for the moment - a full blown antenna analyser at this stage of the game will only confuse the issue even more.

"Experience is what you get when the results aren't what you expected"

 

[KC5AKB]

Your Store Bought antenna will be fine Matt .

 

[popnokick]

majoco - Thanks for pointing out that having a good SWR and resonance do not necessarily make for an effective antenna when taken alone. Together they are a couple of elements that might point to malfunction, but may not mean effective RF radiation.
C.F. - And thank you for graciously helping me realize that by omitting some words from what I wrote I did not get my point across. Instead of writing simply “If you heard WWVH on 10 mHz your antenna is doing fine” I should have added, “… from a basic operational standpoint, meaning no coax shorts / opens, extraordinarily high RFI, or other impediment that may be antenna-related.”
To repeat what prcguy wrote about the Windom / OCFD, “…[it is] resonant on most HF amateur bands without a tuner and is a no brainer for a newbie.” For all of the factors that are contributing to the effectiveness of KE0NCP’s station, the OCFD is now the least likely factor for his concern. Per what he described in his posts, ke0ncp’s main issue now is that he needs to repair or replace his defective transceiver (“…the Yaesu FT-100 I have died… This FT-100 that I have has some serious issues to say the least…&#8221.
I’m also writing again in this thread lest someone reading get the impression that a properly installed Windom / OCFD is a “random bit of wire in the sky”, “not a good place for a beginner to start”, “exotic”, or any more difficult to install than a dipole. The amateur radio club I belong to keeps two OCFD antennas as our “go to” antenna for the many temporary and portable event stations we set up / take down throughout the year, including Field Day, Scouting Jamboree On The Air, and various public service events. We operate mostly in the heavily forested suburban and rural areas of northeast Pennsylvania. The OCFDs have been put up / taken down, and loaned out to new hams countless times. The procedure is simple: Find a couple of trees or other end supports approx 138 feet or greater apart, shoot lines over the trees on each end (we use an AirBoss launcher)… and pull the OCFD up into place as high as you can get it. Typically that’s anywhere from 25 to 50 feet up. Does it work? Hell yes… the results are in our radio logs for these events. As for my own station, I was so impressed by my first OCFD (the 80M-6M 138 foot version) that I took it down and replaced it with the 283-foot 160M-6M version. In the 18 months that I’ve been using my OCFDs….. and mine is installed with a short leg going through some trees and a near-110 degree angle… I’ve made hundreds of local, regional, national, and global DX contacts. Last weekend I worked YA5C (Afghanistan) on 20M with it. Last year I decided to set up a challenge for myself by operating QRP (5 watts) for the duration of the PA QSO Party…. and ended up as the top scorer in the state for PSK contacts, and placed very highly in the QRP scoring category. I’m here to say the Windom / OCFD just WORKS.