RE: [amsat-bb] Antenna suggestions

[Tony Langdon <tlangdon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> My lack of success on building antennas dates back over 20 
> years. My most
> successful (operation wise) has been a 10m wire dipole for RS-13.
> Impressive, eh?

Hmm, maybe it's time for a change of luck. :-)  My major successes have been
a 12 element ZL Special for 2m (still got that one in the shed), a number of
J poles and coax dipoles and collinears, the occasional foxhunting beam and,
of course, the new satellite beam.  And there's a healthy sprinkling of
failures all along there as well. :-)

> When I was tuning it up with an MFJ-259 I has getting 1.5:1 
> SWR. Put it up
> and I get 2.3:1 or worse. On the basis that I have no problem 
> hearing RS-13
> with it, I really don't care that much what the SWR is.

Well, it's working.  That sort of thing, I would probably leave alone,
unless I intended to run a truckload of power through it. :)  

> To be closer to the truth, the old adage 'if it works don't 
> fix it' springs
> to mind. Yes, I admit, I'm too frightened to even touch it 
> for fear the
> G6LVB kiss of death will push it into my personal dead 
> antenna landfill.

Hehe, I hope not. :-)

> I've tried verticals directly outside my basement apartment. 
> Even with 10dB
> of coax loss, the vertical at over 100' agl beats the heck 
> out of anything
> put closer to the shack. All of the buildings around me are 
> about 100' high.

That would make a difference in that case.  I could get better results if I
went up another 20' or more, but there's no way to get a supporting
structure put up. :-(

> The preamps are going up just as soon as I get a moment up there!

That will make a BIG difference! :)
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