Tag: wire

Show Notes #091

Posted on by Russ Woodman

Introduction:

  • It's Second Spring in Texas, and Autumn is beginning in Arkansas, so sit back and enjoy another exciting episode of LHS.

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Topics:

  • HF Antennas, Horizontal vs. Vertical
    • Tonight, our hosts discuss the pros and cons of horizontally and vertically polarized HF antennas.
    • One thought is that once the RF radiation hits the various layers in the ionosphere, the polarization doesn't really matter much as it gets reflected to and fro.
    • Richard offers the practical reason for preferring horizontal antennas for HF: it's easier to build and erect the long antennas necessary for these frequencies. However, for chasing DX, those long-distance contacts, many hams prefer vertical antennas as they tend to have lower angles of radiation.
    • Also mentioned: GAP antennas and the G5RV antenna.
    • Wire horizontal dipoles are inexpensive and easy to construct. Verticals are a good choice when space is limited and can have a lower take-off angle, providing a good ground radial system is installed beneath them.
    • Horizontal antennas can be more directional. A dipole wire running north and south will have a better propagation east and west. A vertical is omnidirectional, radiating equally in all directions. To complicate matters, a horizontal antenna lower to the ground will radiate at higher angles than the same antenna that is higher. This can be useful for communicating with stations that are close to you.
  • A new section of the podcast: Russ' Rant!
    • Russ has a Yaesu FT-7900R, a dual-band UHV/VHF mobile radio. It has a removable front panel, allowing the main part of the radio to be hidden and the display can be easily mounted on the dash. However, the speaker is on the body of the radio, so you can't hear it if it's hidden under the seat or in the trunk! Russ thinks the head unit should also contain a speaker, perhaps a very small one like in an mp3 player. Or put the speaker in the microphone.
  • Returning to antennas, Richard recommends that KD8SZG (in the chat room), should try building his own wire antennas for HF. Any of the antenna books written by Doug DeMaw, W1FB, are good resources. His Antenna Notebook is one. (I also like the various ARRL antenna books, like the Simple and Fun Antennas for Hams. -Ed.)

Contact Info:

  • Contact Richard at kb5jbv@gmail.com, Russ at k5tux@lhspodcast.info, or both at the same time at info@lhspodcast.info.
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  • Thanks to Dave from Gamma Leonis for the theme music.

Music:

  • "A Little Time" by Not From Georgia, from their album Love & Umbrella, courtesy of Jamendo.
  • "Metal Heart" by Zamza, from their album Songs for Jukebox, courtesy of Jamendo.