Today was a very pleasant day in the “office”, sunny and a balmy 7c on arrival at the summit, although windy. The main point of the exercise was to test the 80m legs which I had cut and fitted to my linked dipole, making it resonant on 4 bands, 80/60/40/30. The new legs were bang on tune on 3.557/3.666 with almost perfect VSWR on both frequencies.
The new antenna worked a treat with good reports all around on 80m including a S2S contact with Robert GW0PEB/P on GW/NW-047. Thanks Robert.
Last time I was on Hope Mountain I was pleased to work a W2 station on 30m-cw, today I was equally thrilled when I made contact with S51ZG on 80m-ssb.
In reply to GW0DSP:
Hi Mike
Sorry I missed you the other day I was at “work” in Scarborough.
Our linked dipoles are now the same spec! I’m surprised how broadbanded mine is on the 80m band - good for CW and SSB without adjustments and made with the very thin gauge wire (16/0.2mm). I think it may be with being set low at 6-7m AGL on the fishing pole with the ends not being that far off the ground.
A pity I missed you Phil, I had a great time on 80m-cw and ssb. For examble, Roy was 599/599 fb as were most.
I use 24/0.2mm wire Phil and agree with your comments re widebanding, although my dipole was only up at approx 5m because of the wind and the ends just 1 metre up on walking poles.
Thanks for the report on your antenna. Always useful information. You are right; ‘The proof of the pudding.’
It is very difficult to test-bed antennas at home, as I for one have found. I sometimes go out looking for a wide grass verge but was told-off by the police a few years ago for apparently causing some ‘twitching’ up at GCHQ, only half a mile away from my antics. (These were the days before analysers or perhaps just the means to buy one).
Link dipoles are good, so long as the WX is half decent. When it gets really wild and you’re in a shelter, I sometimes envy the activators who carry miniature ATU’s.
If you add 20m to a link dipole which already has 40m, you don’t need a link for 30m. Just run it asymetric (40 + 20 divide 2 = 30) and it works just fine. In like manner 80 + 40 divide 2 = 60; which I have tested but can’t remember the result because a fault spoiled the test at the time.
We agree on that; a 5m support is a good choice with regard to weight & NVIS.
Roy tells me that Hope is your ‘backyard’ mountain. I am green with envy; wish I had one!
Two SLABS comes to over 5kg! This could make a chap sink through snow crust.
Have a good Christmas and thanks for your Excel animated card, which Roy passed to me 'cos he doesn’t have Excel. It was good.
Thanks for your comments. I like the Linked dipole irrespective of wx conditions. Mine has strong insulaters which take the strain between the links. 80/60/40/30 is all I want to concentrate on at present so I won’t add any more links, although I do have a lightweight version covering 40/30/20.
Yes, Hope is in my backyard, just a 15 minute drive. It is a drive on summit because I have a key to the gate, hence the 2 X 7ah SLABs. I do have a 110ah leisure battery that I could use up there, hi.
For normal summits where long walks are involved I revert to the FT-817 with internal batteries and a 3ah SLAB, this easily gives me a 2 summit day.
I’m Glad you liked the card John, just a bit of Christmas fun.
Have a great Christmas & New year.