Here is my 12m GP wound up for transport compared to 2x AA cells for size. This is the radiator section (white wire) and 3x radials (grey wire). There’s a BNC socket fitted which goes to 3m of RG58 and the 817. It hangs from my 5m fishing pole and the radials clip to the guys or ground using the pink bulldog clips. Pink because the were stolen from my daughter’s school folder!
[quote=“MM0FMF, post:38, topic:9406”]Pink because[/quote]…they’re a lot easier to find if you drop them into long grass than they would be if they were some “camo” colour… 
73, Rick M0LEP (who has lost more than one inadequately lurid peg/clip/tie/whatever in vegetation…)
Hi Mike,
If you have time to try, there is a ZS activation scheduled for 10:00 this coming Wednesday - I’ll be trying from my home station here. Of corse if I manage that, I’ll still need a second ZS summit to qualify the association/continent for the Mountain Hunter award!
73 Ed.
Thanks, Andy. I’m a bit confused though, as I thought it was enough to have a wire cut as 1/2 wave plus balun 1:9 (then it is an End-Fed though). I’m trying to figure out how he whole installation is set up as a GP. Would you have a link or picture or a drawing of it to visualize?
Hi Ed,
I’m more than happy to nip up to one of the local summits on Wednesday. However, the wx forecast is rain, rain and more rain 
Hopefully, things will change over the next few days.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
1/2 wave of wire is not a 1/4 wave! 
The antenna you describe, 1/2wave plus 9:1 UnUn (it’s not a BalUn) is a simple way of matching a high impedance load to a TX that wants a low impedance. The impendance of a 1/2wave end fed is thousands of Ohms so a 9:1 will drop that impedance seen by 9^2, i.e. a 5000Ohm end fed will look nearer 61Ohms to the TX. The SWR seen should be acceptable and in range of inbuilt ATUs. However, unless you get the design and construction of the UnUn right it can be lossy, this applies to commercial and home built units. If you chose the right length of wire rather than 1/2wave on one band, you can make a multi-band antenna.
A 1/4wave GP (ground plane) consists of 1/4wave of vertical radiator with 3 1/4 wave radials. Normally you angle the radials down by 45degs from horizontal and then the match is nearly 50Ohm. The length of wire needed is an electrica 1/4wave and the length will be different from 1/4wave if you use insulated wire. I used Teflon covered silver plated because it doesn’t kink. Cut long to begin, set the antenna up and trim back watching the impedance/SWR meter. Mine gives as most 1blob on the 817 SWR display.
Here is a diagram. Don’t use a PL259, use a BNC or similar, they are lighter to carry. In my 12m antenna, all lengths are 3m approx.
Here is my antenna deployed. You can see the green Nylon coords which guy the antenna and the grey radials.
Ed - DD5LP.
Come to El Paso. Ich habe ein shone platz fur dich! And we speak German here too. You would not be the first German or the first SOTA operator to stay here. We can activate in Texas and New Mexico, getting you two new associations in your activator log, and you can chase using my station all you like (see KD5KC - Callsign Lookup by QRZ Ham Radio for photos).
You could do this in a long weekend. Activate one day, chase the next, and then back home.
Vy73 - Mike - KD5KC
(formerly DA4DF, DA1WJ and DL/KD9KC).
El Paso, Texas - DM61rt.
W5-SOTA Association Manager.
Hi Mike,
What a generous offer to Ed 8) I am sure he will be tempted
Nicely laid out QTH station, 1k+ better than here!
Glad you have also a hexbeam.
How is that stamp box coming on?
Cheers
Mike
Andy, I do exactly the same on 40m with my 12m Spiderbeam mast
73 Mike VK6MB
Hi Mike,
Thanks for the offer, very tempting, nice station! It’s quite a few years since I was in the US and I was never in Texas or New Mexico. By the way, no worries about speaking German - I’m actually English.
Financially I’m not planning any long distance trips at the moment. Perhaps one next year back to Australia to visit friends (I moved to Germany from Australia in March of this year after being in “Oz” 19 years).
Lets hope I can grab some US SOTA activators to get the third continent from here (actually it might have been easier from Australia!). The activator log - looks very lame when compared to the chaser one and as winter hits here in Bavaria, it’s going to be more difficult to get to even the easier summits, those extra 3 activator points from December look inviting thogh.
73 Ed DD5LP / VK2JI (previously VK2ARE) / G8GLM. Previously VK2/HU region manager.
Good morning.
I have cut out all the stamps. And I have selected two different boxes. Have not decided which box I will use yet. With the home remodeling going on, that has not been a priority.
But I am certainly grateful for the stamps. When I get time for it, it is going to be wonderful.
Vy73 - Mike - KD5KC.
El Paso, Texas - DM61rt.
W5-SOTA Association Manager.
Not a German? Shoot! Well, come on over anyway. You would not be the first G-station in the bunk house either. And we can still put TX and NM in the books for you.
Vy73 - Mike - KD5KC.
El Paso, Texas - DM61rt.
W5-SOTA Association Manager.
Good luck Mike with the BIG box and the little boxes. I have sent you a note via ARRL.
Catch you later.
Cheers
Mike
Unfortunately nothing heard from ZS1WWW activation of ZS/WC-043 - not even a self-spot. If ZS1WWW, ZS1SGS and ZS1VG activated, I think this was a case of wrong band / wrong time if they wanted any EU contacts. Local should have been OK on 20m though.
I could not wait too long, so if they were just late to the summit, did anyone else hear them?
73 Ed DD5LP
Hello Ed,
I don’t know if the activation happened but…
I have been monitoring the bands.
DX-Cluster has been running with a ZS filter for 40M and 20M - nothing.
Also ran through APRS the ZS callsigns and only ZS1WWW has a APRS trace. Last signal on the 1st November.
As regards propagation I was not hopeful anyway. Better perhaps luck next time for you.
Mike
Hi Ed, I may be able to help, keep an eye on the alerts/spots over the next week. I hope to be active from some of the EA8/LA summits probably on 20 & 30 metres CW, but not sure which days so watch this space…
73
Victor GI4ONL
Hi Victor,
Looks like the ZS activation didn’t happen then.
Thanks for doing that but unfortunately I don’t run CW. I decided to take the hard route and stick with SSB contacts to get my SOTA awards. Also I’m too lazy to learn Morse.
73 Ed.
P.S. Anyone else watching the Philea module of Rosetta trying to land on the comet using 1980’s robotics technology?
+1 for honesty!
Like you, I’ve been too lazy to learn Morse, so I too have taken the hard route.
When I achieved Platinum Mountain Hunter, every single contact was an s2s, all ssb.
There’s no rule in SOTA that I’m aware of, that says you need to learn Morse.
Good luck with the Mountain Hunter Award, Ed.
73 Mike
2E0YYY
+1 for honesty.
There isn’t Mike. Lots of people list all sorts of unbelievable issues as to why they can’t do Morse. Very few people are honest enough to say they can’t be bothered.