Advice on Beginner HF Equipment (Part 2)

[AL5KA]

@MM0FMF

you may be better served by having more vertical component to your antenna? Try rigging the antenna like this in this post… it’s how I deploy my 41ft “random” nowadays. Note the change to the counterpoise system. Also getting the radiator feed higher off the ground, 1m in this case, can h

Thanks, this is the sort of feedback I was hoping to get. I am aware of getting the radiator feed off the ground, it was just on the ground for the picture

From this post it looks like you’re doing an inverted L with a steep vertical part and then 3 or 4 counterpoise wires. Do you think it helps to have just a sloper be more vertical too?

I may try this method eventually. I’d have to purchase more wire for the extra counterpoise wires but that’s NBD. I do think the inverted L is better than the sloper from what I’ve read, I like the sloper because of its ease of setup. Have yet to try the L

[MM0FMF]

@AL5KA

ease of setup

Ease of setup is not much use if you make no contacts You are currently erecting a 5m (give or take) pole, attaching a wire to the top and running it back to you and your radio on the ground. It’s no harder to measure off a 4m length from your wire (do it back home in the warm) and attach that to the top of the pole and run 4m down to the 9:1 and stretch the rest out the way your sloper was before. Sit at the base of the pole and the feeder from the radio runs up to about 1m AGL. Keep the far end off the ground. I use an old broken tent pole that is 50cm with a joint in the middle. It’s 50cm when collapsed and 1m when assembled, stick it in the ground and attach the wire to the top.

@AL5KA

I’d have to purchase more wire

I realise being in Alaska will be a problem compared to being in say San Francisco when it comes to buying stuff but I’m sure they have shops that sell wire. And also I’m sure that you can buy off eBay and get it shipped, obviously with some cost.

This will do for you: ORANGE 26 AWG Gauge Stranded Hook Up Wire 100 ft REEL UL1007 300 Volt USA | eBay and the outrageous colour will stand out against green grass and white snow.

And I think you may be surprised how well the inv-L with sloping rather than horizontal section works. Make yourself a 1/4wave GP for for 20m (4 pieces of wire a 1/4wave long, so each 5m) and maybe for 15m too.