HF Naive: Kit update. (Part 1)

Basket is the word that eluded me! Looking on the Leki spares site shows they do all sorts - mine appear to be trekking baskets.

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eBay always has plenty of single Leki poles from where someone has broken one and bought a new pair and the old one is for sale. Judicious searching means you can often find something that matches your own pole so you don’t have to buy a pair yourself when you break one :wink:

I got a barely used pair for £40 during Lockdown saving about £60 on the list price. Very pleased I told a walking chum and he got back a few days later thanking me for suggest eBay. “I got an almost new pair of the pricey Titanium Leki poles for £35” he was happy to tell me. Grrr!

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If the summit is rocky, I take the view that keeping the ends of the wire clear of the ground is less important, so I just use the cords on the wire ends to slope down to peg / rock or whatever…

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I rarely have this luxury because most summits I activate have unfriendly topologies (ie. they aren’t flat open ground). Nor do I try to have the radiation lobes of my EFHW pointing in any particular direction, as others have written on the reflector [Aren’t their chasers on many bearings?]

The antenna orientation is determined more prosaically:
a) Where I can sit on the leeside of any wind shelter (rocks, dip in the ground) with the antenna pole at most 2-3m away [that’s the length of coax feeder], and
b) Anything I can find to attach the far-end support cord to, e.g. rock, fence and seldomly a tree but mostly it’s a bump in the ground – I don’t use walking poles so it’s usually an inverted-7.

It’s yet another reason I often take my [Cha MPAS Lite] vertical because whatever the summit topology they nearly all have good all-round low-angle takeoff.

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Reusable zip tie?

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At one time I considered poles to be for “old people” and although I had a pair, I usually had mine strapped to the outside of the pack using reusable tiewraps. Then in 2015 West Lomond GM/SS-154 happened and the previously little used poles absolutely proved their worth on the ascent. Since then I’ve rarely attached them to my pack and use them regardless of the terrain. They make crossing streams and boggy areas easier and provide additional support when clambering over rocks. I often carry them rather than actually use them on descents where the slope is gradual as they have been proven to slow me down. No problem as they weigh less than 400g the pair. I am now a confirmed user, so have I joined the league of “old people”?

On all my mast-mounting portable antennas (linked dipoles, EFHWs, roll-up J-pole) I use a releasable tie wrap and a thick rubber band [see photo]. It takes only a few seconds to slip the tie wrap over the end of the top section of the pole and wrap the rubber band 3 or 4 times over it to make an unslippable attachment.
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For my inverted-L/inverted-7 EFHWs the tie-wrap & rubber band are already threaded over the antenna wire and positioned at the correct distance (i.e. pole height) from the the z-match box end. They come off the wire winder just when needed whilst unwinding the antenna wire, and vice versa when winding the antenna back on the WW.

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Hi Omar,
Here you have some interesting things

73, Eric

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Absolutely not. I’d never go anywhere without mine! Managed a 26 mile charity walk in September finishing in the top 5% (there were some runners doing the event too). Walking/hiking poles are a godsend.

Thanks - I’ll give that a go. I’m trying to make setup a bit quicker, and willing to try it.

Thanks - I’m a big fan of knots. To secure my guy lines to the mast, I use a clove hitch. Definitely going to try that fancy knot at the top of my mast - it looks very quick to do.

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@2E0OMX , great thread for me. Thanks for starting it.

I pondered hiking poles as antenna supports but they’re either aluminum or carbon fiber, so both conductive. Do they become part of the antenna? I’ll be on more exposed trails this winter so I got some poles anyway. I’m old enough. Will share them with friend-birdwatchers who are starting to have balance problems.

All my wires at home are high. I also have some orange 30# fishing line hung up in trees so don’t want to use anything like that on a summit. The most interesting summits around here are bald granite with a fringe of stunted spruce. I may need supports. DX Engineering lists the Sotabeams masts but has no stock right now.

If I make a random wire to attach to binder posts on the xcvr, how do I choose a length for the counterpoise? Just SWR? Have a RigExpert but not a VNA. Have lots of 24 AWG wire with yellow insulation (0.5 mm dia.).

After a few days of rain, I want to try an activation. Not a long season remaining for sitting still on a windy rock in Maine.

Thanks all.

Dave, W1ETC

EDIT: Looking for wire antennas for 40m to 10m inclusive. Another wire for 80 and up for next year. Looks like an 84’ wire will work, but looking at about 42 feet to be more manageable on a granite peak. Thx.

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Hi Dave @W1ETC - WECOME!

The more experienced members can comment on best shared practice.

I’m currently using an EFHW which works on 40/20/(15)/10m (with a built-in transformer). My configuration is an inverted V.

I attach the ends of the antenna to my hiking poles with some cord and a reef knot - so they can’t become part of the antenna.:crossed_fingers: Here’s the transformer end of my EFHW held off the ground:

A fibreglass fishing pole/whip holds the middle up. It needn’t be a SOTA specific pole, but some are better than others in terms of strength/portability… you can just about see my ghetto version in this pic.

I stuffed one hiking pole into the rocks/cairn. The other was stuffed into the top layer of soil.

If it’s a rocky summit - a plan to support the fibreglass pole and hiking poles is needed. So far I’ve got away with what I have.

I’m going to pick on @MM0FMF and @G5OLD for pointers here…

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Well you can always use the free antenna simulation software that’s available and simulate the setup for different heights, arrangements and lengths of counterpoise. You can see what should happen and then set up and see if your results match what was expected.

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Thanks.

I’ve tried EZNEC models of popular sizes of random-wire antennas such as that 84’ antenna with 17’ counterpoise. The program tells me that the SWR is over 100. This could easily be my error with EZNEC. I find every minute with EZNEC to be a struggle.

What matching will you be using with your random end-fed wire?

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In this situation, I’d put some PVC pipe into those rocks on the cairn, my mast in that, then a sort of sloper L wire layout and peg the other end into the grass or hiking pole. Doesn’t really matter, just saves time from guying the mast.

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I’ll use the internal tuner option in the KX3.

I have seen pics of KX2 and KX3 with wires going right to the binder posts with no choke, transformer, etc… This is the simplicity I’m looking for.

In the mean time, I have a 17’ whip by Chelegance. I got it so that I’d have an antenna that I know works while I experiment with wires. It’s heavy and long when packed up. Looking for simpler wires soon.

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…but what am I supposed to do with myself whilst waiting for Tim to get up to his summit? I arrived 40 mins early yesterday. :joy:

(In all seriousness, thanks Alex, I might try that layout).

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I think it will be user error. Have you tried entering a dipole and seeing what happens? That’s what I’d do to check the program answers are sensible. You’ve run the examples that come with the program and they work?

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Indeed. The Tactical Mini from SOTABeams weights in at about 750g and I have used it in very windy conditions with a dipole.

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Hi Dave,
This is how I use my walking poles with an EFHW. I have no problem or negligible issue with this causing a SWR problem.

Notice the pipe in use here as described by @GM5ALX. I copied this idea from @MM0EFI and it is excellent for fast deployments.

The counterpoise in this system is a 5m length of coax back to a choke by the radio.

My Poles are not used for a Random wire, as this goes direct from the radio. Maybe at the end of the wire, but I usually have a guy to a rock or peg in the ground.

Here is the random wire in use, note the peg in ground with a short section of cord to put some tension on the wire…

For Random wire lengths, I have just tried other peoples ideas:

  • A W3EDP works well for Sota (84ft and 17ft counter poise)
  • Also I use 8.8m and 4m counterpoise for really quick deployment (29ft and 13ft in old money)

Both tune with a Kx2 to the key bands fine (80/40/20/17/15/10)

Thanks
Tim - G5OLD

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