Graeme, you don’t have an email address on QRZ.COM so I’m posting this here. I just want to let you know that when I worked you yesterday on 17M ssb, I was up on W1/MB-023. I was running KX3 into EFHW - curious what you were running?
Thanks for the S2S!
73, Barry N1EU
Hi Barry
Just noticed this section in the categories didn’t get an alert for it on my profile. For the activation on the 14/09/2014 from G/NP003 Burnhope SeatI was running FT817 w4rt filters and DSP fitted along with a 44ft doublet antenna, zm2 ATU. There was a lot of QSB on 17m at my end, but just managed to pick you out in the noise thought I was dreaming at first.
I only decided on a doublet at the last minute as I had some DX lite wire left over I had purchased for my 17m end fed and decided to see what all the excitement is with these doublets.
On the 21/09/2014 from Yarlside G/NP019 I was using the same set up but the antenna was a G Whip resonant 17m EFHWA replaced the heavy kevlar wire with the DX lite wire. The first time I have managed to work 4 dx stations in one day never mind 20 minutes.
May have to look at a 88ft doublet.
Thanks for S2S
Graeme
The 44ft doublet has always been a top performing antenna for me on 40-10M. My current version is fed with twisted pair wire that I salvaged from hi-speed CAT5/CAT6 cable after tearing off the outer jacket. The hi speed wire has a very low loss dielectric and creates a lightweight low loss inexpensive feedline.
Be aware that if you go to an 88ft doublet, the radiation pattern on 17-10M will no longer be broadside bi-lobed. That’s part of the magic of the 44ft doublet - it’s broadside on all bands 40-10M, with more gain and narrower lobes as you progressively go up through 10M.
73,
Barry N1EU