Salty Walt's Portable Antenna Sketchbook (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 11/2/2025 2:03:19 PM EDT
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Salty Walt (K4OGO) recently published his Portable Antenna Sketchbook. With all the interest in POTA and other outdoor adventures this is just the thing to help you get on the air. It is sold through ARRL, and if you are an ARRL member you should have gotten an email about it. I did, so I ordered it. VERY nice book! You should have this in your ham library. 
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Originally Posted By CashOnlyLargeBills: Walt is a very interesting guy. Yes he is very smart. He has to be considering his line of work. And he is also the type of engineer that discounts or minimizes anyone else's experience or knowledge. He inspired me to get into qrp with his videos. I think the youtube curse may end up biting him like it does many others. |
World ain't what it seems, is it Gunny?
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Originally Posted By lorazepam: He inspired me to get into qrp with his videos. I think the youtube curse may end up biting him like it does many others. Originally Posted By lorazepam: Originally Posted By CashOnlyLargeBills: Walt is a very interesting guy. Yes he is very smart. He has to be considering his line of work. And he is also the type of engineer that discounts or minimizes anyone else's experience or knowledge. He inspired me to get into qrp with his videos. I think the youtube curse may end up biting him like it does many others. He is a member of a small club of old school navel architects/engineers. He wears that badge with a lot of pride.  He is wholly in the group of hams that the people in the GD thread are complaining about, and why the hobby is perceived as dying. He is very type A, knows what he knows, and wants everyone to know he knows. He is not an idiot, but having met him, he would not make good company during brunch. 
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Originally Posted By CashOnlyLargeBills: He is a member of a small club of old school navel architects/engineers. He wears that badge with a lot of pride. He is wholly in the group of hams that the people in the GD thread are complaining about, and why the hobby is perceived as dying. He is very type A, knows what he knows, and wants everyone to know he knows. He is not an idiot, but having met him, he would not make good company during brunch. Originally Posted By CashOnlyLargeBills: Originally Posted By lorazepam: Originally Posted By CashOnlyLargeBills: Walt is a very interesting guy. Yes he is very smart. He has to be considering his line of work. And he is also the type of engineer that discounts or minimizes anyone else's experience or knowledge. He inspired me to get into qrp with his videos. I think the youtube curse may end up biting him like it does many others. He is a member of a small club of old school navel architects/engineers. He wears that badge with a lot of pride. He is wholly in the group of hams that the people in the GD thread are complaining about, and why the hobby is perceived as dying. He is very type A, knows what he knows, and wants everyone to know he knows. He is not an idiot, but having met him, he would not make good company during brunch. Probably why his name is "Salty Walt".  IDFAF about his social skills, but his book looks good.
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“Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid.” Ronald Reagan
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Originally Posted By K9-Bob: Probably why his name is "Salty Walt". IDFAF about his social skills, but his book looks good.Originally Posted By K9-Bob: Originally Posted By CashOnlyLargeBills: Originally Posted By lorazepam: Originally Posted By CashOnlyLargeBills: Walt is a very interesting guy. Yes he is very smart. He has to be considering his line of work. And he is also the type of engineer that discounts or minimizes anyone else's experience or knowledge. He inspired me to get into qrp with his videos. I think the youtube curse may end up biting him like it does many others. He is a member of a small club of old school navel architects/engineers. He wears that badge with a lot of pride. He is wholly in the group of hams that the people in the GD thread are complaining about, and why the hobby is perceived as dying. He is very type A, knows what he knows, and wants everyone to know he knows. He is not an idiot, but having met him, he would not make good company during brunch. Probably why his name is "Salty Walt". IDFAF about his social skills, but his book looks good.He is definitely the guy you want to consult with when it comes to comms on the water. |
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Originally Posted By HogSniper: Does he have antenna designs other than portable low power? I may pick one up anyway. I'm a sucker for home-brew antennas.  Book is available on Amazon also. |
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I watched 2 of his videos. Is he really building antennas or is he just assembling store bought antennas and parts. Because so far he has used an LDG BALUN and a DX Commander in the sand, neither of which he built. As my grandfather ham used to say about Healthkit stuff " He didn't build that, he just assembled a kit" Miss you grand dad. |
Mach
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Originally Posted By Mach: I watched 2 of his videos. Is he really building antennas or is he just assembling store bought antennas and parts. Because so far he has used an LDG BALUN and a DX Commander in the sand, neither of which he built. As my grandfather ham used to say about Healthkit stuff " He didn't build that, he just assembled a kit" Miss you grand dad. He just builds stuff to show off stuff companies with product they send him. He is 100% doing youtube to get stuff for free. He was offered a discounted Yaesu ft1x Optima and turned it down to buy a G90. The guy suffers from what I call " all about me-ism " I wasn't going to go off but I will go off. And I will bit my tongue here. but Walt lives in a situation he does for a reason. |
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Originally Posted By SaltyWalt: Aww shucks, I was hoping we could knock back some beers together LOL. Not sure what I did to have you formulate that opinion of me but hey, everybody has one...... Well, this got interesting. Welcome sir. Quick question, what portable mast do you recommend, both for mobile abd portable fir us who live in areas with few trees? Im looking for something robust to take medium weight coax and wire, and can take ND/MT winds. Been eyeing the POTAmast. |
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| I really like my DX Commander Expedition pole. It's 10 meters long and can take just about anything as far as wind and the elements. I've had mine out in gale force winds operating in my Jeep with it. I think it's around 90 bucks at DX Engineering. I have gotten my monies worth out of it. |
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Originally Posted By SaltyWalt: I really like my DX Commander Expedition pole. It's 10 meters long and can take just about anything as far as wind and the elements. I've had mine out in gale force winds operating in my Jeep with it. I think it's around 90 bucks at DX Engineering. I have gotten my monies worth out of it. Copy that. Been looking to make a slinky antenna and a Rybakov fir DX. Its hard here for that in the upper Midwest. MY verticals only seem to hit South, with some Canada contacts, and one Alaskan. And im not the only one who has noticed this. |
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| Roger that, as much as I'm a vertical guy living here on the coast, a good ole inverted V might be a better option for you. Especially if you can see your skip zone and landing spots when using a vertical. But hey, that's the fun of building them and experimenting. 73, K4OGO |
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I saw Walts videos on YT. Made the 20m EFHW Vertical and was wow'd by the performance on 20, and was able to tune it with the internal tuner on my FT450 and MatY-200 on the FT-891 on all bands 10-20. so I bought the book! I was interested in the low take-off angle on 10 so I made a 10m element and ran it from the top of my DXC 10m mast, with the un-un about 10' (~) off the ground. My signal reports this morning typically went from neg dB with a hamstick to +5+ on this EFHW into the EU on FT4. It was fun being the center of attention for mini-pileups from France and Germany today. I bagged a new DX (Kosovo) with it today and my first POTA in the Czech Republic on USB. Walt may not be inventing anything new, but he's getting the word out, getting people interested and participating.. what's to hate about that? I'm having more fun and and can't wait to have time to do more activations with these antenna's... I'm having more fun now because these are easier/faster to set up than the DX Commander Expedition, which I loved when I first got, but now suffering through some tuning issues on 10m (not having spent much time away from 20m) and the signal reports show things are working better. Welcome aboard Walt! 
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MIA: M/SGT James W. Holt USSF 2-7-68 SVN
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Originally Posted By RED_5: I saw Walts videos on YT. Made the 20m EFHW Vertical and was wow'd by the performance on 20, and was able to tune it with the internal tuner on my FT450 and MatY-200 on the FT-891 on all bands 10-20. so I bought the book! I was interested in the low take-off angle on 10 so I made a 10m element and ran it from the top of my DXC 10m mast, with the un-un about 10' (~) off the ground. My signal reports this morning typically went from neg dB with a hamstick to +5+ on this EFHW into the EU on FT4. It was fun being the center of attention for mini-pileups from France and Germany today. I bagged a new DX (Kosovo) with it today and my first POTA in the Czech Republic on USB. Walt may not be inventing anything new, but he's getting the word out, getting people interested and participating.. what's to hate about that? I'm having more fun and and can't wait to have time to do more activations with these antenna's... I'm having more fun now because these are easier/faster to set up than the DX Commander Expedition, which I loved when I first got, but now suffering through some tuning issues on 10m (not having spent much time away from 20m) and the signal reports show things are working better. Welcome aboard Walt! Thank you so very much! |
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Glad to see Walt in here. His videos are a go-to when the YT algorithm pushes them at me; always worth the watch. I have been playing with a 25'-28' Rybakov and home-brew 4:1 and 9:1 unun - great band-hopping convenience with the G90 tuner versus a POTA-performer that is supposed to be reconfigured for each band (although the G90 will tune any config of the Performer on any band 40-10). I'm presently using two 24' Chinese crappie poles one-inside-the-other with tape shims to get the overall length needed - it's a somewhat flimsy but not bad-looking jerry-rig, not very practical for transport as the tape shims keep the bottom pole from fully telescoping for packing. I appreciate the Expedition pole recommendation. Reviews of all the DX Commander poles on DXE seem to share a few common observations: the poles are significantly shorter than claimed, flimsy, and have sometimes snapped in the middle in moderate winds - but at least mostly under warranty. Amazon's Chinese carbon fiber poles are half the price, also bendy, but only the tip sections break with rough handling. You have to look a bit to find any that are longer than about 24 feet. I need close to 30' for the Rybakov, and hesitating to go with one choice over the other. |
| Half the antennas I have in my portable bags were made after watching Walt. he and Kevin out in iowa are who gave me the attitude that if the antenna doesn't work, use the parts on something that will. I am going to try some kite antennas this summer and see if I can learn some new swear words. |
World ain't what it seems, is it Gunny?
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Originally Posted By Prolix: Glad to see Walt in here. His videos are a go-to when the YT algorithm pushes them at me; always worth the watch. I have been playing with a 25'-28' Rybakov and home-brew 4:1 and 9:1 unun - great band-hopping convenience with the G90 tuner versus a POTA-performer that is supposed to be reconfigured for each band (although the G90 will tune any config of the Performer on any band 40-10). I'm presently using two 24' Chinese crappie poles one-inside-the-other with tape shims to get the overall length needed - it's a somewhat flimsy but not bad-looking jerry-rig, not very practical for transport as the tape shims keep the bottom pole from fully telescoping for packing. I appreciate the Expedition pole recommendation. Reviews of all the DX Commander poles on DXE seem to share a few common observations: the poles are significantly shorter than claimed, flimsy, and have sometimes snapped in the middle in moderate winds - but at least mostly under warranty. Amazon's Chinese carbon fiber poles are half the price, also bendy, but only the tip sections break with rough handling. You have to look a bit to find any that are longer than about 24 feet. I need close to 30' for the Rybakov, and hesitating to go with one choice over the other. I have a 13m carbon fiber mast that I routinely use to hold up dipoles and efhw wires between 25-30'. I also use coax most here won't use to keep the pole from bending too much. I have found it doesn't seem to mess with verticals too much if you tune them on that mast. |
World ain't what it seems, is it Gunny?
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Originally Posted By Prolix: source for mast? I'm liking my first-ever RC-316 cables, but you're correct about it kinking if you look at it wrong. ebay |
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Originally Posted By SaltyWalt: Aww shucks, I was hoping we could knock back some beers together LOL. Not sure what I did to have you formulate that opinion of me but hey, everybody has one...... (Chuckle) Walt, thanks the vid G90 vs FX4CR. I bought them both! |
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Originally Posted By K9-Bob: The reach of the ARFCOM ham forum never ceases to amaze me. Welcome Salty Walt!  Thanks so much! This is actually a great forum and I'm glad I joined now. To be honest I was pointed this way by someone that said I was being trashed by some guy acting like a gossiping teenaged girl LOL. Now I'm glad I joined, seems like some great guys here and the other forums are good as well. I'm a 2nd Amendment guy with a bit of a collection myself and I'm enjoying the content. 73, Walt |
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Originally Posted By SaltyWalt: Thanks so much! This is actually a great forum and I'm glad I joined now. To be honest I was pointed this way by someone that said I was being trashed by some guy acting like a gossiping teenaged girl LOL. Now I'm glad I joined, seems like some great guys here and the other forums are good as well. I'm a 2nd Amendment guy with a bit of a collection myself and I'm enjoying the content. 73, Walt Originally Posted By SaltyWalt: Originally Posted By K9-Bob: The reach of the ARFCOM ham forum never ceases to amaze me. Welcome Salty Walt! Thanks so much! This is actually a great forum and I'm glad I joined now. To be honest I was pointed this way by someone that said I was being trashed by some guy acting like a gossiping teenaged girl LOL. Now I'm glad I joined, seems like some great guys here and the other forums are good as well. I'm a 2nd Amendment guy with a bit of a collection myself and I'm enjoying the content. 73, Walt This is small but great group, from the newbie to the seasoned (sad) ham. We police our own here and always strive to to keep it civil. Lots of hams here are interested in DX, POTA, QRP, Off Grid Comms, antenna design and so on. You can even talk about CB and GMRS without getting piled on. Enjoy! |
“Every man has two deaths, when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name. In some ways, men can be immortal. “ - Ernest Hemingway
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Welcome Walt. Making antennas is my favorite part of the hobby. You are one of the few hams on youtube that can make a video about antennas and make it interesting. Your videos are well done. Keep making them. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
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Nobody is coming to save us.
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I built the Rybakov. Put it on the air yesterday. First impression was not that great, but that turned out To be my fault. I couldn’t get it to tune on 10. I was excited to try it out, but forgot when I was building It, that it requires a 4:1. I had used the TennTennas un-un I use for the EFHW’s instead. I swapped it out for my LDG RBA-4:1, while not the ideal 4:1, it did work. I had forgotten that I was going to get a proper 4:1 un-un.  I was able to make contacts on 10-20m Furthest was Greece and Italy on 12m. There was an issue tuning on one of 12,15 or 17 bansds It tuned on 30m, but not a lot of people to work. It wouldn’t tune on 40m I’m going to get or make a proper 4:1 (~ RU-4:1), and try again. |
MIA: M/SGT James W. Holt USSF 2-7-68 SVN
"Your freedom to be you includes my freedom to be free from you."
-A. Wilkow
"Your freedom to be you includes my freedom to be free from you."
-A. Wilkow
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The unun you need isn't hard to build - and part of the fun. I went with a selectable-ratio design but you could eliminate the third winding if you prefer not to experiment with 9:1. The T-200-2 core and all the other bits are available from Amazon nowadays (I do miss my junk box, lost in a fire a decade ago - you don't realize how tedious it is to round up the hardware for a project until your stash of accumulated pulls is gone). I used 10 trifilar turns and it seems to work fine. SWR is actually lowest on 10m - lots of these transformers tend to match worse at the higher freq's - not this one. I'm seeing SWR's of 1.0 to 2.1 on any band 40-10 with a 25' vertical wire. 28' does work better, especially at 7MHz.  According to the experts, you're going to need a common mode choke, too, to keep RF off the braid, and to help the coax serve as a tuned counterpoise by placing the choke in the right spot. You can also do this by winding the feed line through a toroid - an RG-316 cable with PL-259 ends will pass through the center of a 2" toroid many times before you run out of room. Or you could use a series of snap-on ferrite sleeve beads to the same effect.  Remember the Rybakov needs radials. It's the only feature I dislike. EFHW resonant antennas don't need anything beyond a short pigtail or the feed line itself, and elevated-counterpoise designs like the POTA Performer need only one or two; the Rybakov random/nonresonant design seems to want 4 or more, and the more the better. A bit of added hassle for deployment. I've found that some bands get a better match at 4:1 and others at 9:1, and it will depending on where in the yard it is set up and what radiator length is used. The good thing is the resulting SWR's at either turn ratio are well with the matching range of any radio's tuner, being 3 or less in even the worst cases. |
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Another thought about these non resonant antennas, especially with Ununs of Unknown Pedigree - one wonders how efficient they are in practice. They offer a lower main lobe angle when the radiator is greater than 1/4 wavelength, so a 25' Rybakov should be better than the common competition, except on 40. But recalling that MaxCom (?) once sold a "miracle" broadband no-tune antenna that was nothing more than a dipole center insulator that concealed a noninductive 100 ohm resistor across the coax (it started at 50% maximum efficiency and only went down from there) that was very efficient at removing money from military and ham budgets, one wonders. Or at least I do. I guess the only way to gauge the merits at the homebrewer's-laboratory-level is to set up two competitors side by side and do some rapid A-B comparisons with a coax switch for a station inside the near field and a few stations farther away. I know the Rybakov seems to hear and get out well, but is it radiating efficiently? The ability to work surprising DX with QRP power when the bands are right could mask a lot of actual loss in an antenna. Inquiring minds... 
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Originally Posted By Prolix: Another thought about these non resonant antennas, especially with Ununs of Unknown Pedigree - one wonders how efficient they are in practice. They offer a lower main lobe angle when the radiator is greater than 1/4 wavelength, so a 25' Rybakov should be better than the common competition, except on 40. But recalling that MaxCom (?) once sold a "miracle" broadband no-tune antenna that was nothing more than a dipole center insulator that concealed a noninductive 100 ohm resistor across the coax (it started at 50% maximum efficiency and only went down from there) that was very efficient at removing money from military and ham budgets, one wonders. Or at least I do. I guess the only way to gauge the merits at the homebrewer's-laboratory-level is to set up two competitors side by side and do some rapid A-B comparisons with a coax switch for a station inside the near field and a few stations farther away. I know the Rybakov seems to hear and get out well, but is it radiating efficiently? The ability to work surprising DX with QRP power when the bands are right could mask a lot of actual loss in an antenna. Inquiring minds... I have done numerous comparisons with verticals with above ground radials vs. the EFHW. The POTAPerformer vertical is known to have a lower takeoff angle at 40M compared to my 40' high EFHW. Going to Europe the vertical wins. The weekly nets going 500 miles, the EFHW wins. On higher bands, where the take off angles are more likely equal, the difference is not noticed. My takeaways --Balun/unun/transformer needs to be properly designed and constructed to minimize losses. --Wire length matters. The more wire, the higher the efficiency. --Takeoff angle matters. Long DX tends towards lower angels, local tends towards higher NVIS. --Ground radials/counterpoise matters. A lot. Elevated radials are far more efficient. ETA: Unless you are at the beach, then Salty Walt's single, on the wet sand counterpoise, is best! - go watch his videos if you don't understand the reference. --Everything effects everything else! ETA: Per SaltyWalt's comments - added his cheating wet sand counterpoise.
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I make the majority of my transformers (unun and balun) and I have resistors I connect to the antenna connector and the ground side, so see if my winding job was done correctly. A 49:1 gets tested with a load close to 2450 ohms, a 9:1 at 450 ohms, etc. It will let you know if the toroid is the mix you ordered and how well you got it wound. My resistors are not exact, so I won't see 1:1, but usually close to that and you can adjust the spacing on your windings to fine tune a bit. I am a certified retard, and if I can roll my own, you can too! |
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Originally Posted By TVille: My takeaways --Balun/unun/transformer needs to be properly designed and constructed to minimize losses. --Wire length matters. The more wire, the higher the efficiency. --Takeoff angle matters. Long DX tends towards lower angels, local tends towards higher NVIS. --Ground radials/counterpoise matters. A lot. Elevated radials are far more efficient. --Everything effects everything else! I agree (mostly). I think people get too caught up in the loss factor when it comes to non resonant antennas though. In amateur radio where most of us are operating around 100 watts I think people look at the power loss in wattage too much and not in dBs. This is why the 20 watt G90 is so popular. The difference between 20 and 100 watts measured in decibels is a lot different than what's measured in wattage. So yes, managing the losses is important but improving takeoff angle for DX is a net gain in certain situations and overcomes the losses. Speaking of situations, you're right, Ground radials/counterpoise matters especially if you are in a location where ground conductivity sucks. That's where those elevated radials become the better option but in a situation like mine next to saltwater, the coupling of the counterpoise to the highly conductive surface under me (wet salty ocean sand) is the better option for me. As they say, "there's a lid for every pot". My thoughts on antennas are we are all cooking in a different kitchen and might require a different lid and pot to get things cooked LOL. That's the beauty of experimenting with antennas, there are so many moving parts (propagation, location, etc) and no two experiences with the same antenna are alike. |
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I am flummoxed. As in puzzled and outraged at the behavior of... varmints of some sort. Last time I finished operating portable, I decided to pull the coax and unun and choke inside the back door of the hangar and leave the antenna pole upright, with the radials spread out in the grass and the radiator wire dangling from the end of the crappie pole. In this condition, the end of the wire is free to sail around a bit in the breeze and danlgles perhaps two feet off the ground.  I had some free time this afternoon and decided to fire the G90 up for a bit. Dragged the feed line and boxes out the door and grabbed the dangling end of the radiator to hook it to the unun. The banana plug is gone, and the end of the wire is frayed. Curious. Then I notice pieces of wire on the ground, and the missing plug.  What kind of critter has an appetite for silicone insulation and such climbing skills?! I hope they aren't coming into the workshop next - access is very easy. I'm glad I didn't find the mic cord for the G90 chewed off. I'm seeing numerous holes in the lawn now that I figured was from skunks digging for grubs. I suppose squirrels and field mice are possibilities. We have possums and raccoons as well. I think the most likely culprit is deer. They could easily nibble at this height above ground. We have twenty or more in the field each evening and the dog can't chase them off anymore with his blown-out knee. Might explain why the damage hasn't extended indoors so far. They love to dart out of the neighbor's corn when it's up and endanger my life on takeoff and landing. One more reason to get a kill permit this year and thin the herd. A lot. Unless I catch a different species in the act, Bambi is officially on my $hit list after this. |
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Originally Posted By SaltyWalt: I agree (mostly). I think people get too caught up in the loss factor when it comes to non resonant antennas though. In amateur radio where most of us are operating around 100 watts I think people look at the power loss in wattage too much and not in dBs. This is why the 20 watt G90 is so popular. The difference between 20 and 100 watts measured in decibels is a lot different than what's measured in wattage. So yes, managing the losses is important but improving takeoff angle for DX is a net gain in certain situations and overcomes the losses. Speaking of situations, you're right, Ground radials/counterpoise matters especially if you are in a location where ground conductivity sucks. That's where those elevated radials become the better option but in a situation like mine next to saltwater, the coupling of the counterpoise to the highly conductive surface under me (wet salty ocean sand) is the better option for me. As they say, "there's a lid for every pot". My thoughts on antennas are we are all cooking in a different kitchen and might require a different lid and pot to get things cooked LOL. That's the beauty of experimenting with antennas, there are so many moving parts (propagation, location, etc) and no two experiences with the same antenna are alike. 1 S point is 6 db difference, so the difference between 25 watts and 100 watts is literally an S8 vs an S9 or an S5 vs an S6. As long as the received signal for who you are talking to is lower than 1 S point below your signal it doesn't really matter for communication quality. In many cases, the antenna efficiency ( including ground plane and takeoff angle of that antenna ) and the feed-line are more important than power especially when running barefoot. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
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Nobody is coming to save us.
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Originally Posted By SandHillsHillbilly: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/159150/IMG_0349_jpg-3725889.JPG That should have sufficient salt water ground.
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“Every man has two deaths, when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name. In some ways, men can be immortal. “ - Ernest Hemingway
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Originally Posted By K9-Bob: That should have sufficient salt water ground. Originally Posted By K9-Bob: Originally Posted By SandHillsHillbilly: https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/159150/IMG_0349_jpg-3725889.JPG That should have sufficient salt water ground. or so I am told.and as I have always said, you can't argue with success.
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Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
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Nobody is coming to save us.
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I would say so! Tell me who hasn't gone to the ocean's edge at low tide, talked mindlessly on their 100 watt rig for an hour, then tried to start the engine as the tide began to come in, only to find insufficient snort in the battery to crank 'er over - right? On the bright side, he got 3Y0K on several bands while waiting for AAA to send help. |
| Welcome aboard, SaltyWalt. I enjoy your youtube channel and hope you keep fighting the good fight against their BS. |
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Women and Only Fans: When one door closes, their legs can open - SideCharger
DEI stands for “Discrimination,” “Exclusion,” and “Intolerance.” "Didn't Earn It."
Women and Only Fans: When one door closes, their legs can open - SideCharger
DEI stands for “Discrimination,” “Exclusion,” and “Intolerance.” "Didn't Earn It."
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Originally Posted By lorazepam: ...I am going to try some kite antennas this summer and see if I can learn some new swear words. Channeling your inner Charlie Brown? |
"...Capitalism...shares its blessings unequally; ...Socialism...shares its miseries equally."
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Originally Posted By Frank_B: Channeling your inner Charlie Brown? Originally Posted By Frank_B: Originally Posted By lorazepam: ...I am going to try some kite antennas this summer and see if I can learn some new swear words. Channeling your inner Charlie Brown? There are enough cornfields on back roads here that I can put one up without any danger of a tree eating it. |
World ain't what it seems, is it Gunny?
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Originally Posted By SaltyWalt: I agree (mostly). I think people get too caught up in the loss factor when it comes to non resonant antennas though. In amateur radio where most of us are operating around 100 watts I think people look at the power loss in wattage too much and not in dBs. This is why the 20 watt G90 is so popular. The difference between 20 and 100 watts measured in decibels is a lot different than what's measured in wattage. So yes, managing the losses is important but improving takeoff angle for DX is a net gain in certain situations and overcomes the losses. Speaking of situations, you're right, Ground radials/counterpoise matters especially if you are in a location where ground conductivity sucks. That's where those elevated radials become the better option but in a situation like mine next to saltwater, the coupling of the counterpoise to the highly conductive surface under me (wet salty ocean sand) is the better option for me. As they say, "there's a lid for every pot". My thoughts on antennas are we are all cooking in a different kitchen and might require a different lid and pot to get things cooked LOL. That's the beauty of experimenting with antennas, there are so many moving parts (propagation, location, etc) and no two experiences with the same antenna are alike. Originally Posted By SaltyWalt: Originally Posted By TVille: My takeaways --Balun/unun/transformer needs to be properly designed and constructed to minimize losses. --Wire length matters. The more wire, the higher the efficiency. --Takeoff angle matters. Long DX tends towards lower angels, local tends towards higher NVIS. --Ground radials/counterpoise matters. A lot. Elevated radials are far more efficient. --Everything effects everything else! I agree (mostly). I think people get too caught up in the loss factor when it comes to non resonant antennas though. In amateur radio where most of us are operating around 100 watts I think people look at the power loss in wattage too much and not in dBs. This is why the 20 watt G90 is so popular. The difference between 20 and 100 watts measured in decibels is a lot different than what's measured in wattage. So yes, managing the losses is important but improving takeoff angle for DX is a net gain in certain situations and overcomes the losses. Speaking of situations, you're right, Ground radials/counterpoise matters especially if you are in a location where ground conductivity sucks. That's where those elevated radials become the better option but in a situation like mine next to saltwater, the coupling of the counterpoise to the highly conductive surface under me (wet salty ocean sand) is the better option for me. As they say, "there's a lid for every pot". My thoughts on antennas are we are all cooking in a different kitchen and might require a different lid and pot to get things cooked LOL. That's the beauty of experimenting with antennas, there are so many moving parts (propagation, location, etc) and no two experiences with the same antenna are alike. Log out and Log back in, this 1st year is on me. |