Just Starting out

[ozarkhillbilly49]

good lord lead pot!! you are a lucky dog to have such space!!! 130 ft. shunt fed tower!!! woooo hooo!! that would get a signal out good!! real good!! i am stuck on a small city lot. plotting and scheming to get any kind of an antenna up is a challenge for me!! a beverage down the line fence!!!!!! must be almost heaven where you live!!i hope 4b and foggy have as much space as you. it will sure make it easier for them to get up antennas! i sure would like to have the space for a real antenna farm like that!! 73's to all!! aa5ez

[FourBee]

That's amazing.  One would think it would take a highly sofisticated antenna to do those things.

I had a beverage antenna made from a roll of electric fence wire 180 rods long fastened to fence posts on the neighbors line fence that worked just about the best for quieting things down in the summer.

I have lots of High Tinsel (Intelli Twine) electric fence wire.   Matter of fact, I've just moved some livestock from a pasture fenced with 4 strands of it that runs 1/4 mile square, with one open end.  Like a big 'U'.   Would that make a Receiver Antenna?

[Lead pot]

Ozark.

It used to be a bit of Heaven and it still is in a way even with the population growing here.
It's this socialistic state I live in giving me the problem.


4b
looking at your avatar you look like you have the ideal location for all the antenna farm you want.
Yes that wire might work pretty good for you.
You might have to take some # 10 solid copper wire and wind it around a 2" plastic pipe about 30 turns and pull the pipe out or leave it in space the windings so there even 1/4" spacing would work so you can use a alligator clip to connect to the coil for the band you want to work. If you have a roller inductor in your scrap box would be better but the coil will work just fine and a 200 pf variable one end to ground then just tune for max signal.
Or the best way just get a low cost tuner 

[ozarkhillbilly49]

hey 4b remember in one reply i made about an antenna i said why not just use the metal roof? i wasn't joking! i have used many things for antennas thru the years!!!! some i shouldn't have!!remember i am stuck on a city lot. that can make a fellar real creative in the antenna dept.i have always had a curious and inquisitive mind and a active imagination. this has cost me some money and relationships thru the years!!! but i have also had a lot of fun!! being forced to think of how to do this in this much space has kept my brain active. it has also lead me to use some compromise antennas that worked darn good in their  design range. unfortunately that design range can be limited!! scrounge up some handbooks after you get thru testing. start reading about antennas and some electrical laws and principles. you and lead pot are lucky to have lots of space!! get some antennas up,and build a california kilowatt witn a 4cx 10000 tube and make them cows glow in the dark!!!!!best wishes to all.aa5ez

[FourBee]

get some antennas up,and build a california kilowatt witn a 4cx 10000 tube and make them cows glow in the dark!!!!!

Yep, or makin the ranch look like a UFO parking lot.       Definitely going to have to get some Antenna books.  

[FourBee]

Foggy; back to the topic.  I'll be hooking up my radio now.   Took my Exams for Tech and General Class and passed them both.   That was Saturday.  Here it is only Wednesday and the FCC ULS has posted my License Grant and Call Sign "KF5BRI" on the Internet.  

Here we Go.
Thanks to everyone for your inspiration. 73's.....KF5BRI

  

[ozarkhillbilly49]

kf5bri de aa5ez bk congrats nice callsign hve some fun now bk what ant u going to pt up now bk hope to qso on 40 in a while bk 73 bk aa5ez bk qrt.

[FourBee]

Hey ozark:          

congrats nice callsign

Thanks; I'm surprised..... the last 3 letters are the beginning of my last name... interesting how they do that since the calls are supposed to be in sequential order.    My antenna for now is a verticle for my FT-2800M.   Not to far in the future I hope to be on 40 with a fullsize dipole from HY POWER.  

bk what ant u going to pt up now bk hope to qso on 40 in a while bk 73 bk aa5ez bk qrt.

 
Hey that's CW lingo, right?   I want to do that eventually.

[ozarkhillbilly49]

yep 4b that is some cw copy. it has been years since i have been able to hear cw. i remember how  it used to go tho!! 4b me just being a dumb hillbilly and all i can't understand why u would buy an antenna fer the hf bands?? 135 foot of wire fed in the middle with 70 foot of 450 ohm feedline will work all bands 80 to 10 meters.do a search for the wireman or clear signal products over in mustang ok. they will have the wire u need insulators and 450 ohm feedline. the only other thing you mite need it a transmatch. i recommend the johnson matchbox. it comes in 2 sizes, a 275 watt am version(good for 750 watt pep with plate voltages below 2000 volts) and the kilowatt am version( good for 3 kw. pep it has 9000 volt caps and a healthy band switch) both can be found on ebay. those are just my preference.there are only about a gazillion transmatch designs and manufactures out there. hope this helps. drop a line back and let us know how it is going. i hope foggy is making some progress. 73's aa5ez

[FourBee]

 

they will have the wire u need insulators and 450 ohm feedline.

Hey ozark;  It's so hard to get anything thru my THICK head when it comes to assemblying anything.    I felt that the quickest way to educate myself on building my own antennas would be to get a simple set-up already assembled.   With an actual hands-on model, and some book work,  I should be able to build some good ones.
73's to you ozark......KF5BRI