[Antennas] Dipole antenna on deck

2002年3月20日 21:27:26 -0500

Hello everyone. Just thought that I would update you on how the antenna worked out. This is the forty meter dipole, using thin hookup wire, strung along the railing of 
the deck, which makes a couple of 90 degrees turns, but is more or less straight. 
Checking the antenna with an autek antenna analyzer, at 33 feet per leg, the antenna resonated at 6.5 mhz. The analyzer read 2.0 SWR. I did not try to super fine tune 
it to get it to 1:1. I figured it had to be 1:1 somewhere around there. So I chopped off about 16 or 17 inches from each end. It then resonated at 2.0 SWR at 7.060, right 
where I want it to. I measured the SWR at the antenna. (When your standing on the deck, it's pretty nice to do that). 
As some of the guys said, the antenna was shorter than if it had been installed higher. 
Believe it or not, I hooked up the FT-101 to it, and it received great, (it is an early model, and doesn't have the best receive in the world but certainly seemed to be 
hearing the signals very well on all the bands), but when I went to tune up the rig, the transmitting tubes were dead. I now recall that I thought I blew them out about a 
year ago when I tried to do some PSK 31. Anyway, I ordered a new pair of tubes and hope to be on the air in a week or so. 
Thanks, Joe, N8TI. 