[Antennas] Chainlink fence as counterpoise...(or not)

Tue Aug 24 17:01:21 EDT 2004

Recently I was mobile in my motor home with an ICOM 725 and an atuomatic 
antenna tuner. I stopped in Arizona for the night and was parked, 
backed up to a chain link fence. I connected a 50' 110V extension cord 
to the antenna tuner, draped it out the drivers window, led it aft to 
the chain link fence where I ran it along the top of the fence 
interlaced with the top ends of the wire. Then I turned on the rig on 
40 meters, hit "tune" and in minutes I was communicating with CA, and NY 
as well as others.
Well, it just goes to prove that the "old ways are the best ways", 
 there is an old saying from the50s that I still use today. "If it will 
conduct, it will radiate."....amen.
Robert Lay wrote:
>Interestingly enough, the chain link fence works well without burying it in
>the ground. Just use an ordinary chain link fence as the earth point.
>>I can't address all of the verticals that you mention, but in the case of a
>Cushcraft R-7 or an R-7000 it wouldn't help a bit. They are both designed as
>Vertical dipoles - not as ground plane verticals.
>>If you want that type of antenna to work well, the best thing to do is
>suspend it as high as possible from a sky hook. Hi!
>>Bob Lay (W9DMK), Dahlgren, VA
>w9dmk at crosslink.net
>http://www.qsl.net/w9dmk
>>- - - 
>>Your moderator for this list is:
>Larry Wilson KE1HZ antennas-owner at mailman.qth.net
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