CQ CQ......working on my 12 gauge wire loop antenna for the HF bands today. 500 feet of wire in a triangle up in the trees of my property. Recently put up a 2 meter J pole antenna for a friend to work the Richmond repeater on top a bank building downtown Richmond, Va.....to here..a distance of about 120 miles. Works fine from here to there and vice versa..particularly at night. My system can work AC voltage...generator and also battery back up. 73 to all, Watcherchris Not an Ishmaelite.
Coeur d'Alene here just running 2/70 meters. Say … while you're looking here … has anyone ever tried one of those N9TAX slim jim j pole antennas? Am considering one (or something similar) to put in my little go kit. Is time for this OM to take a nape … KI7QPG QNO …
I have not tried one of those dual band Slim Jims. I have however manufactured my own 2 meter rollup antenna from 300 ohm twin lead FM/TV wire and fed it with RG8 mini coaxial cable to the length of some 30 feet...they make good roll ups for 2 meters. I have even stuck one of those roll up twin lead 300 ohm FM/TV antennas in a PVC plastic pipe and put an end cap on it for weather proofing. This works fine. I have also made my own dual band j pole antenna from ladder line and fed it with coaxial cable. It was from plans on U Tube. Ladder line is a bit stiff and not so portable versus the twin lead FM/TV type wire for an antenna but I wanted to know if I could do it. Portability is the key. After a hurricane here I ran my two meter mobile off such an roll up FM/TV twin lead antenna and powered the mobile radio from a car battery. The antenna tossed over a tree about 25 feet up. This gave me comms via other hams..and I found out what gas stations were pumping gasoline without burning up precious gasoline to so do. We were without power for some 9 to 10 days but this rig was one way to find out what was going on about town. Agree with the concept of roll up portability of an antenna. I originally made my twin lead FM/TV wire antenna with the idea of putting it in a BOB if I had to leave. I did not think I would be using it in the manner I did..but it worked out fine. I have one of these roll up portable 2 meter antennas in a locker at work as well. Does not take up much space. Our shipyard occasionally sends people to a place out there west of Idaho Falls called Atomic City to do work on prototype and training reactors run by the Navy. I don't often think of Idaho having deserts but it sure is barren out there at Atomic City Thanks, Watcherchris Not an Ishmaelite
