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+--- Thread: attempt @ getting on the air again (/thread-814.html)
attempt @ getting on the air again - VK2EZT - 13-06-2019
I watched a youtube vid from vk2prc for an 20m halfwave endfed and built one. Pretty resonant across the band but i'm sceptical. This vswr meter im using is over 20 years old and have a hunch its not giving me the right figures. a couple of counterpoise wires running on the ground but no ferrite chokes on the coax atm to remove that common mode current.
First contact though was in the u.s and was pleasantly surprised considering this is the first antenna I've ever built.
Driving a Kenwood TS430s on a small piece of rg58 coax & a shure 444D desk mic. Gotta thank vk2prc for the help and vid instructions on this.
Antenna pic (nothing better than a trampoline anchor
)https://imgur.com/nWDQ2ya
RE: attempt @ getting on the air again - VK4ADC - 13-06-2019
Ezat
You can check your SWR meter to see how nominally correct it really is.
Reduce your transmitter drive so that you only have 1-5 watts RF out, say on 14.15 MHz.
Put the Tx through the SWR meter into a 50 ohm load - non-inductive eg carbon resistors, measure SWR, should be 1:1 or thereabouts.
Take off the load and measure SWR - should be full scale ie infinity.
Put a short circuit across the output - should be full scale ie infinity.
Needless to say that these last two tests should be very brief.
Try changing bands still with the 50 ohm load attached & measure SWR on each one. Lower SWR on 3.6MHz means that the load is reactive, probably inductive at 20M.
Better RF load required...
But good on the QSO. I am guessing that it took place about 3 - 4 -5PM when propagation favoured W-land on 20M.
Doug