18-03-2019, 09:10 PM
Hi All,
Looking for some advice on HF antenna setup at my QTH. Currently have an Icom 718 working directly into a 40/20 fan type dipole and whilst RX is excellent, not having a lot of success getting out. I have invested in a basic ATU (LDG 100) and looking to revamp my antenna setup. I would like to be able to work 80/40/20 as a minimum.
My shack is a 50SQM colourbond shed in one corner of the block. The adjacent corner (about 10m away) has a very large tree I can use as an anchor point up to about 12m AGL. The roof of the house is at about 10m AGL and the distance between the tree and the house is about 33m so there is room for a fairly large antenna but the 80m dipole I have is just a bit too long. I suspect that part of the issue I am having on 40m is that the centre feed on the dipole is too low.
Hopefully the group will indulge me with some opinions about the following questions!
1) Given I have a fair bit of room to work with, should I stick with some sort of multiple band dipole arrangement?
2) Is a end-fed type antenna through an ATU ever going to be as effective in this situation as a dipole?
3) Can an ATU on a resonant long dipole also tune for lower bands? I've never used an ATU before so not sure what their capabilities are and whether this is a silly question!
The other option might be a vertical but I am limited in room to run radials. Can the 50sqm colourbond roof of the shed be used as part of a counterpoise in this setup?
Cheers
Looking for some advice on HF antenna setup at my QTH. Currently have an Icom 718 working directly into a 40/20 fan type dipole and whilst RX is excellent, not having a lot of success getting out. I have invested in a basic ATU (LDG 100) and looking to revamp my antenna setup. I would like to be able to work 80/40/20 as a minimum.
My shack is a 50SQM colourbond shed in one corner of the block. The adjacent corner (about 10m away) has a very large tree I can use as an anchor point up to about 12m AGL. The roof of the house is at about 10m AGL and the distance between the tree and the house is about 33m so there is room for a fairly large antenna but the 80m dipole I have is just a bit too long. I suspect that part of the issue I am having on 40m is that the centre feed on the dipole is too low.
Hopefully the group will indulge me with some opinions about the following questions!
1) Given I have a fair bit of room to work with, should I stick with some sort of multiple band dipole arrangement?
2) Is a end-fed type antenna through an ATU ever going to be as effective in this situation as a dipole?
3) Can an ATU on a resonant long dipole also tune for lower bands? I've never used an ATU before so not sure what their capabilities are and whether this is a silly question!
The other option might be a vertical but I am limited in room to run radials. Can the 50sqm colourbond roof of the shed be used as part of a counterpoise in this setup?
Cheers