[450] Thinking out loud: 2M antenna installation

Sun Feb 2 11:54:46 EST 2014

There are about 20 stations talking on 28.400 right now. Can you go up  
the band above 500?

Quoting George Andrews <gandrews at ntplx.net>:

> Let's give it a try! I can do voice or eCW. I will give you
> a call on 28.400. I had one QSO with Paris Texas so far.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: 450-bounces at lists.vhfwiki.com
> [mailto:450-bounces at lists.vhfwiki.com] On Behalf Of William
> Knapp / KC1WJ
> Sent: Sunday, February 2, 2014 11:33 AM
> To: 450 at lists.vhfwiki.com
> Subject: Re: [450] Thinking out loud: 2M antenna
> installation
>
> George and the group --
>
> I just have a vertical for 10, but I have a pretty decent
> shot to the north and can muster up about 700 watts.
>
>
>
> Quoting David McKenzie <k1fsy at vhfwiki.com>:
>
>> try to work out a sched with bill, he's always on 10
> meters and he has
>> a big amp
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Feb 2, 2014 at 11:21 AM, George Andrews
> <gandrews at ntplx.net> wrote:
>>
>>> Bob,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Thought you would have info. The work you and N1SAG did
> is applicable
>>> to what I would try to do. The antenna will always be
> horizontal. I
>>> may do a pilot with a three element as that will be a lot
> easier and
>>> provide proof of principle. I think that I want to get
> the two meter
>>> beam up and the station running sometime in the spring. I
> have a
>>> carpenter friend who will help with the installation. Not
> sure how
>>> high up it will be. Probably thirty feet above ground
> level. The
>>> wind, ice and subzero temperatures really stress things.
> My
>>> installation of the Cobra Ultralight  would have been up
> for two or
>>> three years in CT. It came down during an icy stretch of
> windy
>>> subzero temperatures. Our low so far was -18 F, not
> corrected for
>>> wind chill. We get stretches of 1 to 4 below zero,
> uncorrected for
>>> wind chill. The temperatures don't bother me, I just stay
> in if it is
>>> close to
>>> 20 below. It puts antenna installation in another
> category
>>> altogether. I already bought some grease for mechanical
> things that
>>> is good to -40. I will have to make sure all the rotators
> have low temperature grease.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I expect I should be able to get to CT on 2M SSB. I would
> like to
>>> have the 2M beam up, the HF dipole and HF vertical up by
> summer. I
>>> plan to put a 40 M loop up that should also do well on 10
> M. I just
>>> have to make sure nothing is located where a moose might
> get tangled
>>> up. We have an assortment of critters that run through
> the yard. Got
>>> a moose on game camera about ten feet from our front
> door. We saw a
>>> mama bear and cub within thirty feet of the house. I
> think I scared
>>> them away. There is also a bobcat that has been running
> around in the
>>> yard, perhaps after squirrels and birds.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Will keep you posted on experiments and try testing
> things with you
>>> where possible.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Made contact with a Texas station on 28.400 MHz a little
> while ago. I
>>> have been putting out calls by voice and eCW. Will be
> monitoring that
>>> frequency for a while.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> George
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* 450-bounces at lists.vhfwiki.com [mailto:
>>> 450-bounces at lists.vhfwiki.com] *On Behalf Of *Bob
>>> *Sent:* Sunday, February 2, 2014 10:42 AM
>>> *To:* 450
>>> *Subject:* Re: [450] Thinking out loud: 2M antenna
> installation
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> George,
>>>
>>> Simplest answer, whatever works.
>>>
>>> That being said, Dave, N1SAG, and I did extensive testing
> on 432 with
>>> his pair of yagis mounted side by side (like mine)
> horizontally.  He
>>> was in a bit of a pit, and the thought was if he had
> elevation
>>> adjustment he might be able to manipulate the manner by
> which his
>>> signal propagated over his "horizon".  In short, he never
> was able to
>>> achieve the desired or expected results.  His observation
> was that
>>> there was virtually no difference within the range that
>>> "worked"...meaning if he had the elevation anywhere
> between just
>>> below level up to some angle (don't remember specifically
> what that
>>> was, he would have a signal and adjustment would not vary
> the level
>>> within that range.  Outside that range he had nothing.
> This is one guy, in one set of circumstances, but we were
> both quite frankly surprised.
>>>
>>> Further, WA2WEJ had his single yagi on an elevation rotor
> for
>>> vertical to horizontal excursions, and often adjusted
> somewhere
>>> between to see if there was ever a circumstance where it
> would be
>>> helpful.  The only time it was useful was when the need
> arose to work
>>> to differently polarized signals at once without major
> degradation.
>>> He found that 45 degrees didn't seriously attenuate
> either signal,
>>> Your mileage may vary.  You may even find an eggbeater
> may be just
>>> the ticket for this one elusive signal, as Tom has found
> with the
>>> Larry contact.  Berlin Larry has used a stacked "double
> diamond"
>>> antenna to propagate over a major obstruction and has had
> decent
>>> results.  Then there is the phenomenon noted while parked
> at work,
>>> all Waterbury stations pointed at me, and moving 8 inches
> forward or backward brings up one and drops out another.
>>>
>>> In short, EXPERIMENT, EXPERIMENT, EXPERIMENT!!!
>>>
>>> Good luck and let me know how it works out!
>>>
>>> Bob
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, Feb 2, 2014 at 9:38 AM, George Andrews
> <gandrews at ntplx.net> wrote:
>>>
>>> Group,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> My first thought is to direct the question to you Bob.
> Others may
>>> have practical experience with the concept.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I can't reach the Mt. Washington repeater from my house.
> Apparently I
>>> am somehow in the shadow of it. My 2M antenna will be
> 2M9. 9 elements
>>> on 14 feet. One would ordinarily install the antenna such
> that it is
>>> perfectly horizontal. I am wondering what the result
> would be to
>>> install it slightly off horizontal. Maybe as much as 10
> degrees
>>> upwardly directed. I do plan to research net sources of
> info on this topic.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I used a 4 element beam and had fun bouncing signals off
> airplanes
>>> when in Seymour CT. Got to a couple of repeaters in NYS
> off the deck using an HT.
>>> It takes effort to track the plane, but not impossible
> for short QSO's.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Perhaps someone has an EME setup has tried this to see
> what the impact is.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> George
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>
>
>
>
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