Future Projects
Future Projects ?
Talking about future project I mast say that everyone of us fell in love with this hobby should want to own the best and big antennas with high performances, unfortunately not many Hams could not do that due to several reasons, one very common is the local antenna restrictions in urban and suburban area, in this case it will be already a success if they could install a simple multiband vertical, in this regard I'm very lucky, I'm living here in a house of my property with lot of room in the backyard so i can install ( almost ) everything I wish, the first project ( after lot of disappointmen in the first try in 1999 ) is to try again to match my tower in 160m. using four elevated radials and using new kind of feed, the idea comes from N4KG called reverse feed system ( see book Low Band DXing by ON4UN ) , but first for Winter 2006/2007 i wish to add some ( four ) elevated radials to my actual 160m. Inverted L, for second future project is to built a real 80m. four square verticals array, i will inform you later as the job proceed, stay tuned guys !
New 160m. Vertical and 80m. Four Square Vertical Dipoles Arrangement
Next Year 2010, I wish to try a new 160m. vertical Tower and a new 80m. Four Square Vertival Dipole Arrangement, as support I will use my unused old 24m. triangular Tower 14 inches on a side, lengthen to a about 100 feet, This will be feed as 160m antenna, I do not know if I use it as isolated Antenna or as a shunt feed tower yet, however it will also serve as support for a new arrangement of the Four Square Vertical Dipoles Array, this time will be properly spaced and with a height sufficient to allow proper truss layout and no longer fall back on the dipoles themselves.
Whole installation will be put at a distance away as possible from the current Tower, a minimum of 140 feet is desirable, more is better, well closing now, stay tuned.
Added comments September 2010
1) The work progresses, but before coming to the realization of vertical 160 m. and resettlement of the four dipoles in phase to 80m. I have put in place to change my PKW 3 elements Yagi for 40m. this was a loaded antenna, which also worked well but only in the CW portion, covering 7000 to 7060, I got up, now with the ability to use 7000 to 7200 I was born the idea of removing the coils and the elements to extend the physical measure, first of all because my tower is close to home I could not extend them fully, however, reaching the 14-meter maximum possible compensating for the missing measure, leaving the sides hang a wire connected to the ends of the elements, thus forming a kind of upside-down U, Thanks to Donato IK2EGL through its website, where I gained various information about it, the spacing of the elements so far has remained as before, now the antenna is terminated with regard to the mechanical work, are about to do the resonance of the radiator and thus vary the basic measures and the reflector radiator in proportion, the tools I use are an MFJ 259B, a Autek VA1 Vector Antenna Analyst, and an MFJ 203 Dip Meter.
2) At the same time I'm working to build a dipole for 80m. , to be placed on top of the mast at about 30 meters, the project includes a length of 26 meters, two piece 4 m. aluminum tubes isolated from the mast, where I will insert two fishing rods of 10 meters (suitable for 9 meters), inserting the wire necessary and how in the 40m antenna, leaving excess hanging wire to move the dipole to resonate at approximately 3780, also the idea to make it suitable for the CW portion, using a box that will contain the two coils are necessary for the resonance at around 3530, wel that' s all for now, stay tuned guys, i will pubblish all the jobs with photos, 73' de Enrico.
Added comments January 2012
Happy New Year to all, some note here about consideratins on my Antenna Projects, recently, after a period of reflection, I'm changing my way of seeing the
improvements on my antennas park, due to never resolved situation of the high noise on the bands especially in 80 and 160m., which mostly makes me almost
impossible to do DX on these frequencies, already it is very difficult at times to the other bands, but the noise is tremendous in these last two, is always between S8 and 9+10 db, even 59+20 db in certain days, you know that in these conditions is hard to do DX contact !!!
This past summer, having made some tests in my own, on the sources of noise from this three-phase power line to 15000 volts, have reached the following
conclusions: 1) I must solve the problem in all ways, even facing a lawsuit against the energy supply company (ENEL), 2) by now seen the highest noise picked
up on a vertical antenna, about 20 db more then a horizontal one, for now, I abandoned plans to put the a tower wich support four 80m vertical phased dipoles and feed the same tower as an isolated from ground vertical for 160m, rather inclined to make a horizontally polarized Antenna at least on 80m., abandoning for now the realization of a system for 160m. wich i will decide in the future, here 's idea of making a U 2 or 3 elements Yagi, I already got the 6 Spiderbeam rods necessary in Friedrichshafen last summer , however, there is a problem to solve, adding a 80m. Yagi to my already heavily loaded Tower, it would be at risk so first solution is to add another tower at an a distance suitable with a major expense to deal with, or replace my current heavy interlaced system with eight-band high-gain, with a lighter, performing and more modern Antenna System as the 4 elements Ultrabeam Yagi from 6m to 40m. I think that this is an optimal solution, In this case i will extend the Tower from 85 to 100 Foot at least, so to have the 80m meters to an acceptable hight, that's all, will keep you informed on the progress of the situation, 73 'Henry de IK1MNJ
Hello and Happy New Year to you all, here I am writing a few comments on the developments on the topic ANTENNAS, seen and read my last notes dated January 2012, this year 2014 I proceeded in this way, if we mean by a real madness: let' s start from bands from 6m. to 40m. cubical quad bands 6, 5 el. in 6>15m and 4EL. in 17>20m., 3 el. Yagi full size for 30m. and 3 el. full size U-Yagi for 40m., have always had a desire and will sooner or later to get always a perfect match on the various bands both in the lower part cw that in the upper part phone and with possible lower losses in the supply line from the point of supply of various bands until the shack, a kind of dynamic antenna but I think even better, here' s the project to replace the various systems of adaptation up to now used on the various points of power antennas that were made with gamma match for bands of 6/10/12/15 and 17 meters, with impedance transformer for 20m. and 1: 1 balun on yagi of 30 and 40m., a good part of the Summer 2014 I passed by implementing the necessary changes, then dismantling virtually all feed line in each band 6> 40m. made with RG213 coax cable up to the switch including 8-way place on the mast and from this the descent towards the shack, done with Coax Pope H 100 (about 45 meters); did this i have made the brackets Plexiglas 5 mm thickness suitable for spacing three 450 homs ladder line between them and towards the arm of the Quad Antenna and in general by the metal masses boom, mast etc.
I built then switch to 10-way ribbon 450 homs and placing this time on the boom midway between elemernt 6/10/12 and 15/17/20m. and meters, the radiating elements 30 and 40m. are on the opposite side of the boom so the ladder line that go to the switch 450 homs are longer but do not create problems, the old switch always homebuilt was no longer suitable as used inputs and output with the PL, I used for this new relay plug bipolar Omron 16 Amp considering my maximum output power of 500 watts in supporting these relays are more than suitable, from the switch comes with ladder line 450 homs duly distanced from the boom and the mast down to the shack where it ends on a 3 Kw 4:1 baloon, 6>160 m., placed on the outside wall of the shack itself and from here comes into the shack to the Automatic Tuner J.W.Miller Mod. AT2500 with a piece of 4 meters of RG213 coax, after various tests on the various bands made with various weather conditions have given excellent results, with the rain there are slight variations in agreement to do but nothing to worry about, then I have to say that the changes made have given a site in exceptional, beyond expectations on all bands, especially on the higher ones, in conditions of good propagation signals received are very strong, the certainty of always having a ros 1: 1 with losses to a minimum on the line wherever you move on the bands is very rewarding; I also added a kind of inverted Vee for 80 meters, feed the same way with ladder line 450 homs and arranged from the top of the mast which is located 32 meters high and drops to Vee on the ends of the boom (duly stretched to 4.20 meters per side, now the boom is 26 m. tot) the Vee which is formed is quite squashed , the excess wire dipole are left dangling to the ground by the end of the boom (as I did in the 3 el. U-Yagi of 40 meters).
The problems encountered during these changes were different especially two: 1 point, while orientation of' antenna on 360 degrees sure that the ladder line 450 homs rotates around the mast without getting too close to the mast it self but remains at a distance security of at least 8-10 cm, which I did by mounting around a piece of pVC pipe of 160 mm diameter fixed around the mast, and appropriately setting the strip in the two strategic points allowing the same rotation of 360 degrees, about it this summer already have in mind the changes to be done to improve the system, the 2nd point, the need to have the total length of the ladder line 450 homs of a total length that is not resonant on the respective bands to not to have problems fall of radiofrequency in the shack, which is not easy to obtain, measures not resonant on HF (50 MHz apart) that are right for me are from 31.8 to 33.6 meters and from 42.3 to 44.1 meters, as physically the measures of the pieces of ladder line 450 homs ranging from the respective feed points of each band to the switch are inevitably different, anywhere you put the switch antenna, these measures adding to ladder line down to 450 homs in station must fall for every single band in the measures I mentioned above, can I have reached a compromise of this measure total fact of the strong fall of radiofrequency in 6 meters, slightly in 12/15 m cw, little bit more in 30 meters, about it next summer have in mind the changes to be done to improve the system, through the relays to insert pieces of different lengths of ladder line 450 homs, we will see what to do, stay tuned for news on progress on these issues.
As the last change made last summer was to replace the hand winch with a motor one suitable to raise 450 Kg (1100 pound) wich is the total weight of the hazer, mast, plus the rotor antenna and all antennas., well now i' m closing and i want to thank you for patience had in reading me and still Wish you a Happy and Healty Happy New Year 2015, 73' de Enrico IK1MNJ.
Good Morning to all, after what happened the night between 21/22 December 2023 where an atmospheric event of exceptional magnitude, Foehn winds that reached a speed of 220 km per hour (140 miles) and destroyed my Antenna system that I was very fond of, see Antenna Disaster, consequently forced cessation of activity in Radio, I found myself having to decide what to do, which antenna to put to resume my activity in Radio, because it is clear, that for me the activity in Radio is so rooted that no one and nothing in this world will ever be able to make me give up continuing this wonderful and rewarding hobby. How to restore my Antenna park to the same level as the Quad 5 el. multiband + the two Yagi Antennas 3 elements in 30 and 40 m.? which is not exactly easy .... my choice was a careful and prudent choice on what the international market offers in terms of Antennas, to have the maximum performance in my opinion there are two choices, the first is to orient yourself towards monoband antennas or at most dual-band antennas, but the cost increases a lot considering that there are many bands (from 6 to 40 m.) and to do an excellent job you would need at least 2 Towers if not 3, to conveniently space all the Antennas, something to be excluded for me given the costs; so in my opinion there is only one solution left: the new Dynamic Antennas. There are many companies that produce them, see the American SteppIR, the Japanese Versa Beam by Kohjinsha, the Italian AD Antenna Dinamica and Ultrabeam. After a careful selection of the various models and based on my needs, my choice fell on the Japanese Kohjinsha Versa Beam, in the KA1-406S model. This antenna has a 10 meter long boom, 5 elements from 6 to 20 m. plus 3 elements in 30 and 40 m., at 6 m. I also added the kit of 2 passive elements which brings to 7 elements on this band, I hope I have made a good choice, I trust in Japanese products and from research done with several Versa Beam owners, the opinions that emerged on these Antennas were very very good, the Antenna arrives by air at the Turin / Caselle airport in the first ten days of September, after I will assemble it and test it, I hope I have chosen the best, Many Thanks Hiro San.Added Note 16 September 2024From September 10, 2024 to the resumption of my Radio activity, waiting for the new Kohjinsha KA1-406S Antenna to arrive, I installed a Rybakov vertical (fishing rod) length of 7.60 m. with 4 radials inclined at about 45 degrees, feed with a 300 Homs window line, tuned in the station with the Palstar AT2K, the antenna is placed on a mast about 7 meters from the ground and I must say that it works surprisingly well, I tune it from 50 Mhz to 5.357 Mhz, in 6 days of testing to date, I have made 340 QSOs all in FT8 on all bands, with excellent results, QSO with all the continents including the Pacific, on the other 60/80 bands I have already prepared full wave loops on 80 m. to hang on the Tower and fed with windown line, it will work full wave on 80 m. and one and a half waves on 60 m., in 160 m. I will reassemble an inverted L already assembled years ago with excellent results, well I conclude by wishing everyone happy summer holidays, we'll talk again in September, thanks Greetings 73' by Enrico IK1MNJwell stay tuned guys, for now 73' and Good DX
