Hi Steve;
Just curious what are you using since you took down the 6v?  I think your
poor yard is smaller than my old one.
Richard

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Forst" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 1:21 PM
Subject: Re: radials for butternut v6


Hi Richard,

I still have the antenna, but not up in the air at this time, but had it up
for several years.   I never had the counterpoise kit, but after  some
discussion of it on this list, I read the  pdf instruction manual on the
Bencher website.    Butternut says at the top of the manual that while  it
will make the antenna  resonant  on all designed bands, it is not a
replacement for a real ground system.    Also found it interesting that the
matching coil at the bottom of the antenna isn't used and how  critical the
winding of the coax coil seems to be.

I used the stub tuned  kit and  they were mostly  horizontal.   Base of
antenna was  9 feet high and radials  were between 7 and 9 feet depending on
where the attachment points were for the far end of the  rope.    Butternut
says they can angle down as much as 30 degrees.

If you wind up with one of these and put it in an elevated  location, be
prepared to  go up and down a few times.    Factory settings  should get you
close enough, but if you  want to tweak it for each band,  you will raise
and lower it several times,  so bear that in mind when choosing a location.
Of course, you can just get it close and use a tuner.

BTW Mine was a 6v with the add ons for 160, 12, and 17 bought used for 70$.
Never guyed it and never had a problem.   Homebrewed a telescoping mast with
8 ft of fence post 4 ft in ground and 4 above.   Into that one was another
pipe about 9 ft long.  Antenna base went into  the top of this one.  When
lowered, I could work on  the lower part of the antenna standing on the
ground.   A step ladder let me reach everything up to the 20 meter stuff.
Changes in lower freqs had little or no change in freqs  above 20 meters  so
once set  correctly  there was  no need to mess with them.  Drilled a hole
through the 9 foot pipe and when it was raised to proper height  a bolt was
put into the hole and it  rested on the top of  the 4 foot of pipe  sticking
out of the ground.   Wish I had a dollar for every time  I  had to make it
go up and down to tune.


73, Steve KW3A



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Fiorello" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 11:03 AM
Subject: Re: radials for butternut v6


> Hi Steve
> I suspect my guydes were either to steep or to tight.  The antenna
> certainly
> did fail at any rate.  Are your radials horizontal or do they slant toward
> the ground?  I'd like to find something that doesn't require guydes but
> will
> last.  If I do this again I will put it on the garage rather than the roof
> of the two story house.  I could find folks to climb up there but lifting
> up
> the antenna was quite another issue.  Unfortunately, those most willing to
> do the work had no clew about antennas.  There intensions were good.  Had
> one guy insisted I should use steel cable for guydes.  How high is yours
> and
> have you tried the counterpoise kit?  I was more than a bit surprised at
> the
> price of that kit. Good old sticker shock I guess.  This antenna work
> would
> be much more interesting if I could do the work myself.  Maybe the next
> general exam should have a climbing test?
> Richard