It definitely works Howard.  Very 73. 


 
Kevin :)
Amateur Radio:  K7RX
 

-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Howard Kaufman
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2010 17:01
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: antenna

Kevin said such nice things about my antenna, I decided to tell you all 
about it.
First the problem.
I bought a house in the city, so I could use public transportation, work, 
and live an independent life.  I had to make many compromises to make this 
happen.  We needed a house that had room for 6 children, and the 
accompanying dogs cats fish birds ferrets etc.  What I have is a two story 
house, a 1 car garage, on a 112 by 44 foot lot.
Now for antennas.  I wanted to operate all HF bands, including firing up the

Valiant on 160 meter AM phone.  The postage stamp yard may be 20 feet 
square.

Solution, The house came with a ten foot tripod and an extension ladder, how

convenient!
I put up a center fed 40 meter zepp, or approximately that's what I put up.
It's 178 feet long and center fed with 450 ohm kilowatt  twin lead, that 
goes to an air wound balon and a tuner in the basement.  On most bands, I 
can now use the internal tuner inside the ts480.
Now, how to get a 178 foot long antenna in a 112 foot lot?  Well, dropping 
the ends helped some, the tree nicely provided by the city of Milwaukee 
makes a front anchor.  The maple in the back corner makes another anchor. 
Now, I still had 20 feet of wire on each end.  I made a hairpin turn from 
the trees, and brought the front end to the bottom corner of the roof at the

front of the house.  The back end runs above a metal fence, and ends at the 
garage.  I bring the back end in about 5 feet, so it isn't parallel to the 
metal fence.  It's the best I can do, the trick for 160 was adding about 30 
feet of line hung by twist ties around the top edge of the shack.  One 10 
foot piece is maybe 4 inches from the steel support beam, and it's parallel 
to the ground.  Yes doing that with twin lead makes me shiver in my boots, 
and I hear you screaming No DON'T, YOU FOOL!!!  but it works better than not

having that piece by about 10 DB.

Not planed, but it works and gets out on 160 through 6 meters.  Go figure.
H T Kaufman MSW LCSW
Adaptive Technology Instructor