Tom, great you have your new antenna up.
I would like to hear it on the air.
We did not get to finish putting the loop back in the air.
It is almost there but a few snags.
We are gonna try again in a few days.


 Junior Lolley
Amateur radio call KG4ITD
Liberty County Emergency Coordinator
"Be careful how you treat people on your way up because you might meet them
again on your way down!!!"


 


-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Tom Behler
Sent: Sunday, March 17, 2013 12:15 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Cobra Antenna Now Up

Hi, all.

Well, I didn't get to do the 40-meter round table today, because a couple of
hams and I were out in our 32-degree, but at least sunny weather putting my
Cobra Ultralite Senior antenna up this afternoon and evening.

The antenna is about 25 feet off the ground, and is pretty much a flat top.

Had about 30 extra feet of ladder line, which we have coiled and secured off
the ground near the corner of the house.  The antenna is connected to the
Balun Designs balun, which sits right outside my shack window.


The antenna does seem to get out, at least on 80 meters, which is where I
really needed an antenna.  I made a number of contacts in the North American
Sprint contest on 80 meters, and those contacts ranged from Minesota to
North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and South Dakota.

But, I do have a question:

At first, the antenna did not tune on the lower part of 80 and 40 meters,
using the auto tuner in my TS590.

However, I used an old trick that I learned from the G5RV installation in my
RV, and a trick that, I think Lou from the list used. .. I added about 75
feet of coax at the transmitter end of the antenna, and then it tuned just
fine.

Do you think this is normal for this type of antenna?

Is there something else I should try to deal with the SWR issue on the
bottom of 40 and 80?

I don't know how much more time I'll have this week-end to work with the
antenna, but at least it's up in the air, and can be tweaked from here.

Tom Behler: KB8TYJ, Big Rapids, MI