"Do you connect the short wire to ground?"
Ultimately, the answer to this question is yes, but it is done through
the balun.
As described earlier, each of the two wires are connected to the two
binding posts or terminals on the antenna side of the 4 to 1 balun, or
to the binding post on a tuner such as the MFJ models that have a
built in balun.
One trick which will sometimes resolve difficult tuning issues with an
antenna of this type on a given frequency is to reverse the two wires
at the balun. I had to do that occasionally when I was running an end
fed zep, which is basically what this antenna is. Also, while it is
true that the shorter of the two wires acts as a counterpoise, you may
still find that a counterpoise wire attached to the ground terminal of
the tuner will smooth out some tuning issues, especially if the tuner
isn't grounded to the earth.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gerry Leary" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, January 15, 2012 6:43 AM
Subject: Re: No counterpoise antenna
Do you connect the short wire to ground?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Miller" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, January 14, 2012 9:04 PM
Subject: No counterpoise antenna
> Okay, nobody has actually asked for this but I've used it with great
> success
> and want to share it with those who need/want an easy, very portable
> multi-band antenna. A caveat is that you'll need a 4-1 balun and an
> antenna
> coupler, or an antenna coupler which has an incorporated 4-1 balun.
> I use
> a
> little qrp 4-1 balun and the coupler built into my IC-703+ with
> great
> results.
>
> Below is the text I copied from an email sent by Pete Millis to the
> HFPack
> list some years ago. I've used the 20-6 meter version of this
> antenna
> supported by my 20-foot crappie pole zipped tied to one of those
> little
> 4-foot plastic "push-in" fence posts you can get at hardware stores
> for
> less
> than 10 dollars. I'm going to try the 40-10 meter version now using
> the
> crappie pole mounted on the tripod.
>
> Excerpt Begin
>
> It is really simple - for 20-6m version, take 25ft (7.8m) of speaker
> wire (zip cord), separate wires down to the halfway point of 12.5ft
> (3.9m) and snip off one wire. Feed at the rig end of the twin wire
> section via a balun and tuner.
>
> This version can easily be support on a fishing pole, dangled out of
> a
> window, strung up to a tree or whatever.
>
> The 40-10 version is just twice the length - i.e. 50ft wire,
> separated
> down to the 25ft point and one wire snipped off. Not so easy to
> mount
> vertically, but good as a dangler from a window, a horizontal, an
> "up
> and out", a sloper or whatever is convenient.
>
> Excerpt End
>
> 73
>
> Ron Miller
> N6MSA
> Clearwater, Fl. U.S.A.
> SKYPE arjay1
>
>
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