Hello, all.
It's been a very long story, but I need advice on a possible alternative HF
antenna system to use when in my RV.
Some of you may recall that for years, I used a Predator Screw-driver
antenna, and tuned it with something called a Turbo-tuner from N2VZ
Enterprises. The screw-driver, even with the turbotuner, was obviously a
compromise antenna system at best, but it did seem to work to some degree.
Anyway, since last June, I have been struggling with Bill Kantz from N2VZ
Enterprises, to get my Turbo-tuner unit serviced. The tuner had a bad diode
in it, and Bill promised to fix it without charge, in honor of his "lifetime
no matter what guarantee".
After countless e-mails, phonecalls, and a certified letter, I am beginning
to give up on ever getting my Turbo-tuner back. I can run the screwdriver
up and down, using the manual control, but as you might expect, the antenna
is very narrow, which makes quick and easy tuning of the antenna a challenge
at best even with the auto-tuner in the TS480 that is in the motor home.
In light of all this, I'm now looking at other possible alternate antenna
systems. I would like to be able to operate at least 40 through 10. The
lot size for the camp spot our RV occupies during the summers is very small
(probably roughly 40 feet by 40 feet), so I don't think an Alpha Delta DXCC
antenna will fit. I just don't have the lot width to accommodate an 82-foot
long antenna. I suspect I could use a long wire, but then would need to use
an outboard manual tuner and balun to properly tune it.
So, my question is this: Do any of you have an idea as to what I might try
to use in place of the screw-driver, just in case I never get my Turbo-tuner
back? I'm looking for something that would be simple, cheap, and pretty
easy to deploy. I have heard of Yoyo antenna systems, Miracle whip
antennas, and others, but simply don't want to spend the money on something
like this without knowing whether it will truly work for me.
I know this will probably start a fire storm of discussion, so please don't
bake it personally if I don't respond directly to each individual post. I
assure you that I will read them all.
Tom Behler: Kb8TYJ
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