This sounds like to much fun. I am going to build one. I think I have everything except the wire. I can't resist. It's just to crude to be true, and here we go. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 5:28 PM Subject: Re: A SHORT VERTICAL FOR THE TOP BAND > Correct. > > Phil. > K0NX > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Gerry Learry" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 4:43 PM > Subject: Re: A SHORT VERTICAL FOR THE TOP BAND > > >> So each element was drilled in 2 places so that it was held on by the >> Clamp >> bolts? >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]> >> To: <[log in to unmask]> >> Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 1:11 PM >> Subject: Re: A SHORT VERTICAL FOR THE TOP BAND >> >> >>> Gerry, >>> >>> The X atop the capacity hat was created by using simple u clamps. I >>> drilled >>> them originally to clamp around a boom from a 6 meter beam. So they >>> were >>> centered and I clamped on right above the other but at right angles so >>> it >>> looked more like a wide spaced X. >>> >>> Phil. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Gerry Learry" <[log in to unmask]> >>> To: <[log in to unmask]> >>> Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 4:55 AM >>> Subject: Re: A SHORT VERTICAL FOR THE TOP BAND >>> >>> >>>> So how did you attach the horizontal elements to the tube? Did you >>>> drill >>>> through the tube at 2 apposing angles? Did you flatten the center of >>>> the >>>> two elements and screw them together? The rest is easy for me to >>>> understand. >>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>> From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]> >>>> To: <[log in to unmask]> >>>> Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2012 8:47 PM >>>> Subject: Re: A SHORT VERTICAL FOR THE TOP BAND >>>> >>>> >>>>> Gerry, >>>>> >>>>> I was flying blind, sort of speak, by the seat of my pants, building >>>>> this >>>>> vertical and pieced together things I had picked up discussing >>>>> antennas >>>>> with >>>>> other hams so don't feel bad about not getting how it was assembled. >>>>> I >>>>> made >>>>> the vertical antenna in two pieces in order to climb up to the roof on >>>>> my >>>>> tower bolted to the back of the house. The antenna was bolted to the >>>>> other >>>>> end of the roof so I could get right to it as needed for fine tuning. >>>>> Right >>>>> about roof level, the first section stuck up, therefore about a foot >>>>> or >>>>> two >>>>> over the peak of the roof. The second section of antenna was made up >>>>> of >>>>> three parts. Two pieces of tubing, one short and one longer, and >>>>> between >>>>> the two was a coil form with wire wrapped around it. It was insulated >>>>> wire >>>>> and I used about three feet of PVC tubing as my coil form. The longer >>>>> piece >>>>> of tubing that served as the bottom of the assembly, I think it was 7 >>>>> feet >>>>> of aluminum tubing, I stuck up inside the bottom of the PVC pipe the >>>>> wire >>>>> was wound around, or coiled, around. It was wrapped closely, like a >>>>> bull >>>>> constrictor snake, because the wire, as I mentioned, was insulated and >>>>> I >>>>> was >>>>> only running 100 watts. So that insured there would be no arking when >>>>> transmitting. If you run higher levels of power, it is best to use >>>>> coax, >>>>> the heavier the better, based upon the power, because the voltage is >>>>> very >>>>> high on the coil when transmitting. Next, I took another 3 foot >>>>> length >>>>> of >>>>> aluminum tubing and stuck it inside the top of the pvc pipe. The pvc >>>>> pipe >>>>> was big enough so I could drill into the tubing and the pvc pipe to >>>>> hold >>>>> the >>>>> bottom tubing and the top tubing to the pipe or coil of wire. This is >>>>> all >>>>> vertical so far. The signal, therefore, had to pass through the coil >>>>> before >>>>> getting above the pvc pipe to the top hat, which was the difference >>>>> between >>>>> 32 and about 130 feet; which is a quarter wave on 160 meters. About >>>>> 98 >>>>> feet >>>>> of coil wire in other words. The horizontal part of the top hat is >>>>> also >>>>> aluminum tubing whereby I used simple hardware clamps to clamp them in >>>>> the >>>>> shape of the letter X at the top of everything, that is, at the very >>>>> tip >>>>> of >>>>> the tubing. The reason I made the whole top assembly separate, was so >>>>> I >>>>> could climb the roof, walk over to the vertical clamped to the end of >>>>> the >>>>> peak of the roof, and loosen another clamp which held the whole top >>>>> assembly >>>>> in place. Once I put the X on top, I didn't have to raise or lower >>>>> the >>>>> top >>>>> assembly more than once or twice to get the antenna to resonate where >>>>> I >>>>> wanted it in the CW portion of 160 meters. It was fun making it, I >>>>> learned >>>>> a lot, and from that time on, when I put up a bigger tower that same >>>>> year >>>>> but in this house we bought that year, I really got into all kinds of >>>>> wires >>>>> and loops and shunt feeding my tower, and trying phased verticals and >>>>> wire >>>>> antennas. >>>>> >>>>> Phil. >>>>> K0NX >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>>> From: "Gerry Learry" <[log in to unmask]> >>>>> To: <[log in to unmask]> >>>>> Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2012 7:53 PM >>>>> Subject: Re: A SHORT VERTICAL FOR THE TOP BAND >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>>I don't understand how it is assembled or connected to the top of the >>>>>> antenna. I understand that the two elements are in a X pattern and >>>>>> they >>>>>> are >>>>>> both horizontal, but I don't understand the mechanics. >>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>>>> From: "Phil Scovell" <[log in to unmask]> >>>>>> To: <[log in to unmask]> >>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2012 1:50 PM >>>>>> Subject: Re: A SHORT VERTICAL FOR THE TOP BAND >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>>> Gerry, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> What specifically were you asking about as far as the capacity hat >>>>>>> is >>>>>>> concerned? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Phil. >>>>>>> K0NX >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>>>>> From: "Gerry Learry" <[log in to unmask]> >>>>>>> To: <[log in to unmask]> >>>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, December 04, 2012 3:39 AM >>>>>>> Subject: Re: A SHORT VERTICAL FOR THE TOP BAND >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Can you describe the construction of the top hat a little more? >>>>>> >>>> >>