Subject: GLOWBUGS digest 210

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 22:05:53 -0500 (CDT)

GLOWBUGS Digest 210

Topics covered in this issue include:

  1) Simple BA Antenna for the BA 80M QRG
	by [email-masked]

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Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 13:33:56 -0400 (EDT)
From: [email-masked]
To: [email-masked], [email-masked]
Cc: [email-masked] ()
Subject: Simple BA Antenna for the BA 80M QRG
Message-ID: <[email-masked]>

Some simple thoughts from simpleminded ol' BA Pfarte No. 1 DE NA4G/Bob BT

For thouse of youse folks whos want's to get simply upon the ol BA/GB
80M QRG, you might try the following very simple antenna.......

It is called the 66 up and 66 out, patterned after a 30's simple
design called the 33 up and 33 out for 40 meters.

1.  Antenna --- 66 feet of Heavy Boatanchorite Antenna Material Class 1A,
                (call it about No. 14 Copperweld Wire or equivalent strength)
                (I use Coax cable and short the braid and center conductor
                 at both ends).  Let your conscience be your guide since
                 anything from about 45 feet to 99 feet will work just
                 fine in most instances.

2.  Counterpoise --- 66 likewise feeten o' similar old coax (what better
                     use for olden coaxe de junque boxen).  Anything from
                     45 feet to 99 feet will work just fine in most all
                     instances.

3.  Ground --- at least one good 8 foot ground just outside the shack,
               to which aforesaid counterpoise wires are clipped using
               50 amp alligator clippies.

4.  Rig to tuner --- any short short short short short length of coax
                     if coax is used, or just skip if you don't need
                     a tuner.

5.  Tuner --- take of one goodly piece of 2 inche plumbing pipe, of black
              or white plastic about one foot thereof.  Winde ye upon about
              some small measure of about 30-35 turns of No. 14 black single
              strand solid copper wire to make the L section coil.
              Take of the junque boxen capacitorien, any goodly size of
              about 1/16 to 1/8 inche spacing with somewhere in the
              neighborhood of 20 or so plates (anything from 15-30 should
              work just fine --- if ye be of a particular nature, try
              for some 150 of the second smalle parte of the farad (called
              mikey-mikey-mikes in some circles or pico pfarades in others).
              Series the coil and capacitor and run the coil end to the
              rig and the capacitor end to the antenna.   Mount some goodly
              way with insulatoring materials upon a breadboard or like
              surface.  If cheape ye be, and nothing be wrong in that,
              take and winde ye your coil upon a tin can, removing the
              tin can and tape ye your coil into shape.  In a similar
              manner maketh ye yer capacitor from two plates of metal
              separated by a sheete of clearest window pane, sliding said
              metal plates over each other to adjuste capacitorishness.
              Simple it may be, but worketh in the finest manner it will.**

6.  Tuner to Antenna Feedthrough --- use a goodly board or hole cut into
              an adjacent window pane for an exit.  Take care to provide
              proper grounding of the antenna when not in use by means of
              a goodly 50 amp aligator clippie and heavy wire down to the
              ground (No. 10 solid copper will do, or use another coax
              braid and center conductor).

7.  Tuning Indicator --- use ye a fine field strength meter of simplest
              design and tune ye for maximum output in the field.  When
              said maximum occurs ye be transferring maximum ether burning
              to aforementioned antenna and counterpoise.

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** Note.... me CW mentor did just this simple method using glass and metal
            plates and free hanging coil, whilst in college, with great
            success.

Simplicity in radio is still a virtue, and still works as good as it did
in the earliest days.

Now, string the antenna up to the nearest tree or post or something
about 20 feet high at the far end, minimally, and a goodly time will ye
have upon the watch, with the Boatanchorite/Glowbuggite crowd on the
BA/GB Net.

QTR 0000/0100 Z  QRG 7050 KHZ
QTR 0200/0300/0400/0500/0600 Z  QRG 3579.545 KHZ

This really, really does work, just fine.  If you want to use it on the
40 meter QRG, put the capacitor from the coil to ground and move the
antenna to the junction of the coil and capacitor.

If you only want 40 meters, then cut the coil in half and likewise the
antenna and counterpoise wires.

Nothing could be simpler.

See you all on the BA/GB net this weekend!

73/ZUT DE NA4G/Bob UP

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End of GLOWBUGS Digest 210
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