| Author |
Message |
    
Kennjen
Junior Member
Username: Kennjen
Post Number: 21
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2005 - 10:25 pm: | 
|
My dipole (horizontal for DX of course) is UP and running with 1.5 swr across cb band ! Right now, it is pointed at Long Island NY and detroit. (basically East-West orientation skewed a bit clock wise...)
I tried all day today on various channels. NO ANSWER !! I'm very sad. I expected some fruits of labor for building a dipole, but alas no.
Good news is that my dipole is pointed right at Patzerozero in LI, who seems very active. He is about 50 miles away. My immediate goal is to contact him, now.
BTW, I've used alphadeltacom.com's dipole antenna kit, I bought from KJI electronics. Very high quality stuff. Made making a dipole a walk in the park. The real hard part was getting it up 20 feet in the air....
I have one question for all of you. I have a Magnum 257. (30 watt PEP, right ?) And I was really hoping I would be able to do minor DX with it. (My goal was talk to some one in surrounding state other than NY,CT or NJ) Is 257 enough to work with for this? OR am I facing a real up hill battle without an amp of some sort ? Lastly, what can I do better without spending mondo bucks ?
Thanks for reading. I just wanted to celebrate my dipole going live. Even if I couldn't make any contacts with it today.
Cheers - Ken. CEF598
P.S. <<patzerozero>>, if you are out there, listen for me on Sundays. I may not make this sunday tho. I just found out about the sussex county ham fest tommorow ! |
Bruce
Senior Member
Username: Bruce
Post Number: 2944
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2005 - 10:49 pm: |
|
Kennjen
With a 257 on 10 meters into a 7 foot hamstick i worked ALASKA and Germany from the car ..... When to band is open you will work DX!
On COPPER 11 meter net people HEAR me with 4 watts to a A-99 ........
AND with a Spitfire 454 walkie talkie on 10 meters ( using a rubber ducky antenna ) I worked Costa Rica from my lawn .......... |
Kennjen
Junior Member
Username: Kennjen
Post Number: 22
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2005 - 11:21 pm: |
|
Bruce :
Don't know if I should be happy or sad to hear that.... I wonder what I am doing wrong to not get even a ONE stinkin' come back.
:_ (
Well, I'll keep trying for the next few weeks. I guess I gotta find when the bands are open. When ever that is...
Thanks for the come back on the forum, bruce !
Ken.
P.S. Did I read your story about spitfire on eham ? It was the story about getting your ducky antenna sideways ? |
Coyote
Intermediate Member
Username: Coyote
Post Number: 283
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2005 - 11:35 pm: |
|
Ken, It will work. DX just didn't seem to be working today, at least not in Middle Tn. Had a short burst around dusk and was able to talk to 427 in So. Carolina on 27.125am. 20ft is a little low for height, but thats about as high as I got my 5/8gp at and it works fairly well, would like to get it to at least 36ft. With 30w PEP you shouldn't have any problem making some good contacts several states away.
Did you at least make contact with any locals on the dipole?
Look forward to making a contact with you, NY seems to come in down here fairly often and very good when the conditions are right. Till then,
73
CEF443 |
Kennjen
Junior Member
Username: Kennjen
Post Number: 23
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, July 09, 2005 - 11:48 pm: |
|
Coyote :
Good to hear from you again.
So, the concenses seems to be that it's enough for my purposes. I guess I'll keep on trying.
BTW, your comments about the antenna height. I simply could not get it up higher than that with me manually throwing up a 100lb test line up a tree. I attempted to get a sling shot today for this purpose, but it is apparently illegal around this part of the area.... My other choice was a bow and arrow. I didn't fancy this alternative as my area is not THAT rural of a neighborhood.
I'll look forward to making contact with you too. Or at the very least, I'll look forward to hearing your your voice from TN.
KEN CEF-598
|
Bruce
Senior Member
Username: Bruce
Post Number: 2945
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2005 - 12:23 am: |
|
Kennjen
The bands are dead right now you WILL work DX TRUST ME i work the world on a dipole and 50 watts
|
Tech237
Moderator
Username: Tech237
Post Number: 158
Registered: 4-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2005 - 8:55 am: |
|
20ft not a bad height as its just a little over halfwave length. Heck I worked 80 countires (in 99) with an A-99 sitting 4ft above ground and sloped at about 25 degrees from vertical.
Why the slope? Simple because when I first got here and got the A-99 it was mid-winter with snow and ice everywhere and I was not going up on the roof, so I mounted the antenna on the old satellite tv dish pole mounted to the from patio support. It stayed there for6 months before I moved it to the roof. |
Chainsawiowa
Junior Member
Username: Chainsawiowa
Post Number: 38
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2005 - 9:33 am: |
|
Ken, Hi remember the wire will only really receive and transmit 90 degrees off the line of direction. If its running East & West you wont talk or hear those directions. Your height is good, I like to point mine from SW to NE direction and have it at a slope of the lower side about 5-10 feet higher on the NE side. That way you can talk WORLD WIDE Good Luck With the Piano String !! |
Coyote
Intermediate Member
Username: Coyote
Post Number: 284
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2005 - 10:45 am: |
|
Ken, well.. like I said, It will work. Of course everyone say's the higher the better, but like you, I got mine as high as I could at the time due to having to use what I had on hand. 20' is better than 0'...  I'm not even sure mine is at 20'.... maybe a little lower, but living on a hill helps too... look forward to hearing your voice booming out of NY when these conditions pick up again.. till then,
73,
CEF443 Middle Tn Coyote |
Dale
Intermediate Member
Username: Dale
Post Number: 131
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2005 - 10:48 am: |
|
youll talk fine dx with what ya got. when dx is good youll be able 2 make acontact but when its bad you wont have much luck if any.i got a friend with a 2510 and ts hdv 500 and imax2k he talks skip pretty good but the other day he couldnt get it done and then i tried and got the hookup with only 25watts amnd imax2k. so its not your equiment its what i call luck of the airwaves |
Crackerjack
Advanced Member
Username: Crackerjack
Post Number: 689
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2005 - 1:05 pm: |
|
Kennjen:
Does it at all point at San Antonio? I would love to try a DX with you. |
Slugo4449
Junior Member
Username: Slugo4449
Post Number: 36
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2005 - 3:36 pm: |
|
kennjen:
The only antenna I have up for 11 meters is a sloping dipole. The top end is at 14 ft and then slopes down to about 3 ft off the ground.
It works fine for local SSB contacts up to 50 miles away. I also can work skip when the conditions are right. The radio I use is a Cobra 148 (unmodified) with 12 watts PEP.
All the bands this weekend are dead. Very poor conditions.
Slugo4449
|
Kennjen
Junior Member
Username: Kennjen
Post Number: 25
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, July 10, 2005 - 10:24 pm: |
|
OK...The overwhelming opinion is I'm well equipped for what I want to do. Thanks for the opinions. We are pretty much at the bottom of the cycle after all..
I'll keep trying. If I don't succeed soon with some contact tho, I'm gonna start looking at topo maps for high ground. Go string some dipole on a tree up on a mountain.
Some replies:
Bruce: YUP....It was DEAD today. Almost no skip.
Chainsawiowa: Yup I know. Wire is going a bit off N-S right now.
Crackerjack: It's not pointed that way. I'll of course try to reply if I ever hear you tho.
Thanks for all of the replies.
|
Alsworld
Advanced Member
Username: Alsworld
Post Number: 938
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 1:11 am: |
|
Kennjen,
you can and will make contacts. Local depends on who is out there. Horizontal vs vertical polorization may enhance or degrade your situation, but in skip land, you WILL make contacts.
If your SWR's are good, just keep trying and give it time. And prepare yourself for the adrenaline rush when that contact comes back to you!
Have faith in that dipole and you will enjoy it greatly.
Alsworld |
Kennjen
Junior Member
Username: Kennjen
Post Number: 30
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 13, 2005 - 9:59 pm: |
|
Not so much a dx, but I did manage to make contact with some one in canarsie, NY today. It is about 40 miles away. Furthest I've ever talked.
And that was without my dipole ! It was Mobile in my truck with k40 flex 4'.
My first contact ever on SSB ! My equipment works after all... I was starting to wonder if my 257 worked at all on SSB.
Happy dx'ing...
Ken. |
Hotwire
Intermediate Member
Username: Hotwire
Post Number: 434
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, July 14, 2005 - 10:19 am: |
|
Your 257 would work alot better if you got rid of that K40 flex and try something better. Some recommend the Wilson 2000 and 5000 but hey they cost alot! I use a Wilson silver load. 4.5 foot or 5.5 foot works great and runs around 30 bucks. Even the Francis whips work great but I tend to prefer a tunable element. Heck man even a cheapo 102 inch whip will out perform that k40. Rat shack has a 102 inch whip for about 15 bucks! You have the good radio. Now you need a good antenna so your radio can perform well for you, trust me on this.Antenna is everything. Hey I'll have an ear out for you guy.
Kenny
Da Hotwire
Cef 491
Cornfields of central Indiana
73's |
Kennjen
Junior Member
Username: Kennjen
Post Number: 31
Registered: 6-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, July 14, 2005 - 10:42 am: |
|
Hotwire :
thanks.
I actually have an 102" whip and wilson 5000 trucker laying around. Except, 102" whip is just too damn tall for every day driving. And, I haven't been able to tune the wilson 5000, i bought for 5$ at a ham fest, because I don't have the proper size hex wrench for it....
I'll probablly put up the 5000 in a few days when I get the hex wrench....
BTW, I used to live in Inidianna. My dady was head of NE division for Uniden. DARN, ONLY IF I WAS IN TO CBs BACK THEN !!!! (I wasn't) |
