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Messages - gil

#46
General Discussion / Re: Radioberry
August 11, 2021, 06:58:40 PM
Very interesting thank you!

I might go with a HackRF though, because it's only one card, but this looks promising and more compact...

Gil.
#47
Antennas / Re: effective ENDFED antenna for 20m
June 08, 2021, 03:55:20 PM
QuoteI found that increasing the power the connections did not get better.

That my friend is a very important statement...
Thank nyou for sharing. Keep experimenting!
I will too :-)

Gil.
#48
Antennas / Re: Simple Dual Band 20m/40m Vertical
June 05, 2021, 03:46:42 PM
Hello, I bet you could make a half-wave one by doubling the wire lengths... Like my
PAR 10/20/40... Using a 49:1 or 64:1 transformer of course..

Gil.
#49
Antennas / Re: Portable UHF Yagi antenna
June 05, 2021, 03:35:50 PM
Hello. If I remember well, there was no plan so to speak, but a link to an online Yagi calculator...

Gil.
#50
Antennas / Re: Magnetic antenna query
June 05, 2021, 03:34:46 PM
Very interesting, thank you!
Gil.
#51
Antennas / Re: EFHW as an inverted V
June 05, 2021, 03:31:19 PM
Hello Josefius.

I definitely think it will work, but of course you won't know until you try...

Gil.
#52
Antennas / Re: effective ENDFED antenna for 20m
June 05, 2021, 03:29:06 PM
Hi, so, do you conclude that 4c65 is better than 43?

Gil.
#53
Antennas / Re: effective ENDFED antenna for 20m
June 01, 2021, 02:56:49 AM
Thank you so much for taking the time to post your results, very interesting! Of course the EFHW is not the most efficient, but efficiency is not always the primary objective. I like the practical nature of the antenna. Interestingly I just tested a 49:1 with an FT-240-61 core, two turns primary, and it did not work on Hf or 6m. Maybe I did something wrong, bad solder joint or something, but the SWR stays around 5:1.... The same one using an FT-240-43 works great... What do you think of that?
Gil.
#54
Awesome, The French government would never allow something like that, LOL.

Gil.
#55
Antennas / Re: effective ENDFED antenna for 20m
May 27, 2021, 06:16:21 AM
Hello. True, there isn't much difference between 49:1 and 64:1. It is a high dividing number, so there will be only a few Ohms difference in the end. Truth is, the impedance of a half-wave wire is very difficult to measure and theoretically should be infinite, but it isn't... VNA measurements are just not reflecting the truth... The resulting impedance and divider will tell you approximately what it might be. Ultimately it doesn't matter. Make your wire as close as possible to a half-wave (don't forget the velocity factor of the wire) while maintaining an SWR lower than 2:1.
Try to wind your transformer the way I do it, using a single wire and twisted primary turns. Three turns primary for low bands, two for upper bands above 20m. 43 and 52 material cores should work best, 43 for lower bands, 52 for upper.

Gil.
#56
Hello, well, you might have to schedule a little trip back home for the test, if you aren't wanted there ;-)

Gil.
#57
Hello Ben. Where are you located? Where are you from?
Plenty of people do speak English on the radio, though the French have a horrendous accent, sorry to say. Just get your CB installed and listen to the locals. Then make contact. Don't worry about language problems. If you don't speak fluently after twelve years, that means you have been worrying about it way too much... Ask people to correct your mistakes, insist on it. That's how I learned. It will be very frustrating in the beginning but soon, after being corrected so many times, you won't make those mistakes again.
The amateur radio licence in France is a nightmare to get, or rather, get information about... You might want to check if your country of origin has an agreement for equivalency that would  grant you a French call-sign from your foreign licence...
The only stupid questions are those never asked...
Welcome aboard :-)
Gil.
#58
Awesome :-)
Gil.
#59
Congratulations on your decision!
Gil.
#60
I used to live in Sarasota, for 22 years, LOL.

There are unfortunately no really good antennas for HF mobile, few that perform well while driving for sure... Look into Hamstick antennas. They are single-band but affordable and work well enough, but I would use them while stopped... Nothing beats a good base with a hole in the metal of the car, but I understand you might not want to do that... A magnetic base will work. Those antennas have a 3/8-24 thread, so make sure you get the appropriate base. For your KX2 and prepping I would suggest a 40m antenna. Your best bet for your car though is a VHF/UHF antenna for local comms and repeater use, if they work after an event... You can get a Retevis RT95 radio for less thn $100. I use one in my truck. The antennas are shorter too.

Now for your house, given the lightning issue, I would use a telescopic mast that you could just put up while using the radio. I use a Spiderbeam 12m mast, and it is very strong. You can use it with this antenna: http://vibroplex.com/contents/en-us/p3410.html It will give you three bands, including 20m for daytime and 40m for evening comms. Best of all, you can put the mast in your trunk and use it anywhere you want.

I am no expert in roof-mounted antennas... A magnetic-loop antenna could serve you well too, but commercial models are practically always too small. The ideal perimeter is 5m or about 17-18ft. I have a video on how to build one. You might want to look into various wire antennas, depending on where and how you could string one up... A wire loop around the perimeter of the house could work too, using the KX2's built-in tune; install at the top edge of the roof... Wire antennas can be installed in addics too, as most Florida houses are made of wood.

Oh, and if you really want to use your KX2 to the best of its abilities, and multiply your chances to make contact when you need it, you might want to learn Morse code :-)

Let me know how it goes. I miss Sarasota a great deal.

Gil.