05-04-2004, 04:33
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#16
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Ft Bragg, NC
Posts: 1,126
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Re: Antenna Wire
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Originally posted by QRQ 30
I saw WD-1 mentioned as antenna wire. I recently saw a high ranking commo chief at Ft. Bragg mention base station antennas constructed of WD-1. Gentlemen, WD-1 is easily available but, IMHO, is one of the least desireable wires available for radio antennas. It is a poor conductor of RF energy. It is constructed of multiple strands ofr copper and steel. The steel is for strength.
Radio frequency travels along the surface of the conductor and not the core. IMO a single strand copper wire is best. You can buy this in Radio Shack and other sources. Get it insulated, preferably with a neutral color insulation, depending upon the terrain you will operate from. In Germany we were issued single strand copper wire for the AN/GRC-109. It was a terrific antenna but was insulated with a clear lacquer, Few were lax enough to use it and if they did they were usually "scarfed up" since the antenna resembled a shining mirror in the light.
I have lots of experience in clandestine HF and FM communications. This incluced working from within buildings. If any are interested I may drop a little tid-bit when the formu gets slow. 
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I've always liked to use claymore wire for my ant.
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Max_Tab is offline
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05-04-2004, 06:26
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#17
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Guerrilla Chief
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Fayetteville
Posts: 796
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I'm goin' with Eyes on this one. Long haul communications are dependent on a long wire. What it takes to get there and what one may use is certainly mission dependent. Even working with the -43 and the -137 require some knowledge of antenna theory.
Even in 2004 (ESPECIALLY in 2004) no comms are guaranteed. While IMC has fallen by the wayside, I will always advocate that it be taught and learned. Satcom is great, but if it goes out, we still need a backup. PACE!
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Radar Rider is offline
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05-04-2004, 06:45
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#18
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Williamston, SC
Posts: 2,018
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A good start for learning theory and practical construction is the :"ARRL Antenna Handbook". Pay attention to the "lobes". You will find that with a 3/4 wave inverted "L" antenna, the maximum radiation is 60 deg. off of the end rather than broadside.
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QRQ 30 is offline
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05-04-2004, 08:38
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#19
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Fort Bragg, NC
Posts: 183
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Quote:
Originally posted by Radar Rider
I'm goin' with Eyes on this one. Long haul communications are dependent on a long wire. What it takes to get there and what one may use is certainly mission dependent. Even working with the -43 and the -137 require some knowledge of antenna theory.
Even in 2004 (ESPECIALLY in 2004) no comms are guaranteed. While IMC has fallen by the wayside, I will always advocate that it be taught and learned. Satcom is great, but if it goes out, we still need a backup. PACE!
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KALUA OFF-CENTER (aka The KOC)
There is no reason to string that much wire for the -137 ALE. Match the impedence of the radio with 30 feet of ladder wire. String 36 feet of wire off your positive end and 18 feet off your negative end. This length has been calculated to specifically match the impedence of the radio. Adjust height as needed.
__________________
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Last edited by Para; 05-04-2004 at 08:43.
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Para is offline
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05-04-2004, 09:24
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#20
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Guest
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There is a lot of good antenna stuff available in the ham world, if you sift the bullshit out. As stated above, the ARRL has some good handbooks available..check out ARRL.org.
QS(KB9xxx)
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05-04-2004, 19:02
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#21
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: charlotte, nc
Posts: 63
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they also used to have loads of antenna construction projects for limited space applications... urban dwellers and the like.
some of the older handbooks have some stuff that is now considered outdated but still good ideas and maybe they will have a special application for our world...
still gotta love that code ...
.. .--. .-.. . -.. --. . .- .-.. .-.. . --. .. .- -. -.-. . -
--- - .... . ..-. .-.. .- --. --- ..-. - .... . ..- -. .. - . -.. ... - -. - . ... --- ..-. .- -- . .-. .. -.-. .- always and forever!
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if you are not in the lead you are probably looking up someone else's backside
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froglegz is offline
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05-04-2004, 19:36
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#22
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Free Pineland
Posts: 24,780
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Quote:
Originally posted by froglegz
they also used to have loads of antenna construction projects for limited space applications... urban dwellers and the like.
some of the older handbooks have some stuff that is now considered outdated but still good ideas and maybe they will have a special application for our world...
still gotta love that code ...
.. .--. .-.. . -.. --. . .- .-.. .-.. . --. .. .- -. -.-. . -
--- - .... . ..-. .-.. .- --. --- ..-. - .... . ..- -. .. - . -.. ... - -. - . ... --- ..-. .- -- . .-. .. -.-. .- always and forever!
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You guys would have to see how fast Jerry here could copy that stuff. He was one of the very best.
Pretty quick with the key as well.
Don't make me get out my tri-graph card!
TR
__________________
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat." - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
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The Reaper is offline
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05-04-2004, 19:37
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#23
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Guest
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.- -. -.. - --- - .... . .-. . .--. ..- -... .-.. .. -.-. ..-. --- .-. .-- .... .. -.-. .... .. - ... - .- -. -.. ...
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05-06-2004, 19:54
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#24
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 259
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Agree that ARRL (American Radio Relay League) has great resources in the Amateur Radio Handbook and their antenna resource books. You can find them in the post library. It even works with 137s and ALE.
I went to every Team house we had in Haiti and you could tell who had the squared-away commo dudes. They were the ones who had their HAM licenses and made regular commo back home to CONUS through HAMs and MARS (who would handle radio-wire interface calls to the house).
You could see it in their antennae and battery/power set ups, from verticle loops to you-name-it. Some teams couldn't make comms to get fed, and they were less than 100 miles away from their B-Teams.
We've got all this high speed real-time push to talk comms from SHF to SATCOM, INMARSAT, and Iridium, yet you can still do discrete dit-dah on low power HF with a good antenna when some command above you pre-empts you or puts you on quiet time.
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Sinister is offline
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05-06-2004, 20:50
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#25
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: charlotte, nc
Posts: 63
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amen my friends... i may leave america for short periods of time but i will always come back, and when i hear the star spangled banner it will always bring a tear to my eye.
like dorothy saud, "there is no place like home!"
thanks tr, from one whom i respect, that means a lot.
i still listen to tapes once in a while and i have a stack of trigraphs i just ran across.... want one????
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if you are not in the lead you are probably looking up someone else's backside
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froglegz is offline
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05-22-2004, 07:44
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#26
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Quiet Professional
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Williamston, SC
Posts: 2,018
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Slinky
I have had men tell me they used slinkies as antennas for the PRC-74. Does anyone else have some practical inventions which are quick and easy?
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QRQ 30 is offline
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05-22-2004, 09:29
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#27
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Guerrilla
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: OCONUS
Posts: 415
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I know of two Echo's that made commo from Tampa to Miami with PRC-127's and slinkys. It rained the night before so they got a good ground wave through the 'Glades.
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CommoGeek is offline
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