Saturday, November 14, 2009

WA3ZBJ takes field-based antennas to a new height



As featured in KI6SN's December '09 Trail-Friendly Radio column in WorldRadio Online magazine, Don McBride, WA3ZBJ, operated a newly-completed Hendricks QRP PFR-3, above, “from a great spot near a fire watch tower on a hilltop in Cook Forest State Park in Pennsylvania.” His favorite portable antenna is a jumper dipole “for 20-30-40 suspended in an inverted V configuration from one of the many trees in the area and fed with lightweight coax.”





With a set-up along the St. Johns River in DeLand FL, 'ZBJ used a Wilderness Radio Sierra transceiver portable with an inverted V antenna suspended from 33-foot pole (left).














'ZBJ says that putting an eye-hook into a used golf ball makes for a great launch vehicle when the goal is to get your antenna as high into a tree as possible. Tie lightweight nylon line through the eye and you've got a wonderful projectile for those out-of-reach branches. It's quick and inexpensive to make and lightweight and easy to carry into the field.

QUICK LINKS:







(For an enlarged view, click on the images)


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