HF Auto Tune Antennas
Submitted: Wednesday, Jan 25, 2006 at 13:00
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fox
Hi Gang,
We're just preparing for our 6 weeks in the Red Centre in May -June and looking at options to set up the
HF radio in our 100 series.
We have the radio, an Icom Ham Radio model IC-706 Mk11-G...yes I'm a licenced Ham. I think I read somewhere that the Codan 9350 antenna can be used with other HF radios, but not too sure about my memory anymore these DAZE.
Another Aussie Product from Tasmania is the Moonraker AT-230 and I felt that there was an unsubstantiated rumor that Moonraker made the old 8558 Codan auto tune antenna, which was not a very good antenna from a reliability and performance point of view.
So what I'm looking for is:
Does anybody know the compatibility of the Codan 9350 to the Icom Radio?
Also a performance comparison between the Codan and Moonraker Auto Tune antennas?
Any other Auto Tune 2-30Mhz options I should consider.....Apart from importing a Screwdriver antenna from the USA that is.
Many Thanks in Advance
Rick n Julie
Reply By: sonny - Wednesday, Jan 25, 2006 at 16:59
Wednesday, Jan 25, 2006 at 16:59
Fox
On my last trip out through the Alice / Simpson etc 18months ago, I found most times that a tuned long wire performed much better than any of the whips that I were carrying. Contacts were made usually on 80 or 40 metres back to the east coast. Quite often the long wire was very short and often only 6 - 8 foot above ground, given the size of the bushes etc through
the desert.
I was running a Kenwood 430 through a small MFJ tuner, but have since upgrade to the 706 also.
Long wire doesn't have the conveinence of an autotune and obviously cannot be used when mobile, but I didn't need to operate mobile and the 5 mins to through it up and tune I could live with.
Regards
Shane
VK4SKH.
AnswerID:
150849
Follow Up By: fox - Wednesday, Jan 25, 2006 at 17:22
Wednesday, Jan 25, 2006 at 17:22
Hi Shane,
Yes the length of the radiator and it's polarization are important factors.
In our
Kimberley Kamper, we have a
home brew dipole that I constructed some years ago for camping and portable work. It is made up of tuned lengths separated by egg insulators and covers the following bands. 80-40-20-15-10 and 6 metres. It's centre fed and works
well, provided you can find a tree of reasonable height to hold it up. Trouble is ..not suitable for mobile and takes a good hour of mucking around to get on air.
The Auto Tune Codan style of antenna can be made more efficient while stationery, by using a loger wire...approx quarter wave as the radiator and this only takes a short time to set up. Thanks all for the feed back...brings new ideas to the think tank.
Regards
Rick
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