Hi there. Yeah that was pretty much what  intended to do since i really dont have much room to erect an HF antenna. The loops are a great idea, i would simply need to build a few of them. 80m, 40m, 20m ... but i was thinking a loaded vertical fed against the metal roof would work better. I am thinking about 24ft tall pvc with a 58ft wire inside it (coiled at the bottom) with the use of my LDG antenna tuner at the bottom of it.

The reason why i choose 58ft of wire is that 58 is a good length for a simple longwire antenna. Making it resonant on all frequencies. So i will get about 20ft of straight vertical wire and the rest will be coiled up at the bottom, so it should act as a base loaded vertical.

I cant really see it NOT work. And i guess the best way to find out is to try it right?

For all of you reading this post out there, let me know what you think, i always appreciate comments! 73's

So if i would use about 20ft of PVC pipe, vertically mounted and a much longer piece of wire wounded at the base of the pipe and finish it off with a length of about 15ft vertically towards the top of the pipe! Kind of like a base loaded vertical. It would probably give me a better performance on the lower bands (75m or 80m).

Would it require any kind of special matching network or could it be simply fed right through a balun and directly through the antenna tuner?

Hi folks!

If i were to put a length of approximately 20ft of wire inside a vertical PVC pipe, fed against a metal roof (additional radials could be used), with a antenna tuner right at the bottom of it (in a waterproof box). Would it be efficient? Is it something that could work or would i simply be wasting my time? Would i be able to transmit from 80m to 10m with a decent swr?

In the previous topics, i was suggested to use a 5/8 silver rod, or something like it and rip the coil out of it, but i couldn't find any and i can't see myself buying a new one just so i can use the radiator. And also, using two lengths of electrical conduit, or copper pipe soldered together (20ft or so) would be a bit flimsy in the wind.

Thanks for your opinions, greatly appreciated 73's!

I have also posted this topic into the QRP section on this website. I thought i would post it in here as well because i always get good replies in elmers.

I live in a town house with a very small lot. So the use of larger antennas is impossible. I have been reading online for the last 2 weeks on all kinds of different antennas. All bands Horizontal, vertical, trapped, loading coiled ... I also understand that when operating QRP, the need of a very efficient antenna is a MUST!

Does anyone have a good idea of what a good setup could be? I have looked-up Hustler, Hy-Gain, MFJ, Comet ... all the major brands out there. I was really thinking about the Comet CHA-250B because it's pretty much an all-in-one antenna (6m-80m) with no radials, no tuner. But the reviews aren't that great on it and like i mentioned before, with only 5 watts of power, the last thing i need is an antenna that will dissipate most of the power (5w) in heat =(

Someone had mentioned in a previous topic, that i better off solder 2 pieces of copper together (for a total length of 20ft) and mount it on my metal roof and use a decent antenna tuner directly at the base of the antenna and it would give me better results than any commercial-made all band HF antenna!

I will sincerely appreciate every single reply from you guys.

PS, i have no trees on my property, i DO have a great big metal roof, and will be operating QRP. Thanks and 73's

Hello everyone. I just bought myself a FT-817 (my first HF rig) and cant wait until it gets here.

I live in a town house with a very small lot. So the use of larger antennas is impossible. I have been reading online for the last 2 weeks on all kinds of different antennas. All bands Horizontal, vertical, trapped, loading coiled ... I also understand that when operating QRP, the need of a very efficient antenna is a MUST!

Does anyone have a good idea of what a good setup could be? I have looked-up Hustler, Hy-Gain, MFJ, Comet ... all the major brands out there. I was really thinking about the Comet CHA-250B because it's pretty much an all-in-one antenna (6m-80m) with no radials, no tuner. But the reviews aren't that great on it and like i mentioned before, with only 5 watts of power, the last thing i need is an antenna that will dissipate most of the power (5w) in heat =(

Someone had mentioned in a previous topic, that i better off solder 2 pieces of copper together (for a total length of 20ft) and mount it on my metal roof and use a decent antenna tuner directly at the base of the antenna and it would give me better results than any commercial-made all band HF antenna!

I will sincerely appreciate every single reply from you guys.

PS, i have no trees on my property, i DO have a great big metal roof, and will be operating QRP. Thanks and 73's

found out how to fix that =)

After done programming all frequencies, turn radio off, and simply ground the metal piece in the back of the microphone to the radio and power up again! Then radio is ready for operation!

Hello everyone.

I am slowly setting myself up for HF and finding the best antenna for my situation is kind of a thinker! I have no room for a full size G5RV and an all-band vertical would be my last resort (due to cost vs efficiency) ....

The house i am living in has a great big tin roof. So i was thinking about putting up a G5RV Jr. (about 51ft in length) right above it.

Has anyone tried this kind of setup before? Will it work ok? How far above the metal roof should it be mounted?

The peak of the house is about 20ft high, and it would be erected horizontally between the two peaks.

I appreciate all inputs, thanks and 73's

Hi everyone. Just wondering if i could seek help in here.

One of my radios is a TAD MD-150 (commercial VHF radio) that can be programmed manually. I have read, and programmed the radio myself but now have a problem. Once all my memories are programmed in it, i reboot the radio but it stays stuck in PRIORITY CHANNEL all the time and cant switch to any other channels. Does anybody know about these radios? Thanks

Thanks for all the inputs. I understand a bit more about tuners now. I never thought i would get so much feedback for such a simple question lol!

I was not planning on using the GP-9 on HF at all, i was simply reading online about a bunch of all-band HF antennas and try to decide what kind of setup i will get for my antenna-restricted residence.

Some antennas require antenna tuners to work all bands properly, some dont. The verticals (without tuners) would be my best bet although they dont come cheap. The possibility of a mobile antenna as a base station was an option, as long as i can give it a very good counterpoise i think it could work. The Comet UHV-6 for example.

Anyways, i am still looking at all my options, i have an HF rig coming my way, i will be operating QRP on a FT-817. I figured it would be a nice radio to get started on.

Thanks again to all of you, and hope to hear from you on HF someday =) 73's

Some claim that their antenna tuner can virtually tune ANY antenna to ANY transmitter! Could it be?

Does it mean i could get on 80m with a dual-bander Comet GP-9 with the use of it?

I am asking this "dumb" question because i will receive my HF rig soon and i am looking at all my options to put up an antenna. Of course, i have antenna restrictions so all-in-one would be the solution ...

Thanks for the inputs!

Hi everyone! I have a few questions regarding antennas. I live downtown on a top floor of a house and i really dont have much room to put up an antenna. Of course, i'd like to have a bunch of them (2m, 6m, 10 ...) and eventually have a nice radio (like a FT-857 or a IC-706) but for now, all i am interested in is the 10 meter band. So let's focus on that.

What do you guys think about the DOUBLE BAZOOKA? They are inexpensive, they can be stealthy, and are pretty efficient (from what i read online). And on top of that, i heard they were not so bad because of their ability to get rid of the "static" noise that come into the radio, which is something i would like since i live downtown and "interference" is an issue.

Are they really worth it or is there something "better" for my use? I am gonna be chasing a bit of DX and not so much local contacts.

I'd appreciate any inputs from all of you, simply to help me get started on 10m. Thanks and 73's

I am sorry, it's a 2.5mm audio jack, not 3.5mm!

Hi everyone. I was reading on the internet about how i could buy the range booster antenna to extend the range of my Sirius radio.

But then, i saw that some people have simply used a headset with a 3.5mm jack plugged-in the FM OUT of the Sirius radio, cut at just the right length to create a quarter wavelength.

Is this any possible? Does anyone have something like this? Could i simply use the same idea but build a half wave dipole (better gain)?? What would the impedance be?

I would appreciate any input on this one. Thank you all and 73's for now!

Thank you all, i appreciate =) 73's

Just a quick question, when should we expect to reach our peak in the 11 years cycle for DX? I am not sure about this but aren't we in the beginning of it right now? Thanks