Radial less verticals work but with much less efficiency.

Over the years I have tried about every vertical, except the one I really want a 18HT.

Cost effective with radials the 5BTV wins hands down.

Multi band options with a little gain on higher bands the Butternut HF9 wins hands down.

73,

Carl - W9PMZ

works pretty good!

I did three weeks ago a few times and no response...

Is Lazy Dog Engineering still doing business?

73,

Carl - W9PMZ

Back to the tuner.  What kind of rig are you using?  Most newer rigs have a SWR meter built in. Was the rig indicating output power? 

Honestly if you are going to have an antenna of a short size, I'd rather use a dipole than a vertical. Since I have no trees a vertical is what I use. I have 80 33' radials on the ground and it works pretty good on all bands.

But, I still would rather have a dipole up 35 to 40 feet.

73,

Carl - W9PMZ

So what do you mean by the tuner isn't working correctly?

Otherwise for a vertical you will need radials, elevated or laid on the ground.  The more the better.

Verticals without radials do work but at a cost of actual radiated power.

There are a multitide of verticals on the market and they all are worthy of consideration.  But if you are looking for a cost effective solution look at the Hustler 5BTV.  They are well built and reasonable in cost.  But they do require radials.

Remember also that on 80M any vertical will have a very narrow bandwidth.

73,

Carl - W9PMZ

Metcal.

Get the correct tips and you will never need another.

73,

Carl - W9PMZ

Icom7000

An AL82 is a good amp and an AL1500 is also a good amp.

The key difference in order to drive full power is that the AL1500 will do it at half the input power than an AL82.

Assuming that your not into overdriving things you should have a cleaner signal with the AL1500 over the AL82 at full power.

73,

Carl - W9PMZ

Back to the original question as to the amplifier is it over priced.  I don't think so.

As to the secondary question.

In the next 5 to to 10 years there are going to be a lot of ticked off people when they realize that all of the money that they have had taken, at a rate of 15% per year, just isn't there and that they will be victims of "entitlement reform" just to keep things afloat.  Nobody really wants to comprehend the demographics in terms of age vs. tax contribution status as time moves to the right.

Bernie Madoff is a saint as compared to the fraud that is currently being perpetuated...

"Printing cash is a crude method and hasn't been done in decades.  The Fed's Quantitative Easing is how money was injected into the economy from the top."

So then where did the Fed exactly get this money for the QE then?

June 2003 (When I first started traveling for work to Asia)
$1 = B41.61 Thai Baht
$1 = e0.85 Euros
$1 = $1.35 Canadian Dollars
$1 = y118.29 Yen
$1 = Y8.27 Chinese RMB
$1 = L0.60 British Pounds
$1 = $1.73 Singapore Dollars
$1 = R28.41 Russian Rubles  (2005)

January 2013
$1 = B30.06 Thai Baht
$1 = e0.75 Euros
$1 = $0.99 Canadian Dollars
$1 = y89.19 Yen
$1 = Y6.22 Chinese RMB
$1 = L0.62 British Pounds
$1 = $1.22 Singapore Dollars
$1 = R30.22 Russian Rubles

The dollar to Asian currencies has tanked over the past 10 years and has been pretty constants as compared to Western currencies.  A dollar against where our goods are coming from just isn't as strong.  Even the Europeans are complaining.

If you look at a short period of time the dollar is not plunging.  Over a broader period of time western currencies are plunging and I long for the time when I could buy trinkets in Thailand at B49 (that was the highest exchange rate I ever got) to $1...

73,

Carl - W9PMZ

Yup.. the snow at the base is not a problem.  Then antenna will continue to work with no problems.

What is the problem is the connection at the base.  Forget a coax pigtail connection!  You will shortly have water logged coax.  Get a connector kit such as the one DX engineering sells, or make your own.  (DX Engineering AOK-DCF - DX Engineering Direct Coax Feed Add-On Kits )

The other point is to make sure you weather proof the coax and connections.  A number of years ago while on 75M running my L4B in the evening during a 6" snow event things suddenly stopped working.  Next day traced the problem to water inside the PL259 connection.  The center pin was nice and black and welded to the other end with the coax was shorted inside the PL259.  Wasn't as weather proof as I had thought.

I keep it as a reminder to weather proof, weather proof and weather proof.

73,

Carl - W9PMZ

Ahh....  The strung wires on the poles...
That's nothing.  When I go to Thailand on business it is common to see poles with 200 or more wires. A mix of power, cable and phone. Where I have been in Thailand large wind storms are not common. 

It is truly amazing...

73,

Carl - W9PMZ

Actually as part of the burn-in process the PAs get vibrated as well...

burn-in aka "shake and bake"

73,

Carl - W9PMZ