Just for discussion purposes, why not use resistors in series as classic voltage dividers?

bill.

You can spend a life time in Ham radio playing with and learning about antennas.   Don't get frustrated, it is one of those things that provide some of the greatest interest and satisfaction with the hobby.

73, bill.

Check out various vendors catalogs of coax for specs and price, like Radio Works or The Wireman, or any other good vendor.

Compare the dB loss at VHF/UHF frequencies vs. the total cost and order what you can afford.   9913 or LMR coax is probably in your price range and provides the lowest loss short of going to hard line.

73, bill

I have seen that particular example of false radar returns. The one I gave is somewhat different, but related.   The atmosphere can refract or bend RF signals.

One other possiblity, though less likely is that you could have some object like a building or terrain that is reflecting the signal and providing multipath signals. Though I would expect that you would notice this from time to time with other signals.

bill

I've used magmounts for years with no problems.  I have used clear packing tape (Duck Tape brand) on the bottom of the mount.   The key is keeping dirt from underneath the mount.  Second always lift the mount straight up.   Periodically clean the mount and surface with a clean cloth.   Keeping a good coat of wax on the car helps too.

The ultimate answer is to bite the bullet, drill a hole and install an NMO mount.

73, bill

Not a wind shear, but a temperature inversion or change in gradient aloft.   I have seen it many times on radars, but never thought about it for ham radio.  

This phenomenon can be a real problem on air search radars, setting up large pattern returns.  and when the layer suddenly shifts it appears as contacts racing at humongous speeds.  I'm sure that it what has been attributed to UFO's.   Radar DOES lie.

73, bill

The common mode on 10M is USB.  Look towards the lower end of the band, especially 28.300 - 28.500.

You and everyone that has passed the FCC exams and have callsigns are HAMS and entitled to every courtesy and respect, regardless of licensing date!  Welcome.

73, Bill

US amateur radio equipment is not required to be type accepted.

However, FCC and I believe international regulations require any radio aboard ships and aircraft used for amateur operations to be separate from the ship/acft radios.  You can use the installed antennas but not the radios.

a.m.

I helped put up a Gap Titan for my club last year.  It went together without problem and required only one or two tweaks to the counterpoise skirt.  All the other bands had excellent SWR and bandwidth and required no adjustment. It was located in the woods with the skirt about 4 feet above ground level.

The two items to check are that you have the antenna properly mounted with the plastic insulator pieces isolating it from your metal mast.  This is the key to why the antenna needs no radials.  Likewise, it requires no grounding wire like conventional trapped verticals.

The other item is to check that you have the feedline exiting the antenna/mast exactly as indicated in the manual, since this will adversely affect performance.

Good luck!   Bill  

Some find perturbation theory vexing.

I started out with an el-cheapo Radio Shack J-38, but quickly found that it had too much flexing in it once I got my license and operated for a year or so.

I love my Nye Viking Speed-Ex key with a Navy knob and shorting lever.  Mine is 20 years old and has been dragged around the world.  They are built like a tank and the design has been around for 50 or 60 years.  Unfortunately it appears that Nye is getting pretty eratic in production and availability is spotty.  Morse Express has a couple models available.

Bencher has a couple of straight keys, and I've seen other fellows using them.  

I was eyeing Hy-Mound keys yesterday at MorseEx, the 706 model I think as a second key for portable ops.  

There is no right or wrong here.  Making well formed code on a straight key is an art that takes practice, and the unique "fist" that ops have makes cw more personal than with keyers.  You can begin to recognize various ops just by their fist without even hearing their call.  

On the other hand, once you approach a speed of say +15wpm and hold extended QSO's, a keyer with paddles reduces fatigue.  You will find that code flows from your fingertips almost effortless.  The Bencher BY series are a proven design of good quality.

Happy CW,  Bill

Oops, on third reading, N3OX is right in his first post.  

It's impossible to anwser without know what type of antenna you are using and it's dimensions, and what type of feedline you are using.

73, Bill

Hi Jackie,
I'm trying to make some guesses about what you are trying to do.  I have an Azden-4000 and can probably dig up the user manual if you need help.

Are you trying to do the following things?

- Interface cable between an Azden 4000 and some Kantronics TNC?

- Trying to use the UI Gate ham software to port text from packet to a commercial 900MHz radio for mobile ops?

- Trying to use UI View ham software for APRS mobile ops and display?

I checked out your website.  The photo on the main page doesn't display, and your shack photo is cutoff just below the clock.

73,  Bill

It may be tough to set up a resonant dipole but give it a try.

I live in a townhouse, and used copper foil around the base board of one floor as the counterpoise and a section of a vertical run up the stairwell for the radiating element.  This setup is analogous to sailboat arrangements.  Gordon West has a series of articles that discuss this.  

25 watts is about the most I can run without RFI.  I found SSB impractical, but was able to easily work PSK31 until the has from switching power supplies, flat screens and plasma displays in my complex became overwhelming a couple years ago.   Power isn't everything and 25 watts is only a few db down from 100watts.

"If an antenna is silly but works, it isn't silly".  Good luck.  bill.