Thank you again for your information, and those sent to me by e-mail. I appreciate any of the information I have been sent.

Dave
AB9PM

Thanks gentlemen for your reply.

Dave
AB9PM

I found a program on the internet to design anything from a dipole to a shorter version. I am tempted to try it, but I am looking at what I would need to make it a strong enough mounting system. I looked at a canadian site who made a 20 meter rotatable dipole out of nothing but aluminum pipe, a clamp and a dowel. Looks interesting but I would like to work 40 meters also. So I keep on looking at ideas. One thing I would like to know is if you added a mast below the hamstick will it work, and be even more efficient? And which will work better a hamstick or a hustler coil in this arrangement? I spend too much time thinking I guess. It would be nice to get a coil out 6-10 feet, and then a whip. Still working on the details.

Dave
AB9PM

Thanks for your comments, I am still working on my spring project for next year.

dave
ab9pm

As a 40 years swl and short term ham, I can tell you from experience you will increase your signal and your noise level. Will it bring weak signals out of the noise, sometimes it will make a weak signal more readable. If I was still just a swl would I use one? YES. It depends on conditions and what your antenna is. If you are having QRN, it will not help you with that situation. Also using vertical and horizontal antennas and switch between them will yield different results also. Experiment and have a blast, a resonant antenna for your frequency of interest will yield the best results.

I would like to hear from people who have actually used the hamstick and/or hustler resonators in a dipole configuration and what your thoughts are regarding them. Anyone who has tried both I would like an analysis, and what size extension you used on the hustler resonators.

dave
AB9PM

Thank you for all of your ideas. I am looking to put something together that will end up on public land and be supported by a van, and not connecting or stringing wire out on public land. I received some really good ideas previously for mounting off my van. I was going to use hamsticks as a dipole but we get enough wind here I do not want them to get broke. I also love experimenting with antennas. If I had a large property what a mess I would have. Always playing around with antennas. I had an antenna book 20 years ago and read most of it. So I see on the internet articles for coils at 50% positioning, I guess the short masts for budipoles and hustlers have had me a little confused on where to put the coil. I will keep reading articles but plan on at least a 50% coil position. Thanks much.

Dave
AB9PM
 

I would like to build a sort of buddipole, hamstick dipole, type of portable dipole for spring. However after extensive reading, I have read about the cracking of the hamstick antennas near the ferrule, and the many complaints of people trying to tune the buddipole with the tapped coil. I would like to build a heavy duty 40/20/17 meter dipole coil loaded, each one a seperate dipole, one will face north south, one east west, and one northwest southeast type of set up. I want each antenna to have its own permanent coil, and just adjust the stinger for lowest swr. Each can have their own cable too, that is fine. My big question is the best placement of the coil. I have used hustlers on my vehicle and they gave me worse signal reports than a hamstick. Hustler coils as told to me by the factory are designed to transmit only above the resonator with the tip. So if I build this thing, as this group says longer is better, where is the best place to put the coil ( percentage of dipole length)and have a reasonable amount of stinger length to give the best possible results in this situation. Will this thing work like a hustler resonator?

I have found a web site to give me direction in the building the proper winding of the coils. In my home I have up to 34 feet across to build this antenna and work on the tuning to get it somewhat close during the winter.

So do we put the coil at 20, 40, 50, or 60% of the way from the feedpoint, what is best? It could be as small as 8 feet per leg or as long as 16 feet per leg or anything in between. Remember portable.

dave,
AB9PM

You are getting good advice and the issue of weight is very true. I have used both types, but I like my Astron the best. However when they handed it to me in the box at the store I almost dropped it, I wasn't expecting that much weight compared to the switching types. If you will ever be moving your rig around place to place and using the supply, get a switching supply, otherwise for quality get an Astron, many people recommended it to me.

dave
AB9pm

I am restricted to a fan dipole on my roof in Wisconsin. My farthest contact to date is Morocco. Swr 1.5:1 or less on 20 and 40 meters. Works great considering its on the roof. Mine is fed with coax since open wire line was picking up too much noise.

Dave AB9PM

"IF" a person uses a mobile antenna, in this case, any vertical mobile antenna for a car while stationary, does anyone know "if" or at what height the antenna could be above the vehicle before the car will not act as a counterpoise or ground plane, or ground at all for the antenna, and its height off the vehicle becomes a detriment to its performance?

Dave
AB9PM

I bought a 17 meter hamstick at the hamfest this morning, and I bought a quad band adapter. With 20 meters on top, 75, 40, and 17 meters laying on its side 2 feet above my van, 40 meter contact to Ohio, 20 meter contact to another mobile in New Mexico, and first call ever on 17 meters Madeira Island (CT3). Saturday morning was (EA8) in the canary Islands. Good thing I didn't buy those inefficient antennas. For under $160, I have a 4 band mobile antenna and all this fun.

Your hypothesis boys doesn't hold water week after week!

73's
Dave
AB9PM

I would like to get my hands on that article, does anyone know what issue that antenna article was in?

Dave
AB9PM

The elevated hamstick thing was ineffective, and raised the resonant frequency. I am curious about these drive on mounts, a single 2x12 with a tire resting on it will hold up about 30 some foot mast from a flange floor mount?

I am surprised I wouldn't expect that to hold much. I was looking at the hardware store I may have to try that idea, it would be cheaper than the idea I had.

Thanks for the ideas.

Dave
AB9PM

Thank you also for the input on the hamstick dipole. I got good results on 20 and 40 meters mobile with mine. I bought today the hookup to my receiver hitch behind the car. This will allow me to mount my 31 foot flag pole off the back of my van. Yes I am considering running that flag pole as a radiator on 40 meters using a top whip antenna as a movable stinger, for tuning for length. We'll see, winter is soon approaching so how much time I have for playing I don't know. I will use a pvc casing of at least 6 maybe 8 feet to protect persons from rf burns. I haven't ruled out a trap vertical, and I was looking on the internet and I think I figured out how to homebrew one with an inductor.

I have been working late all week so tommorrow all I will have time for is to see what happens when I elevate my hamstick. But putting together a 1/4 wave vertical is not out of the question either. I hope finances go good next spring I would like to get a mobile amp and a generator.

73's
AB9PM