In my opinion, Haako is the best, when in a heavy-use environment. I also like Wellers--I bought a used one at a vo-tech auction, and it has performed flawlessly. I still use it routinely at work.  I can also vouch for the CSI models (http://www.circuitspecialists.com/solder-stations). I bought four of them for our high school robotics club and used them in physics class as well. For a low-dollar station, I can recommend them. You might also consider getting a variety of tips when you purchase the iron. Finally, if you are only doing a few solder joints at a time, a battery operated soldering iron might work for you. I used a Wahl when they first came out about forty years ago or so. They only heat up when you press the button, and they have a little spotlight to illuminate the work area. they are really handy for small projects and for portable (outdoor) work.
GL

I once had a doctor explain that he was asked by a patient, "What can I do about my IBS?"

The doctor said "I really can't tell until I have results from a CBA test, with pHi results, and a D2BL with an ILS panel.

The patient asked "I'm sorry, but what does all that mean?"

The doctor replied, "I don't know. What do you mean by 'IBS?"

The term "balun" is a shortened version of BALanced to UNbalanced, and is generally used between a balanced antenna system (e.g. a dipole), and an unbalanced transmission line feeder (such as coax). It can also be used to define the condition of a balanced feeder (twin lead) to an unbalanced antenna (off-center-fed antenna, end-fed half-wave antennas, and [usually] verticals).

An "unun" (UNbalanced-to-UNbalanced) transformer is usually used to match an unbalanced (coax) feeder to an unbalanced antenna.

Nevertheless, it's hard to answer your question with a correct answer. Your 40-meter vertical should be fed with a 1:1 unun, but for use on other bands you may need a different kind of transformation. One approach is to use a tapped transformer so that you can change the impedance ratio with a switch. You can then tune the antenna to a wide range of input impedances. You might find information on these types of ununs by searching for "ununs," "multimatch ununs," "5-ratio ununs," and "10-ratio ununs."  If you can find a book on the subject by Doug DeMaw or Jerry Sevick, all the better. GL

I, too, am at a loss. CP means "control panel"? Or, are you thinking something like a "confidential-private" reply?

A good rule-of-thumb, for everyone, is to define an acronym or initialization in its first use, then use it alone in later references. (Does LOL mean "laugh out loud" or "lots of love" or something entirely different? We can't know for sure unless it's defined.

BTW (e.g. by the way), you should identify yourself either as a General (which you are in the Call Search data base) or a Technician, but not both.

GL in finding your answer (GL, as sent in CW means "good luck," and CW means "continuous wave," the method used to send Morse code. (CW as "Country & Western is a whole 'nother topic).

Charles Kitchin has done a lot of good experimentation on regenerative receivers. Take a look at some of his designs.

The standard formula is: Percent of power reflected equals 100 times the reflection coefficient, ρ, squared; and reflection coefficient is determined by (SWR-1)/(SWR+1)

Solving for 1.4; 100 x ((1.4-1)/(1.4+1))²  becomes: 100 x (.4/2.4)²,  which is: 100 x (0.166667)²; which equals 2.7777777%

I hope this helps.

To put it in perspective, a 1.4:1 SWR means that only 2.78 percent of the forward power is being reflected. According to the conjugate match theorem, it will be rereflected from the transmitter back to the antenna, so better than 99% of the power makes it to the antenna (except that which is lost to transmission line attenuation).

An antenna tuner is usually used to lower the SWR the radio experiences; the SWR on the line from the radio to the tuner can be lowered to 1:1 by the tuner, but if you put an SWR meter at the tuner's output, you'd see you still have the 1.4 SWR, and very close to the same losses.  In other words, a tuner won't change that 99% to 100%. In fact, some would argue, the tuner itself attenuates power, and you may end up worse off than by not using a tuner.

I would have recommended 30 meters, until I read the part about SSB. Personally, I like 40, but at times 20 is a better choice.  You have to look at the time of day you intend to operate, and the kinds of stations you (local or DX) you would like to work. Study up on propagation factors, throw in your own operating habits, and one of the two bands will clearly present itself.

Use your current gear and see which you are using the most. Whichever it is, go for that one.

Or, better yet, buy both radios and put them into the same chassis. It's been done before.

Also take a look at the radios being offered by Hendricks QRP kits. You might even save a few bucks and get quality to boot. Check www.qrpkits.com for the MMR-40 kit and the BitX 20 (or 17) SSB/CW kit. The manuals and schematics are posted online for your perusal.

Good luck and have fun. Stew

I doubt that you'll need a calculator--you already have the questions and answers, so you won't really have to "crunch numbers" at all!  If you feel comfortable with one, take something like a TI-30X non-programmable scientific calculator and you'll be fine.

I taught physics and chemistry at an inner-city charter school for a number of years, and bought maybe 50 of Dollar Tree's $1 scientific calculators as give-away, walk-away calculators for the classroom (actually, very few ever walked away). I was impressed with their power (they could do more than the TI-30 that many students were using). I really liked the fact that they could go from rectangular to polar and back again, could do statistics and standard deviations, engineering and scientific notation, trig, factorials, pseudo-random numbers, and tons more. The instruction sheet was minimal but, for a dollar, they were the best calculator bargain I've ever seen.

So, you might not need a calculator to take your ham test, but one sure comes in handy if you ever get into radio engineering around the shack. The Dollar Tree model is truly a bargain. GL

Stainless is a good choice, and I'd shop for the hardware at a marine supply store (if it can hold up on a saltwater vessel, it should hold up as well on an antenna). However, I would recommend sealing the connections after you make them--to keep them mechanically tight and to minimize galvanic corrosion.

You can solder to aluminum, but it takes a bit more heat than a lightweight soldering iron can provide. What you need to do is scrape away the surface oxide in order to get the solder to stick to the aluminum--trouble is, oxide forms almost immediately! One way around this is to put some light machine oil on the place you want to solder, then scrape or sandpaper it so that the oil remains to block out air. Next apply a little flux to the area, then heat with a hot iron or torch until it's hot enough to melt the solder.

There's also something called "aluminum brazing rod," an aluminum alloy that melts at a lower temperature than most construction aluminum. You might be able to use it to "solder" copper to aluminum as well. GL

The antenna you describe is a dipole, if I'm getting the picture right. By "...put the center half on a tree/mast..." I assume you mean the inner half of each leg will be elevated and the outer half hanging down. It will work, probably reasonably well, but not as well as a full dipole up high from tip to tip.  Dipole antennas have most of their radiation coming from their center portions, so you should be in good shape.

The antenna you describe is common for folks who don't have enough room for a full length dipole. Try to make the elevated part as long as possible until you run out of room, then let the ends droop or bend toward another direction. Remember, the ends of a dipole are the high-voltage points, and can be very dangerous to a passerby who might accidentally touch it; and if the ends touch the ground, they may arc and could start a fire in dry grass or other debris--and cause havoc with SWR. If you can bend the ends of the antenna so that it looks like a "Z" in a bird's-eye view, and keep the ends at least eight feet above the ground, you have a valid "bent" dipole.

The suggestion about getting a good antenna book is very worthwhile. Some hams in your situation will add loading coils where appropriate in order to shorten the antenna's overall length. The ARRL Antenna Book has a section on short antennas that can help you determine the placement and value of the loading coils, and efficiency and loading for the antenna.

By the way, you will probably find that you can get broader bandwidth on 80-meters if you use 75Ω coax rather than 50Ω.

(An inverted L antenna is a quarter-wave vertical antenna that is fed at its base and has its top portion bent more-or-less parallel to the ground). GL

Before you seal it, do two things first:

1) Check to see if there is there a small hole in the other traps? If so, the hole may be a drain hole for any condensation that may collect inside the trap.  Unless the trap is completely sealed, and filled with a dry atmosphere, water will condense on the inside walls of the trap. For an antenna like yours, the drain hole should be aligned with the bottom of the trap and on the end that is furthest from the beam.

2) Disassemble the trap, if possible, to see what damage may be inside. Quite frequently, small spiders will get inside and, provided there is enough food for them, they become big spiders and spin webs that to collect more food. If you seal the drain hole, and there's a lot of debris still in the trap, things will only get worse.  While it's disassembled, check all connections and clean the coil and capacitor. If you decide to inspect all traps, make sure you identify which trap is which and on which element it goes so you can put them all back where they belong. GL

It could be coronal discharge; check out these YouTube videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWJPA4WdXXA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL4UdLZ1mNc

Or it could be St. Elmo's fire, either from precipitation static (which you should have heard) or from an electrically-charged cloud overhead.

A metal ball on the end of the elements might prevent arcing; the larger the better (some high-power mobile ops in days of olde used copper toilet floats. Nowadays they all seem to be made of plastic).

Take K1CJS's advice about the electrical panel. You might also consider having the electrician put in a surge protector at the entrance panel.

Since you suspect a bolt of lightning may have hit the antenna, I would definitely take it down for a visual and electrical inspection, and an inspection of the coax as well.  I've seen lightning-struck coax that looks fine at the base, but had the shield vaporized at the antenna end!  Since the antenna has been up close to five years or more, it is probably overdue an inspection anyway (you know, clean the connections, check the hardware, replace the coax if necessary, and check the weatherproofing seals).

Harbor Freight has a simple digital multimeter, usually on sale for $3 or $4, that shouldn't break the bank.  It will help you verify continuity in your coax and antenna. GL

I guess I'm not keeping up with technology! I know what induction is, but what are induction coils for antennas?  I'm more familiar with loading coils, matching coils, choke coils and tuning coils. What is it that induction coils are suppose to do?

Added: After rereading your description of these induction coils, I think you are referring to baluns. Balun, a contraction of "balanced-unbalanced," are special transformers used to match unbalanced transmission line (e.g. coax) to balanced antennas (typically, dipoles). They can also be used to match balanced transmission line, so-called ladder line, to unbalanced antennas, such as your verticals. If you want to use coax with an unbalanced antenna, such as your vertical, the transformer is called an unun (for unbalanced-unbalanced).

The Cebik antenna site (www.cebik.com) has a good discussion on baluns, ununs, and other antenna transformers, and a search of eHam should turn up various articles about their construction and use. You can also google the terms and find numerous more discussions. Jerry Sevick and Doug DeMaw have written books describing them, and there is also a good discussion in the ARRL Handbook and Antenna Book.

I hope I interpreted your question correctly. Good luck.