George,

Thank you.  I'm sure I speak for the community when I say that we appreciate what the team does to keep the site running.

Bob, K0BT

eHam is intermittently slow to respond.  The site response was fine at 1800z but at around 1820 and continuing now it is extremely slow.  Opening a classified ad took 23 seconds.  Opening this forum, about 20 seconds.  Getting to the point where I could enter a new topic took 58 seconds from when I clicked on the link.  All sections of the site appear to be affected.

This happened last night as well.  This will go on for several minutes and then the site will begin responding normally for a while. During the times when the eHam web site is slow, all other web sites that I access are responding normally.

Thanks,
Bob

Note: As of 1829z (the time it took me to post this) the site is now responding normally again.

Sean,

PM me with your address and I'll mail you a connector.  I've had a used one in my junk box for years and don't need it.

Bob
K0BT

I put down 60 radials under a 6BTV.  It's probably overkill but when I accidentally snag and break one, I have plenty left...   30-32 radials is a good number and 16 is probably the absolute minimum.  I've always thought the more radials the better, but a series of articles in QEX by N6LF seems to indicate there is little performance gained beyond 32 radials.  I made each radial 55' long but others report good results using shorter radials.  If you are short on space, put down what you can make fit.  

Mount the antenna close to the ground.  THHN will work just fine.  Don's suggestion about using staples and letting the grass roots capture the wire is a really good tip. Here in the desert we either have to bury them a half inch or so or live with the radials exposed.

DX Engineering has a good set of instructions and hints on their web site for the Hustler antennas, including details on mounting and tuning.  Look under the technical documentation section.  I used their radial plate and tilt-over mount and am happy with both.  I have no affiliation with them, I just like their stuff.  

An antenna analyzer is a big help for tuning.  The MFJ-259b is pretty popular but there are a lot of others on the market.  You might see if someone local has one you can borrow.

Bob

The problem appears to be with the eHam web site.  Other sites load quickly.  eHam takes 30-60 seconds to load after clicking on any link.  It happened this morning and is happening again now at 0622 UTC.

I use the DX Engineering tilt base with a 6BTV and replace the bolts about once a year. It's usually because I get careless or am in a hurry. If you don't lift the antenna and seat the bolts into the offset slot, and if you don't maintain upward force on the antenna while tilting it, it is very easy to bind things up and bend the bolts.  

I like having the tilt base, even if I sometimes mess up. It works pretty well when I'm careful to use the right technique. I raise and lower the antenna several times a week during monsoon season because those big desert thunderstorms can be pretty exciting.

I am going to try the antenna.  I have enough W7FG ladder line to feed it, which should help minimize feedline losses. I'll post back in two or three weeks with the results.  I have to build PVC stand-offs to bring the ladder line over the parapet walls of my flat-roofed house, so this will take a bit longer than it would if I used coax.

I appreciate all of the comments. I learn a lot here.

Bob, K0BT

Here in the Phoenix area, we are a bit limited when it comes to trees and we have extremely poor soil conditions.  My house sits on a 1+ acre lot with a large shop 120 feet behind it. My primary antenna is a 6BTV with a very good radial field. It works well on frequencies from 40M to 10M and on a narrow slice of 75M, but I would at least like to operate (at least locally) on 160M and 80M. I can string a 246' long 160M dipole from building to building, sloping down a bit on the final 30 feet at either end, but I can only get it about 20-25 feet above ground. I could feed it with 600 ohm ladder line and use my MFJ-989D to tune it for other bands.  

Modelling shows that a dipole this low is certain to be a cloud warmer on both 160M and 80M but practical experience will sometimes trump modeling.

My question.  Am I wasting time stringing the wire for a 160M antenna this low?  My thinking is that any signal is better than no signal and that I need to operate with what I have available to me. Can  anyone speak from practical experience about this?

Thanks,
Bob, K0BT

I had the problem and didn't realize Kenwood would fix it, but it only cost $22 to replace all four filters.  The symptom in mine was loud crackling noises that sounded just like lightning interference, even with the antenna disconnected.  The noise occurred on all bands. On the USA versions, the SUB receiver has one filter, so listen to it, too.  Some people report that it happens after the radio has been on a while but on mine it started abruptly and would happen as soon as the radio was turned on.

K2DSL has an excellent write-up about this.  Google "K2DSK TS-2000 Receiver" and the first result is a .pdf file with a full description of the problem and the procedure to fix it.

That is a very good price for the radio.

Phil,

I started a thread a couple of months ago because I owned a TS-2000 and had just bought a TS-590S.  To me, both rigs sounded about the same on HF and I wanted to know what the big deal was about the TS-590S.

I've learned a bit since then.  (In other words, I read the manual and learned how to use the radio...)  I now know for a fact that the TS-590 receiver is superior to the TS-2000.  This is especially true when the bands are crowded.  The biggest difference to me is in the fatigue factor.  The DSP in the TS-590 really is better.  The noise reduction actually works and you can eliminate an amazing amount of hiss and pulse interference without affecting the intelligibility of the received signal. The DSP filters also work well. A few days ago on a 40M net I could still hear the other participants even with strong signals 2KHz on either side of the net frequency.  It was still not a happy situation, but with the TS-2K I could not have heard the net.

For the small difference in price, I would go with the TS-590S.  The only reason to buy a TS-2000 is if you enjoy VHF/UHF SSB or do satellite work and want/need to only own one radio.

Just my two cents worth.  

Bob, K0BT

If I understand this correctly, there is still a single carrier.  The sideband distribution is equal on both sides of the carrier, with the upper sidebands 180 degrees out of phase with the lower.

Nope, not guilt by association.  Just curious so thought I'd ask rather than wonder why you're so passionate about this one subject.  Chameleon obviously has a loyal following with passionate supporters. That doesn't, however, replace the need for objective information when discussing antennas.

It's good to be skeptical if you can avoid becoming jaded. The scientific method demands it. 

Hypothesis:  Chameleon has a superior product in the EMCOMM2 antenna.  Seems like the commentators are testing that hypothesis. I'm enjoying the debate.  I just like to know who is debating and whether or not they are objective.

I have no skin in this game and have objectively (I hope) read all the posts.  With that said, I have a question.

ROB1955 - Are you affiliated with Chameleon?  Your only other posts since 2009 were in a discussion in this forum entitled "W3EDP antenna" in which you also defended the Chameleon brand.

It was odd how you jumped into the discussion with the "bashing" comments.  It poisoned the discussion and  seemed to be an attempt to divert readers from thinking about the simple fact that 60 feet of wire is 60 feet of wire.  Add a resistor or a matching network to it and it is still 60 feet of wire.  End feeding 60 feet of wire with a tuner/resistor/transformer will make your radio happy, but it's still an end-fed 60 foot length of wire.

I'm sure not bashing the antenna. The company is obviously doing something right to have so many vocal supporters. From some of the comments, it's 60 feet of very nice wire that is packaged and marketed very well.

The paste solder in syringes (tiny balls of solder in paste for surface mount) has about a 6-month shelf life.  That's what the sellers claim but the stuff really becomes unworkable after maybe 3 or 4 months even if kept refrigerated.  Others have already commented that the old tins of rosin paste seem to last forever.  Mine has to be 20 years old and is still fine.

I like the Astron 35 amp supplies. They are reliable, quiet, have crowbar protection to save expensive radios, and are easy to repair in the rare instance something does go wrong. They are not as efficient as a switcher but they sure do last.