Sorry I forgot to mention that. With the homeowner's association we are not permitted to have exterior antennas. Also all of my utilities are below ground so I know its not from a power pole outside.

I recently installed a G5RV Jr in my condo attic to get back on the HF bands. I am running a Yaesu FT-857D with a YT-100 tuner. Because my shack is on the second floor of my home I did not ground the rig or tuner. With my antenna connected I normally have s7-s8 noise levels on 20 meters. When I disconnect my antenna feedline the S level drops to S1. I knew installing an attic antenna would give me some noise due to the fact that there are AC lines under the insulation in the attic. Is there anything I can do to help reduce the noise besides use the noise blanker and DSP? I thought maybe installing the 2.3 khz SSB filter to help a little bit. Any ideas or tricks would be appreciated.

73
Brian
K3BAK/AE

Thanks for the replies. I was just concerned more so about the lightning protection aspect as well as reducing static if possible. I figured being in the attic it would be safe from lightning. But I always hear how important grounds are so I was just checking with the elmers

73

Hello. I have been out of amateur radio for a few years now and am now studying for my extra exam and finally got my shack back up and running. I currently have a Yaesu FT-857D with a LDG YT-100 connected to a G5RV Jr. antenna that is located in my attic on a sort of inverted/sloped V shape. All of my SWR has been less than 2:1 with the tuner and I am very happy with that considering the antenna location. I also have a Diamond X30A UHF/VHF antenna in the attic as well.

I live in a condo and am unable to use antennas outside, this is why I have the attic farm. Im hoping for some ideas to assist me in grounding my setup. There is very little metal in the attic, just a few vent pipes, and getting a ground wire to the actual ground is out of the question. I did not use any type of ground at my old house but I figure if it is possible to get something up and running here it can do nothing but help my situation. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

73
Brian
K3BAK (Formerly KB3DSC)

I was wondering if anyone uses or has any advice about using a G5RV Jr in an attic space? I live in a townhouse and am not allowed to have exterior antennas due to the home owner's association rules. My attic is roughly 29' by 22' and approximately 7-8 feet high. I run a Yaesu FT-857d with a LDG YT-100 tuner. Any input would be appreciated since I no longer have my buddipole to set up on the deck.

Thanks

Brian
KB3DSC

Hello. I have had my FT-7800 installed in my vehicle for several years now. The radio is mounted under the passenger seat and wired directly to the battery via in line fuses. The head is remote mounted in the center console and I have an on the glass antenna.

The other day I turned it on and it froze on a channel and would not allow me to scan, transmit, change the channel or change the volume. The radio then began to turn itself off when it was on. I disconnected the radio from the antenna, remote kit, and power supply. Took it inside and used it with a DC power supply. Everything worked fine. I reinstalled it in my vehicle and it worked fine for about a week. Once again it started freezing on a channel, occasionally would not turn on, and when it did turn on it would shut itself down.

I do not know what  the issue is. I don't think its a power problem as when it turns on its still showing the correct DC and I have used a meter on the power lines. I used the remote mount wire in my house just to see if the wiring was the issue and it appeared to work fine. If anyone has any ideas or similar experiences please help me out.

Thanks

Brian

I have recently moved to a new house. The homeowner's association does not allow any external antennas. My attic space is somewhat limited. It's kind of hard to access but I was able to install my Buddipole Deluxe on a sheet of plywood. I have it set for the 20 meter band. The swr is 1.2-1 so I was happy with that. Has anyone had any success with this type of set-up? Or does anyone have any other ideas for me to get back on the Hf bands? I was thinking of setting the antenna to the 40 meter set-up and install a LDG tuner to try and tune the buddipole from 10-40 meters. Any input would be extremely appreciated.

73

Hello all. I recently purchased an end-fedz 20 meter antenna. I have a buddipole deluxe but I wanted to put up a single band antenna for the winter so i didnt have to keep running in and out of the house setting it up. I live in a townhouse and am a little restricted for antennas. I do have some trees in the backyard, however, power lines run through them. Has anyone used an end-fedz as a vertical? My townhouse is 3 stories tall and wood sided. I figured i could tie it off high outside my window and run it to the basement where my shack is set up. I may be able to get the antenna in a low part of the tree and try for a sloper but not sure if that would be any better than the vertical. any ideas would be helpful.

Hello all. I have an Icom 718 HF Rig with a Buddipole Deluxe antenna system. I live in an townhouse so that was my best option for getting on the air. With the weather getting cooler now its hard for me to put the antenna up, adjust it, take it down, etc. with out cause too much grief. I am looking for some ideas on a home brew or commerically sold HF Receive only antenna. I should be able to get a wire outside without too many problems. Any ideas would be appreciated.

I didnt choose the radio for emergency use. Its main purpose is for the home shack. But i'd like to try and use it when we go to camp, since it will be about 12oo feet higher than where we are now, and a lot clearer.

I am looking for a portable battery supply for my IC-718. I mainly want something for emergency use, or when we go to camp. I have a Husky hsk012hd jump pack. It says it is 12VDC and 400 instant amps. I would like to use this as a power supply if possible because it is easily recharged. If not I would be willing to buy a RV battery. I am new to the portable game so any input would be helpful.

Thanks

Brian
KB3DSC

Received the parts. Thanks for the replies

I appreciate everyones concerns on my financial status. I was merely inquiring if I would be able to use that book or not.

Anyone have choose the Gordon West books over the ARRL manuals? I read the newest General book cover to cover and it seems dry and doesn;t really go deep into explinations like my tech book did.

I just purchased a 2008 Nissan Xterra and removed the ft-7800r from my other vehicle. I installed an on the glass antenna on the read side window. In the trunk area of the vehicle is a 10 amp cigarette plug. My question is can I run the FT-7800R from the DC cigarette plug? or do I need to run it through the battery? I'd much rather use a lot less wiring and not need to take the vehicle apart to install it. The radio specs say it draws 8.5 amps TX power so I figured it would be ok, but just wanted to check with others to see what they thought.



Thanks



Brian

I took the Tech test in 1999, so my license is set to expire soon. I have a lot more free time now adays and was going to study for my general. The question I have is how much difference in the ARRL General Class book Fifth and Sixth editions? I purchased the 5th edition a few years back and it said it was for tests as of July 2004. Should I just purchase the 6th edition and study from there instead?