And it works for me!
Used the D ring that was on the side facing the tree not the shed – grand daughter didn’t want to hang off the side of the ladder to get to the shed side of the mast to add another D ring – I tried the old “no guts – no glory” thing with her – she asked if I was going to do it myself and that was a simple no – so we used the existing D ring and just came around the mast with the wire.
Used 2×4 blocking between the studs – secured with construction adhesive construction decking type screws – screwed to each other then in from the right side and toe nailed with 3 1/2 inch deck screws – don’t think the blocks will fall out – then smeared silicone on the 3 1/2 inch screws holding the mounts on – it’s quite stout . . .
This next pic gives you an idea of the bow I left in it – it was installed in full sunlight and it was warm out – so there should be enough bow at 29 below zero / 70 mph winds / 6 inches of snow per hour – or your typical winter day here – LMAO!
And there is the tree where Plan A was was originally going – which would have ended up at about 57 feet instead of the roughly 33 feet it ended up at . . .
That’s all well and good Bruce – but does it work? Yes it works quite well – here’s a couple of HAMS on 40 meters this morning – the second one is a mobile . . .
Dug the grundig satellit 800 out of storage to try the wire – it’s the only thing I’ve got with an SO239 connector on it. I’ve got some connectors / adapters coming and a switch or two so I will be able to go back and forth between the antennas without screwing/unscrewing coax – THAT is a pain!
The immediate take away?? Random wires work – they always have and they always will. There will always be noise issues with them – grounding is your number one tool in the box to fight noise . . .
The ground post on the Unun – which is common to the outside or shielding braid on the coax – goes to a #6 solid and down to a grounding rod . . .
That #6 solid grounds the Unun and coax sheilding – and rotator / mast assembly – the second clamp takes a #6 solid around to the entry box . . .
Where a second ground rod is in place where it helps equalize the electrical potential at both ends of the coax shielding – and a second #6 solid runs into the entrance box and . . .
Provides grounding for the surge protectors – and – a ground for the entrance end of the coax as well as surge protection for the rotator control cable and a #6 solid into the radio room for grounding of radios and equipment as well as one more grounding point for shielding on coax . . .
Here are 2 clips of Trenton VOLMET – roughly 1020 miles east – first one is the 800 on the wire antenna . . . ( you can read about VOLMET HERE )
This second one is the loop and SDR . . .
( i sure need to get better speakers for the computer )
Now this video has an almost too narrow a focus on transmitting as for what we are doing here – there are some good points made in it – what the 9:1 Unun does for receive is makes your random wire “sweeter” across more frequencies – your radio likes what it sees across the bands – remember your receiving not transmitting! . . .
So Bruce . . . is the wire antenna worth the effort for you? A.M. broadcast band – 540khz and up – won’t make a lot of difference – A loop will more likely out perform it and the wire antenna is generally a little noisier – BUT – when you start creeping around 25khz up to about 300khz it should out perform the loop. If you are not wanting to hear “stuff” in the basement so to speak – use a loop – BUT – if you want an inexpensive setup to hear “stuff ” – a wire antenna is hard to beat – BUT – ( you knew there was another one coming didn’t you? – LOL! ) if you want to go creeping through the weeds trying to find something really obscure ( and not EXTREMELY LOW frequency ) the loop and the Low Noise Amplifer is hard to beat – I can go back and forth like this all day – just saying . . .
I keep telling myself Short Wave Listening is only a hobby – it’s only a hobby – it’s only a hobby – after 61 years of it I have come to the conclusion that for me it “might” be a serious hobby – LMAO!
Have Fun! – Run the Gun! – and remember – Fish Heads are Cheap!!
Guns, Fun, Food and More 