WT0N
10-23-2011, 07:18 PM
Well - the bug has bitten again and it's time to get back on HF. I live on the third floor of a university dorm and would really like to get back on 20 and 40. Antennas aren't technically allowed - but since when has that stopped a ham? Here is a view of the building:
http://maps.google.com/?ll=40.006793,-105.265739&spn=0.011242,0.026157&hnear=Aden+Hall,+Boulder,+Colorado+80302&t=m&z=16&vpsrc=0&layer=c&cbll=40.006927,-105.265733&panoid=wVftZP8tm6A3aF7Qr1nSYw&cbp=12,97.68,,0,6.5
(note the image splicing issue about where the guy is walking)
I was thinking of maybe concealing a dipole under the eaves along the building and just get a couple residents to toss a rope out the window and haul the ends of the dipole up to secure above the third floor windows. The rain gutters are metal; I'm not sure how this would affect performance. Another option may be to sand a little paint off the gutter and try to load them, but I don't know how successful this would be. A random length long wire could also be discretely strung between the window and the trees at right.
The most audacious option would be stringing a serious amount of wire in the attic, figuring out where my closet is from the attic catwalk (which runs along the bottom chord of the roof trusses), and drilling a discrete hole to drop a feedline (while avoiding the asbestos). I'm a resident adviser in the hall - so I can probably get my hands on the maintenance key to the attic if I ask nicely enough - but I don't know if there would be enough of a performance increase to warrant the extra work (technically there are three doors with different locks between me and the attic space, but usually only one is locked). The roof is pretty substantial and there might be a lot of attenuation on the signal.
Another large concern is the electrically noisy environment and RFI I cause on the wealth of sound systems and other poorly shielded electronics. All lighting is fluorescent - when I strung a random wire along a similar dorm I lived in a couple years ago (it was the bottom floor) the noise level was S8 to S9 and I caused a lot of RFI on poorly shielded stereos. I can always operate CW or PSK and keep the power output low - but that doesn't help noise on the receiver.
If this situation looks too difficult to deal with, I might be able to get my hands on the 8th floor conference room with attached patio in the Engineering Center: http://maps.google.com/?ll=40.007134,-105.263318&spn=0.000707,0.001635&hnear=Aden+Hall,+Boulder,+Colorado+80302&t=h&z=20&vpsrc=6
(just left and below the fan units in the tower)
The advantage would be height and not much interference, but any type of antenna would have to be pretty simple. (Maybe a wire over the side, or a dipole along the edge).
Anyway - I'd really like to get back on the air and would appreciate any advice. I could always just go 100% portable and find some spot in the mountains, but it would be great just to get on the air in the dorm. I don't need anything too fancy, but some stateside HF and the occasional DX QSO would be great. :)
Mike - WT0N
http://maps.google.com/?ll=40.006793,-105.265739&spn=0.011242,0.026157&hnear=Aden+Hall,+Boulder,+Colorado+80302&t=m&z=16&vpsrc=0&layer=c&cbll=40.006927,-105.265733&panoid=wVftZP8tm6A3aF7Qr1nSYw&cbp=12,97.68,,0,6.5
(note the image splicing issue about where the guy is walking)
I was thinking of maybe concealing a dipole under the eaves along the building and just get a couple residents to toss a rope out the window and haul the ends of the dipole up to secure above the third floor windows. The rain gutters are metal; I'm not sure how this would affect performance. Another option may be to sand a little paint off the gutter and try to load them, but I don't know how successful this would be. A random length long wire could also be discretely strung between the window and the trees at right.
The most audacious option would be stringing a serious amount of wire in the attic, figuring out where my closet is from the attic catwalk (which runs along the bottom chord of the roof trusses), and drilling a discrete hole to drop a feedline (while avoiding the asbestos). I'm a resident adviser in the hall - so I can probably get my hands on the maintenance key to the attic if I ask nicely enough - but I don't know if there would be enough of a performance increase to warrant the extra work (technically there are three doors with different locks between me and the attic space, but usually only one is locked). The roof is pretty substantial and there might be a lot of attenuation on the signal.
Another large concern is the electrically noisy environment and RFI I cause on the wealth of sound systems and other poorly shielded electronics. All lighting is fluorescent - when I strung a random wire along a similar dorm I lived in a couple years ago (it was the bottom floor) the noise level was S8 to S9 and I caused a lot of RFI on poorly shielded stereos. I can always operate CW or PSK and keep the power output low - but that doesn't help noise on the receiver.
If this situation looks too difficult to deal with, I might be able to get my hands on the 8th floor conference room with attached patio in the Engineering Center: http://maps.google.com/?ll=40.007134,-105.263318&spn=0.000707,0.001635&hnear=Aden+Hall,+Boulder,+Colorado+80302&t=h&z=20&vpsrc=6
(just left and below the fan units in the tower)
The advantage would be height and not much interference, but any type of antenna would have to be pretty simple. (Maybe a wire over the side, or a dipole along the edge).
Anyway - I'd really like to get back on the air and would appreciate any advice. I could always just go 100% portable and find some spot in the mountains, but it would be great just to get on the air in the dorm. I don't need anything too fancy, but some stateside HF and the occasional DX QSO would be great. :)
Mike - WT0N
