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Fan Vertical Antenna

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by VK6FLAB, Jan 11, 2019.

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  1. VP8CWQ

    VP8CWQ Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Many, many years ago, while on St Helena, I worked someone in the Marshall Islands on 20m Using a 10-20-40 version of this (horizontal) design, as I recall 59 both ways on 100 Watts, pretty much on the opposite side of the world. Mind you propagation was a lot better back then.....
     
  2. W1YW

    W1YW Ham Member QRZ Page

    I can vouch for it: Chuck (W1HIS)lives about 1/2 mile from me, and gets out extremely well with this. I have not built it.

    Chuck is a retired MIT prof and knows his stuff.

    There's lots of great antenna designs that hams have ignored (and shouldn't have). This is one of them.

    73
    Chip W1YW
     
    AK5B likes this.
  3. KR3DX

    KR3DX Ham Member QRZ Page

    The radials need to be between the coax and the antenna, in order to minimize common mode current on the feedline. The drawing in post #96 shows the feedline above the radials, and it depicts a very poor installation.
     
    AK5B likes this.
  4. W4HM

    W4HM XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    My grandfather had one of those large soldering irons. He taught me how to use it on large diameter wire such as #10 stranded.

    Fond memories.
     
  5. W1YW

    W1YW Ham Member QRZ Page

    And yet...

    You didn't manage to burn a hole in your hand;-)
     
    AK5B and W4HM like this.
  6. M6ENP

    M6ENP XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    try a dx commander, Callum M0MCX seems to have mastered the art of a fan dipole vertical, you can even put 80m on one of his products, he ships virtually everywhere from the UK :)
    he also has a very active and informative youtube channel(subscriber here)
     
    AK5B likes this.
  7. KB8DNQ

    KB8DNQ Ham Member QRZ Page

    Check out the DX Commander made by M0MCX. Its similar
     
  8. KO5V

    KO5V XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    I have this picture on my laptop as one of the background images. Several times during my career, I was involved in some "PR" pictures (not my choice...). The people in charge of the shoot would always ask for some kind of idiotic action from the people that were in the frame with whatever piece of equipment was being photographed. Whenever I was involved with a project, I was usually chosen to be in the picture - probably because I'm tall, and I must I look a bit "scientific" in a lab coat.

    A photographer once asked me to make "some kind of adjustment" to a large laser amplifier. I told him that wasn't ever done once one was installed and operational, so he pointed to a large knurled knob that clamped the amplifier's chassis to a common grounding braid. I told him that was a stupid thing to do, but he insisted, so I did it. For years afterward, I would occasionally get a call from one of the facility's techs asking me if I could come over and demonstrate the correct grounding-point adjustment procedure to a new technician. I sent this photo to the guys that made fun of my picture.

    I imagine this was a PR shot, using some student or attractive non-technical worker from the same facility. They wanted her "doing something", and none who were involved understood how anything works. The engagement ring is also a potential hazard, but at least she's wearing her safety glasses!
     
    W1YW, AK5B, NN4RH and 2 others like this.
  9. NT5A

    NT5A Ham Member QRZ Page

    I like this design, but if a 102" whip is going to reach to 32/33 feet for 40m, it seems like the pole itself must be about 25'. It needs another "arm" to support 30m. I built a similar antenna which was in QST a couple years ago out of a 16' fishing pole. It is designed to be portable. It worked very well as I worked all states from Park City UT in one week, and also bagged Antarctica for the first time. I did modify the QST design by breaking the 20m center section with a jumper so that I could pull the jumper and plug in coils which allowed it to resonate on 30, 40, or 80. 30 and 40 worked ok, not so much on 80 though I did get it to resonate and load. It was ground mounted and had 2 radials cut to each band spread out across the lawn. Remember, with any vertical, you must have radials for the thing to work well. Opinions vary, but I'd start with 16 or so, cut as long as will fit in the yard, or to 1/4 wavelength on the lowest band - whichever is shorter. I doubt that you would notice the difference with more radials, though the math says more are better.
     
  10. AK5B

    AK5B XML Subscriber QRZ Page

    You mean he's mastered the art of building a "fan ground plane" not "fan dipole vertical"---there's a big difference!

    I agree otherwise 100%---Callum rocks!
     
    KC9WUV likes this.
  11. KC9WUV

    KC9WUV Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    Dx Commander works great
     
    AK5B likes this.
  12. W1YW

    W1YW Ham Member QRZ Page

    A fan dipole is not news.

    The 'DX Commander' is a commercial embodiment of the ancient antenna design. Pointing this out is also not news.
     
    WN1MB likes this.
  13. KC9WUV

    KC9WUV Premium Subscriber QRZ Page

    I never meant to imply that it was . Callum has put tougher a complete kit that works well is all . The math is all done , the materials are first class. For the money , its a great kit . By the time you source all the stuff and all involved, its a deal as my time is limited .
     
    AK5B likes this.
  14. WN1MB

    WN1MB Ham Member QRZ Page

    Pointing it out is an advert.
     
    AK5B likes this.
  15. M0MCX

    M0MCX Ham Member QRZ Page

    Hi, it's ME! The only reason I created this "DX Commander" product was because I had this problem (like we all do) in how to achieve multi-band performance in an economic package. Actually, I never created the product to be a commercial product. I just kept making prototypes for all my friends. Then when that because too much, I had all the components cut on a waterjet. This is purely an accidental product! But I really do encourage people to make their own. Many have done so.

    Actually, I have just come up with an idea of "hanging" a fan vertical (nest of verticals?) from a tree, using the 40m element as the "hanger" and using some plastic chipping board plates as the spreaders and then pinning the base down to the earth to stop it flapping about. Hell, you could do that for pennies.

    I'm one of those people who go into a DIY / Self Build store and start converting all the building products into antennas in my head. Copper pipe, plastic pipe, step ladders, painting poles.. I know I'm not the only one!
     
    K5QBF, G1WZM, WN1MB and 3 others like this.

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