10 bands on an 80-6m OCFD with an ICOM 7300 and no external tuner

I recently went out for a POTA activation to try out the N9SAB 80-6m off-center-fed-dipole. I've had great success with his 40-6m OCFD and was able to get 9 bands on it, plus do a 1 Watt SSB POTA activation. The 80-6m OCFD is a lot of wire, but was not difficult to set up. Additionally, this was during the ARRL RTTY Roundup Contest, so in addition to SSB and FT8, I did some RTTY using the built-in features on the ICOM 7300 (no computer). I had a lot of fun and I'm really enjoying using OCFD antennas.

 

I enjoy your videos! Keep up the great work!
73.

 

Thanks, I appreciate it!

 

Looks chilly out there! Brrrr! 73 Lucy

 

Since I operate with the car off, I wear heavy socks to keep my feet warm. And I have gloves for my hands if needed. But those only work for so long and the hands and feet are the first to feel the chill, LOL. It's always fun though.

 

Title is a little misleading, since four bands couldn't be tuned up without switching over to "Emergency" tuner mode...a feature which might not be available in all transceivers. However, my take away is that the "main" bands of 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 were all easily accessible through the 7300's internal tuner, and the rest could easily be obtained if an external tuner of just about any design was employed, allowing 100w usage across the full range. Nice deployment setup with the MFJ telescoping mast; I have a 30 foot Jackite pole in the garage that I could use similarly. Thanks for the video.

 

Actually, it was 80, 40, 20 and 10 meters that had pretty low/flat SWR. The 7300's internal 3:1 tuner could match 12m and 17m. However, 15m, 30m and 60m needed more than just a 3:1 tuner.

I have the "QRP" version of the antenna, which is rated for 50w SSB, 30w CW and 20W digital. I almost bought the 100W version, but I operate portable primarily and wanted something a little lighter, that would put less strain on the mast. If I was going to put an OCFD up at the house, I would definitely opt for 100W though.

Thanks for watching!

 

Definitely a promising antenna... 73 , KD9MGZ

 

An OCF antenna is not meant to be used on bands that it’s not resonant on. Not to mention that there’s usually lots of common mode current on the coax as well.

It’s actually an awful antenna that should only be used if you’re a lazy operator.

 

cheers.. have a nice day enjoy with a cup coffee.. '\(' ',)/'''

 

Definitely! It's great to be able to get 80, 40, 20, 10 and 6m without the need for a tuner. Nearly all the other bands are just a button push away too.

 

I find these are an effective antenna for most of 80, 40 and 20 meters, that's about it. I had one installed flat top at 60ft and found it quite ineffective on 10 and 6 meters for obvious reasons, it's too long. It may tune up buts it a very inefficient radiator anything higher that 20 meters. Then you have common mode to deal with. It just wasn't for me. Live and learn.

 

I plan on using mine mostly for late shift POTA activations on 80-30m. It's nice to have the options for higher bands if desired, but I definitely wouldn't expect them to perform as well.

 

I'd have to beg to differ. I run an OCFD at the QTH with an IC-7300 and recently started my CW journey. In just a couple months working SKCC, I managed to achieve the grand-sweep. That's every US state, US territory, and each continent, except the Artica's of course. Seems to be a fine antenna to me.
de WZ3J