Starting my antenna project...

[WB2WIK]

You cannot use guy "wires" on this antenna, at all. They need to be ropes.

Hustler does mention in their assembly instructions that guy ropes are required. If you go through the million-page DX Engineering instructions (which I think are ridiculous, having installed dozens of these over the past 35 or 40 years), I can't recall if they mention it or not. But the real Hustler instructions do.

[N2ADV]

"A picture speaks a thousand words". Great job of posting a few pictures rather than just describing what you accomplished antenna wise with words.

With your 4 acres though I'm kinda curious why the vertical antenna? Perhaps you have not been afflicted by D.A.T.S (Directional Antenna & Tower Syndrome) which some of us have. If you do not have this genetic trait you are to be commended because this illness is 100% incurable, financially draining & time to change your underwear when wind or ice storms start howling.



Tom KCØW

Weeeeeeell... I have a 50 foot tower with a Cushcraft tribander sitting on it that I inherited from my dad (sk)... It's waiting for me at my mother's house (also a ham but she never gets on the air these days). I am slowly getting my XYL warmed to the whole antenna thing. This is a huge step for her and she's excited that I'm having fun, but the tower would throw her over the edge. Little steps, but that tower will be here eventually!

You cannot use guy "wires" on this antenna, at all. They need to be ropes.

Hustler does mention in their assembly instructions that guy ropes are required. If you go through the million-page DX Engineering instructions (which I think are ridiculous, having installed dozens of these over the past 35 or 40 years), I can't recall if they mention it or not. But the real Hustler instructions do.

Sorry, terminology SNAFU - I will have ropes on over the next few days. Instructions weren't that bad, really. I think I am going to get the 60 meter add-on as well after seeing how well the 17 meter add-on worked using CW on 17 meters. Had a nice OM in FL who called me after I worked Mad. Is. because he said my signal was booming. I'm impressed so far and as I add radials to reduce ground losses it should get even better.

ll try to get a shot of the 17 meter add-on and the tilt base that I installed today.

[N2ADV]

Tilt base installed. It works very very well



Add-on for 17 meters installed (also working well):

[KO6WB]

This just plain simple fun. Having results is a very good thing.
One thing you need to be aware of is that as you add radials the SWR may start to inch up. This is normal and you will not be able to lower the SWR by tuning the elements. It will be at it's lowest point and that will not be 1.1:1. Don't sweat it, your vertical is reacting to the improved ground and approaching it's proper impedance which is about 35 ohms.
Have fun and keep at it.
73
Gary

[KB9LXP]

I have the 4btv and LOVE it. Wend has NOT taken it down yet, and we have had some hefty wind.
Good luck on your project Gary!!!
Mike

[N2ADV]

This just plain simple fun. Having results is a very good thing.
One thing you need to be aware of is that as you add radials the SWR may start to inch up. This is normal and you will not be able to lower the SWR by tuning the elements. It will be at it's lowest point and that will not be 1.1:1. Don't sweat it, your vertical is reacting to the improved ground and approaching it's proper impedance which is about 35 ohms.
Have fun and keep at it.
73
Gary

I've noticed a slight increase in SWR - it's pretty much following the patterns in the ARRL antenna book which is heartening (provided I am reading the book correctly!)

Still getting great reports!

[KD8FYI]

As you add radials your band width will shrink too. Narrowing band width is a good sign.

73,
Ed

[N2ADV]

As you add radials your band width will shrink too. Narrowing band width is a good sign.

73,
Ed

Up to 18 so far. Doing 2-4 per day when I can. Amazing how much difference adding just 2-4 at a time makes.

[N8CPA]

N8CPA: No good space in the yard for a good HF vertical? Install it on the roof of the house, with radials on the roof!

Takes up zero yard space and generally works better up there anyway.

Ground the installation well and it doesn't matter a bit if you're inside the fall zone for a power line drop. Secondary drops are extremely well insulated anyway, and even if the antenna landed on it, nothing would happen.

If I had to worry about that, I wouldn't have any antennas or towers at all. I have eleven antennas and two towers, with permits and safety inspections. Everything I have could potentially fall across the secondary power drop to the house.

I think I do have space for the vertical where the clothesline pole used to be. And after we have the roofing replaced, I may revisit the idea of at least one antenna on the house--a VHF/UHF probably on the eave of the garage wing.

And I must tell the story.

We have always liked this neighborhood. My wife's sister used to live on the opposite end of the street and we spent many Holidays in her home. We still do, in fact. It is now N8XE'a house. When we began our quest for our next house, we hoped we'd find one in this little enclave. It's the kind of place where kids still play outside after school, and run across lawns to get to their friends' houses. Weekends are full of the scents of cut grass and charcoal grills. Autumn Friday evenings you can hear marching bands before the highschool football game. Saturday nights, you smell backyard weenie roasts. And we knew there were several hams around

We nearly panicked when our old place went under contract and we still had not found THE place. But, by Divine intervention, this place came on the market the same week our buyers signed. We had looked at many places. As my wife eplored interiors, I'd assess yards for antenna placement. My mind like an etch-a-sketch, I'd consider and reconsider various scenarios. Since my body was never intneded for tower climbing, and I wasn't likely to find a yard compatible with a crankup/fodlover, I was looking for trees, or at least a fall path for a tilt over pipemast. And since there were so many HOA's, I was already planning to go stealth. But after 33yrs licensure and all the angst of house hunting, there's no way I'd be without an antenna.

On July 3, my wife and I went for one last drive through this development. A few days before, I had driven over here, parked at a curb and proceeded on scooter looking for For Sale signs. I wanted to show her the addresses I had seen. We turned down this street to go around the block for another perspective of a house that caught our interest. There it was! We wrote down the address and realtor's number to pass on to our pretty, former cheerleader realtor. The follwing day met with my wife's family to watch the suburb's parade. We already felt so good about this house that we told them we thought we had found the house.

Early Monday morning, I was composing the email to send to the realtor to request the initial walk-through. And it was as I was typing this address that my email alarm sounded--well, if it didn't happen that way, it should have. Our realtor sent us daily updates of listings meeting our criteria. I interrupted composing, to look at the list. At the bottom of page one of those listings, was this 'Just Listed.' Omens, I tell you, divine omens!

On the day of the walk through, this was the fifth house we looked at. I scoped the main floor and knew immediately where my shack would be if we bought. Then, while my wife and realtor went down to the basement--I did not want to risk the stairs--I went out to assess the backyard. There was a nice, old, fully developed tree--as if designed for an inverted-L. The tree in the front yard could support the far end of the horizontal run.

My mental etch-a-sketch got interrupted by my wife calling from the kitchen door: "You should see the basment!"

"What's down there?" I asked, my eye focused on the branch in the tree that would support the vertical run.

"Another full bath with a jacuzzi!"

"Huh. The features listed only 1 bath."

"There's a second one, still...but...wait!"

"What?" I was starting to smile as I looked at the branch of interest.

"Who lives there?"

"Where?"

"Look!"

I finally looked at her and looked where she was pointing. HTF did she spot it before I did??!!. A Force 12 beam, atop a 50ft freestanding tower. I knew not only who lived there--local DX legend from both sides of the pileup in regard to China, former NCS of a statewide CW traffic net, former guest operator at one of my backyard FD's, and a hell of a fist--I knew I was home!

So I now have 2 inverted-L's both with feedpoint ATU's. And for VHF/UHF a magmount on the AC unit. And they are quite stealthy. We recently had our spring furnace maintenance done. The tech was the same one who used to service our previous residence. He asked me, "Don't you miss your antennas?"

I pointed at the tree in the front yard. "No."
.
One more omen that this house was intended for a ham. Our roofer found a basket in the attic, no idea how long it has been up there. It contained an old Bearcat scanner, which I intend to use.