Ham Radio - A 6 meter cage dipole using window line.

Hi James- Regarding the 6m digital signal you heard.. It was likely groundwave(or backscatter?) from a JT65A EME station. The EME activity center frequency is near 50.19 MHz. Look for a BW of 177.6 Hz (for 65A).. Also check On4KST-6m Sked/map, or PingJockey/JT/EME1 for active stations in and out of your Grid.. side note-Terrestrial JT65A 'was' popular on 50.276, pre- FT8 (50.313 MHz).. 73, Eric

 

Hi James,
Nice to see something different.
Thanks, Ken

 

I have used a cage dipole on 40m. They work well. Mine was one lovingly put together for me by a famous cage guru, you know they are a guru if they procure a company that makes the plastic shells for touch tone trim line phones to likewise make custom insulators out of the same plastic for a CAGEANTENNA. Anyways. It was Dave, W2BN SK. Back in the 80's. He made these monsters for the low bands. The ones he made were very good. Utilizing 5 wires of 12ga copper. A 40m unit was only 30ft long as a bonus. You needed a less than whimpy support structure for these antennas. Ever try to break 5 strands of #12?
Yeah all the insulators were robust. The impedance was 60ohms not 73! (over ground at 1/4wl or so) And this value held
to way more than the 40m band probably more like 39-41m bands...

RRK

 

30 feet long? Did you mean 60 feet?

Edited to add: I see that you meant 60 feet.

Five #12 wires is about the same weight as a single #5 wire. Plus the weight of the insulators!

 

Overall length just shy of 60ft.

RRK

 

Yes, don't try to use it for field day with Fiberglass poles, bring a boat wench to taught it up alil...

RRK

 

The end and center insulators were glass impregnated B&W units @ all three positions. The holes were just about right, with alil lubricant on them...

Dave, recommended RG-6 for the feedline upto amateur power ssb/cw, rg-11 for am/RTTY.

AGAIN, no whimpy supports for something like this.

RRK

 

No, don't try trees.

Think towers or telephone poles.

RRK

 

Boat wenches are always a good idea.

don't let this happen...

 

Have not heard that term for a long time TEMPEST!

 

As long as you had a can of shark repellent you were fine, though, right?

 

The shark repellent was the rifle team on the well deck of old and slow AO-109.

Carl

 

I'm sure it was. I was making a reference to the Batman TV episode.

 

OH, I was already an adult when that farce came out

 

Every good man needs a few of those.