Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Lay out the 285-foot length ofcopper-braided antenna wire in an open area where it is to be installed. The larger the open area of the loop polygon when completed, the better. A circular configuration is ideal but is not necessary depending on your space limitations. A square configuration is effective as well, but the antenna will lose some omnidirectional character in favor of the side or corner opposite the feed point.
Slide at least four insulators onto the wire (more if possible) and locate them beneath the trees or structures from which the antenna is to be suspended. Slide both ends of the wire into another insulator (center feed point) using about 1 foot of wire on each side of the insulator to secure the attachment. Strip off a few inches of insulation from each end of the wire. The total length of the wire loop between the two sides of the insulator should be 283 feet.
Lay out the 450-ohm window-type ladder line between the feed point insulator and the wire access to your radio operating position. Do not cut the ladder line until your antenna is installed to ensure sufficient length to reach your radio. Wrap the ladder line once around the center insulator and secure it tightly with zip ties. Strip a few inches of insulation from each side of the feed line. Mechanically connect both sides of the antenna to the feed line by twisting tightly. Solder the connections securely. Coat the exposed connections with silicone caulk.
Use a fishing pole, line and sinker to cast a fishing line high up and over the treetops. This may take several attempts. Retrieve and remove the sinker from the fishing line and tie it to a sufficient length of rope to reach into the treetops and back to the ground. Repeat the process for each insulator at each suspension point. These ropes will be used to raise your antenna to its maximum height and to lower it for future repairs and modifications.
Connect bungee cords to each insulator. Tie the suspended nylon ropes to each bungee and pull your antenna as high and as horizontally as possible up into the trees at each insulator location. The bungee cords will allow for wind and ice loading and will relieve some of those stresses from the antenna. Coil and tie the excess rope to two nails set in the tree trunk for future use.
Connect the lower end of the 450-ohm window/ladder line to a trans-match antenna tuner. Transmit a low-power signal and adjust your tuner settings for minimum standing wave ratio (SWR) on your desired operating frequency on the 80-meter band. Record these settings. Switch through the various high-frequency (HF) ham radio bands and find and record the settings for minimum SWR on all of your favorite HF operating frequencies.