Howdy,
Howdy,
This afternoon and evening, I switched my Spitfire TX to 1710 AM, pieced the antenna back together, and remounted everything. I cut some extra wire from the top of the loading coil lead and screwed it back onto the old Shakespeare (my $4 one I got from the local consignment yard) and set it up.
It's mounted on another Shakespeare piece, an 8' mast, in a standard tripod. No ground wire other than the building ground from the audio shield and power supply. IOW, no actual RF ground. It's just in front of my studio door on the pavement of the business park, so it's surrounded by the buildings and walls. There's really no breaks in the place other than where you drive in and a gated path on one end of my building. Everything else is blocked.
It came up pretty well. I drove down to the port, back up to the high school and around to the library. The signal had some static compared to right in the parking lot, but the music was still pretty clear.
I'm driving backup taxi tonight and the primary driver had me pick up a fare in town and drive out to her place about 5 miles away as the crow flies. On the way back into town, I started picking up the signal nearly 2 miles away from the antenna. Ii isn't that great in the 'downtown' area (remember how small this place is), lots wires, florescent lights, etc., but it was clear enough that someone with as good an AM radio as I have in the taxi (98 Chev Astrovan) would have no trouble listening to the HS football game if I were webcasting from the field. ... back to my studio computer and out to the antenna.
So my first question is this: with no specific RF ground supplement, does all that indicate decent antenna resonance?
Second question: Since there is virtually no chance at this point of building an adequate buried ground system here, as we've been reading about, would I get better performance if I were to mount the system on my boat in the marina? Remember the town is elevated about 100' or so up a hill from sea level to my studio for example.
Here's where my boat is (aerial photo is years old).
...Does anyone have an idea if there is enough open water around the boat, what with all the others and the dock fingers, etc., to have a good ground plane (well, that's three questions)? The water here is very salty, and because of the boats, including live-aboards like me, it's quite 'hot' ... doesn't seem to bother the aquatic life though.
Sounds like it is doing quite well at the studio! Since it is concrete,maybe the re-bar is acting as a counterpoise. Salt water would also provide a pretty good counterpoise if you had a large metal surface in contact with the water,tough to do and keep it conducting well in saltwater due to corrosion. I wouldnt change a thing except maybe elevating the antenna at the studio. Does it have a steel roof?
If I could just replicate, on purpose, the great results I get when I "just throw something together to see if it works" I would be a happy broadcaster.
Several times I've tossed together what should be a terrible set up just to put some fire in the wire, then when I "set it up properly" I can't even get close to the range I got when I was working ad hoc.
I agree - the salt water, the structure, all are working to help you so, as Stacy Keach said in the old movie "Up in Smoke" - GO WITH IT!
Hi guys (hey, speaking of that, I'd be interested to know if there are, umm, gals, here):
Interesting if the rebar is doing something. How about the rain gutter? It must be having some sort of effect, but I don't know what. It doesn't go around the building, just across the front ... the antenna was out about 3 ft. from it. The buildings are all concrete block, and no, the roof is not metal, it's ceramic tile. That's why I don't want to get involved with roof-mounting anything. It's not my building ... but the boat is mine.
I could go another 8 feet with the other Shakespeare mast, but I'd have to guy it down somehow and of course more audio and PS cable ... which might affect it. I suppose I could sister an extension from a rafter overhang.
Also, I need some ideas for a gasketed weatherproof box for the TX. Can't find anything in either hardware store, nor even at Guard Electric, that isn't some heavy metal thing. The little kitchen plastic wear things can't handle mounting stresses and I wouldn't trust them in bad weather.
One thing I've noticed in my experiments ... I sure go through a heckuvvalot of wire ties! I think maybe I should buy them in big boxes 😉
LOL you have the type of conditions i just cant get here in this rocky soil.
(i live in kentucky) The salt water, possible re-bar ground plane.
If i had your conditions or lived in place like that I would be down at the docks on the boat broadcasting from the water..
Sort of a legal version of "Radio Caroline".
Rockin' with the waves. lol
Sounds like your doing great with that setup, keep up the great work.
Until next time, Keep on Rockin'.
Im kinda of Jealous
Don't be ... it ain't over yet 😉
LOL you have the type of conditions i just cant get here in this rocky soil.
(i live in kentucky) The salt water, possible re-bar ground plane.
If i had your conditions or lived in place like that I would be down at the docks on the boat broadcasting from the water..
I grew up in Ohio, traveled in KY. I remember Ruth Lyons 50-50 club on TV. I remember a lot of farm country ... but most of North America is rocky soil. Want rocks? This whole area is mountains ... except the valleys are under water. If we want to grow anything besides rye wheat and Douglas Fir (or more rocks ;)), we have to import topsoil from sources on the mainland. Orca whales sidle up to 'beaches' (no sand, just pebbles and rocks ... nothing you really want to walk on barefoot unless the tide is waaay out and slack) to scratch and scrape the sea-crap off their hides.
But oops! I blew it! ... You're right ... radio stuff aside for a moment, it's like Paradise compared to a lot of other places. Killer whales can be spotted any day in the summer. Over-grown Bald Eagles (hang onto your babies) ... stuff like that ... http://www.sanjuanislandoutfitters.com/gallery.php
Come visit sometime.
So, even if the marina is hot (lots of electric in the water, eats zinc like crazy), and lots of other boats, it would still be a good conductor for an AM radio antenna?
And I miss Ohio, but i didn't realize how much i missed it until my parents came down here to visit.
Go figure.