De KJ7IAZ, Jeremy here. I am an amateur radio operator ("Ham Radio"). Amature Extra Class. I enjoy working portable ops such as Parks on the Air, building and testing antennas, and just Ham Radio in general. I started this channel to share my fascination with amateur radio, and to inspire others into the hobby.
I didn't ground the mast. Or the antenna, my equipment is grounded though.kind of. Lol. I operate portable frequently and don't ground those set ups, so figure why do it at home.
I'm sure you already knew or know, if you don't need the entire height you can partially extend the sections rather than full deployment and make you sections more rigid and stronger. That's what I do with mine. Just a little info for everyone. Great video. ✌✌
Real world, real time, real practical demonstration. So many other talk and talk and show off videos on RU-vid. Yours is refreshing because you showed every single step of the project in real time. Nice work.
I use a 40ft spiderbeam hd mast just cargo strapped to a post roughly same size as yours which is concreted into the ground n yes it whips about in the wind but only supports an efhw wire so fingers crossed it wont snap but its been up a year now with no guys
I have the same mast and those anchors i guy with 8 precut guys, hook em in, get on the ladder and push each segment up until it's all tight. In an HOA so it only goes up a couple times a month for NVIS nets! Great video!
Hello, Thank you for the video. I would like to build a 6, 10, 12, and 15m trapped dipole and think I have the trap part down, but I would like to know how I calculate the (electrically shorter) parts of each segment. Is there a formula I missed, or is it just trial and error. Thanks again for the video.
In the video, I mention the website I used. In the calculations there is an effective length of the trap, just subtract that from the length you would cut for a dipole. As you move out, it adds up. So you'll have to keep track. It'll be close and fine tune by slowly trimming. Hope that helps. Feel free to email me if need be, I can maybe explain better.
Ok I got it, the webpage tool you pointed to suggests the effective length. "The Effective Length is the estimated amount that the next-lower-frequency leg of the trap antenna must be shortened to obtain resonance"
@@kj7iaz Am I wrong? After putting this down in a spread sheet it looks like I may not be able to use the 12m and 15m bands after the 10m band. The length of wire needed gets negative when the bands are too close together.
10 and 12 are delicate. 10 and 15 should be ok. You can play around with the diameter and length of trap. Find get a combination that has less effective length. Also. This is only one way to build a trap. Could try a different version. Or experiment on your own, a trap is simply an inductor and capacitor in parallel. You could also do a fan dipole, it might work better for the bands you are trying to use, or even a hybrid version. Use traps and fans.
I am a new ham (so still learning). I was surprised you used coax wire rather than single conductor wire for the trap. Would a single conductor wire also work? If so, what advantage did the coax provide?
I used coax as per the instructions I used. A trap is a tuned circuit with inductor and capacitor. So I think with coax it's giving it more of both. Sorry I can't be more exact haha
I have not had any issues aside from tightening one of the lower sections a bit. I've had several wire antennas including the fan dipole and trapped from my videos. No issues with the mast, very positive towards it. Lots of wind and cold weather up here too. Nothing but good things to say.
Yes I have one. I had to put screw clamps on all the sections to keep it from collapsing in the wind. And even then it appears to have shrunk about a foot. I have a 2/440 antenna on top along with a small crossbar and inv vees for 80-30 hanging up there. As well as wire for an inv L for 160. If it shrinks any more between now and summer I will probably drill holes thru each section and use a bolt/cotter pin to keep it up in the air.
@@Hank_W6IR put a hose clamp inserted through rubber hose above the clamps. See the dx commander for reference. Probably better than holes, atleast worth a try.
You really don't need to blank out the window in the door behind you, no-one on RU-vid will tell anyone the wife is duct taped to a chair in the lounge so you can buy more radio's in peace....
I bought the 28.5 foot Max Gains Systems mast which is similar to the DX Engineering several years ago, but the prices have increased dramatically over the past year or so. I chose the 28.5 foot HD mast because I can reach the top without using a ladder, and I didn't want to have to lug a ladder around in my car. For using 2 meter simplex and repeaters, and for HF inverted V antennas, its be adequate. 73 KD5YOU
Typically horizontal. Although technically it will work either way. There are better ways to make it vertical. I am in the process of putting a vertical video together.
If this will be used for more than an occassional set-up, the fiberglass poles should be painted to prevent UV damage. It is unbelievable how quickly fiberglass will start to delaminate from UV exposure and start growing "hairs" that will make the mast very uncomfortable and irrating to handle.
I would have to find the docs that came with it. If I remember right it says specifically not to paint it (maybe to sell another one sooner lol) and it was coated, painting would keep it from operating correctly because of the tight tolerances.
How big is the shipping package? Is it just as long as the sections, or longer? I need to make sure of parcel receiving company will take this oversized shipment.
