Antenna Project by Gene, KX1C

Spider Antenna Project Using Ham Sticks
Eugene Bradeen, KX1C

This project came about after seeing an advertisement for a multi-band antenna made from ham sticks. There are several on the market, from MFJ and Chameleon, among others. The antenna looks like a spider when all four bands are installed. Presently, I have only three bands installed, 6M, 10M, and 20M. On the Chameleon website they had a decent picture of the internal construction, along with the name of the company making the octagon box. I ordered a box from Newark. The ham stick mounts, 3/8-24 thread, were ordered from Quicksilver Radio. A chassis mount SO-239 connector is also needed. A parts list with sources is shown below.

The box that I purchased is 5 inches across by 1 ½ inches deep. I drilled holes that were centered in height and symmetrically located round the perimeter. Four of the mounts are wired together and go to the center pin of the SO-239. The other four are wired together and connected to the chassis. I flattened the ends of the ring adapters that came with the mounts to make a wider spot to solder the #12 wire.

I offset the chassis mount SO-239, so that there was room for the mast mount and for tightening the PL-259. Also, a small hole was added to let moisture out, since the box is not waterproof.

The mast mount was made from a piece of bent scrap stainless steel, 3” X 8 ½”. Holes were drilled to attach the mount on the box, allowing clearance for the SO-239 connector and centering the mast on the box to balance the antenna. I drilled two sets of holes in the mount for use with two different sizes of masts. Stepped drill bits worked great. Drilling the holes left a little rough edge. Just a touch more with the bit cleaned up the edges with a slight chamfer!

Two ham sticks are required for each band you want to use. They are mounted in a dipole configuration directly opposite from each other. I put the 10M sticks perpendicular to the 20M ones and the 6M set in between. The antenna balances quite well in this configuration.

Tuning the ham sticks takes a little patience. I started with 20M and adjusted to less than 2:1 SWR. I found the 10M and 6M ones interacted a little. More patience. Tuning back and forth between them got the SWR to around 1.7:1. The auto tuner will take care of the rest.

Using my KX3/KPA100 running at 70 watts on 20M, I made a contact in Maryland. He gave me a 5/4 signal report. Not bad for having the antenna on a 12 foot mast mounted on the back deck!

Watch where you put the antenna. The close proximity to my Davis anemometer caused RFI to give me a high wind speed of 92MPH! Oops…

I think the antenna went together fairly easily. It will be good for portable use, camping, SOTA, or just about anywhere you go.

Parts List:

1. 3/8-24 Antenna mount w/ring lugs Qty. 8, Purchased from www.qsradio.com

2. Newark P/N 61T5010, Octagon Die cast box, Mfg. Hammond, P/N 1590STPC Purchased from www.newark.com. Waterproof version P/N 1590WSTPC

3. SO-239 Chassis mount w/hardware

4. #12 wire – 12”-14”

5. Ham Sticks 2 for each band. Purchased from www.qsradio.com

6. Hardware for mounting to mast, L-bracket with U-bolts or pipe flange.

EmComm Training - WinLink Thursdays

WinLink Thursdays are a great way to learn how to use the Winlink radio email system for effective emergency communication messaging.  See ARES Letter Issues (arrl.org) to read one ham's experience.

Each WinLink Thursday session provides an opportunity to learn a new WinLink feature and practice using WinLink by sending a message to our regional clearinghouse.

To learn more, subscribe to the EmComm Training groups.io groups by going to:

main@EmComm-Training.groups.io | Home , 

and subscribing to the group.  You can also look through the message archive by clicking the Messages "button" in the upper left of the groups.io page to read about earlier WinLink Thursday sessions.

Both Mel, KC1ELB and I are regular WinLink Thursday participants, so we can provide some local assistance as necessary.

Larry, W1IZZ

Falmouth Road Race Radio Operators Needed

From Barry, KB1TLR:

Thank you to all of you that have already signed up or confirmed for the road race. 

I still need 12 more people to sign up or confirm.  Once you signup or confirm, you need to register as a volunteer at  https://app.initlive.com/web-admin/app/#/join-party?k=9amdd0phaqwh6e.

Contact Barry, timefliestoo at gmail.com, to confirm or register.

 

Field Day 2021

 FARA concluded another successful ARRL Field Day.  Thirty-two members signed in one or more days of the 3 day event.  We operated in Class 1A, multi-operator, single transmitter club station.  863 SSB contacts were made by the eight operators on either 20M, 40M, or 80M.  The contacts provided a claimed score of 1,726.  In addition, we claimed 950 bonus points, for a total claimed score of 2,676.

Based on the scores being posted in near real-time on the online score websites, our modest 2021 operation did very well.

The new communications trailer performed well and was a great operating platform.  The operating stations are comfortable, with plenty of light, ventilation, and power outlets.  We hooked up a cell router to the trailer's network, which provided Internet access to the logging computer.  Ralph, N1YHS, did a fantastic job bringing the trailer project to life.

We enjoyed the usual Saturday evening and Sunday lunch cookouts.  Gene, KX1C, served as grill master.  In addition, Jim, KC1KM, "Killer Mouse Electric Company", assisted by Charlie, K1CB, provided a great breakfast for the Sunday morning crowd.  Jim's electric company provided the generators used during Field Day.

The new location at the Morse Pond School location proved to be a good Field Day site.

The 2021 Field Day operation was modest compared to previous years and the turnout was much lower than usual.  However, given that we are just emerging from the COVID crisis, Field Day 2021 was a successful and enjoyable event.  It was certainly nice to have face to face QSO's!

Thank you to all of the members who turned out to help with setup, operations, and teardown--many hands make light work.

Some images from Field Day 2021:

Falmouth ARA Field Day 21 Setup

 The FD setup crew, consisting of 14 of the usual suspects, met at the FARA storage container at 10 am.  There were trucks, SUV's and vans, so more than enough room for the equipment

The equipment was transported to the Morse Pond School, this year's FD site.  The site is ideal, since it is close to town, has a permanent "tent", and plenty of room for antennas.

Ralph brought in the new FARA Communications trailer.  Ralph, N1YHS, did a fabulous job on the trailer.  It has three great operating positions, lots of VHF/UHF radios and antennas, battery power, and numerous well thought-out features to support a variety of operations.

The tower and antenna setup went smoothly.  All that is left is to power up with the generator on Saturday morning and check out the station operation.  Many thanks to the setup crew for a job well done.

A few photos:

Field Day 2021 Information

 

Location: Morse Pond School, 330 Jones Rd in Falmouth.

Setup: 10am, Friday, June 25

Operations: 1400 Saturday June 26 through 1400 Sunday June 27

Teardown: After 1400 on Sunday 27 June

We need volunteers for setup, operations, and teardown.  This year we particularly need 2-3 volunteers with pickup trucks in order to move gear from the storage trailer to the school and back.  This is the first year operating from the new communications trailer, so there are likely to be some challenges.

The public is invited and there will be opportunities for interested people to "get on the air" and make a contact via amateur radio.

FARA Member Featured on QSO Today

 Peter Butler, W1UU, was featured in an interview with QSO Today.  QSO Today was talking with Peter about his work with CW Ops.  View the interview video below: