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WA1DF

Joined: Sun, Dec 9th 2012, 20:14 Roles: N/A Moderates: N/A

Latest Topics

Topic Created Posts Views Last Activity
Plated antenna elements Jan 28th 2016, 21:44 7 5,911 on 7/2/16
Whats the point! Mar 7th 2015, 15:05 2 6,800 on 8/3/15

Latest Posts

Topic Author Posted On
Plated antenna elements WA1DF on 7/2/16
Thanks Martin and Zack, I have downloaded the EZNEC software and I will do some experimenting. The HFSS looks to be beyond my understanding but I will look into this too.
Gold plating might be a bit too expensive and ostentatious but silver can be inexpensive especially if you use old antique silverware as your anodes for plating. hi hi..
I enjoy thinking outside of the box on antenna designs so you just never know what you might trip over in the process.
73's WA1DF Don
Plated antenna elements WA1DF on 2/2/16
Thanks Pat & Zack, I thought it would be interesting to do some experiments with different plating techniques. For instance, could the bandwidth (broader) of a radial of copper coated aluminum look like a huge cross section of a solid copper rod? Also, would the angle of radiation change if the top and bottom of the radial were aluminum and the side were copper plated, perhaps yielding a lower angle of radiation?
I don''t think existing simulation programs could simulate these conditions.

Plated antenna elements WA1DF on 28/1/16
I am looking for any documentation concerning antenna elements that have been plated with a different metal. For instance: Aluminum radials that are plated with copper or silver. This could be on radials for directional antennas, or even on simple dipole wire antennas.
I am certain that skin effects will change as well as resistivity/impedence also resonate lengths.

Any references to this kind of data is appreciated.
Whats the point! WA1DF on 7/3/15
Last night (3/6/15) I felt like adding to the contacts for our foreign operators by joining in on the ARRL DX Contest - Phone. Not so much to try and win any awards but to make some contacts and have a bit of fun in the process.

After only an hour of Receiver front end desensitizing by 60db over signals and frantic adjustments with attenuators, coupled with 3 - 5 kz and more signal splashing. I tried to make a simple contact with a chap in Ireland, which should be a piece of cake from my home QTH in Maine but he couldn't hear my 100 watt signal.

I shut down the rig at this point and wondered what was the sense of it all. If contesting is supposed to promote commaradery and greater understanding of the operation of radio, then we are failing miserably.

I would ask that the ARRL change the contest rules to eliminate these problems and reemphasize what our hobby is all about and not just lighting up the ionosphere like some aurora event due to all the power being wasted in the atmosphere.

Prior to this contest I actually heard a 1kw station chiding a qrp station because he was asking for a signal report. The Kw station told him to go away or turn up his power so others can hear him. Good grief,

WA1DF no 73's here.
Don

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