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10m 2-element beam

Dec 4th 2019, 13:46

Sparky422

Joined: Dec 4th 2019, 11:34
Total Topics: 0
Total Posts: 0
I'm finally getting back into the hobby after 30+ years of quiet time. I had a 10m two-element beam that I really had a lot of good contacts with that I would like to try again; perhaps scaling it to a different band depending on the propagation conditions.

It was a very easy design. It used 300-ohm twin-lead as if it were a couple of folded dipoles joined by a short length of additional twin-lead with a half twist connecting them. I think it was fed at the front element. I used four long bamboo fishing poles and some 2x2 wood pieces for support and 50-ohm coax with no balun or other matching circuits. With only a minor bit of tuning it worked great and made quite a few contact from northern Michigan to California. I got the design in the mail with some literature from the ARRL, I think.

Does anyone know/remember this? I would like to try it again if I can get the details.
Dec 4th 2019, 15:33

W1VT

Super Moderator

Joined: Apr 4th 1998, 00:00
Total Topics: 0
Total Posts: 0
https://hamwaves.com/zl-special.10m/en/zl-special.10m.letter.pdf

JUN 1984 - QST (PG. 21)
Try The "FD Special" Antenna
Author: Lewallen, Roy, W7EL
http://www.arrl.org/pubindex/search/page:2/Merged.call_sign:w7el/Merged.pubs:QST;QEX;Ham%20Radio;NCJ/model:Merged
Dec 5th 2019, 06:47

Sparky422

Joined: Dec 4th 2019, 11:34
Total Topics: 0
Total Posts: 0
Thanks a heap for the information. I checked out the articles you mentioned. The June '84 article is especially close if not the same. I'm sure the leaflet (it was a couple of pages separate from the normal stuff) I had was published sometime between 1978 and 1982. I can't remember if I scaled it to 10m or not and whether the original included the capacitors and/or balun.

I think I will try this and see; can't say how soon. Also, I am more familiar with baluns now to include one.
Dec 5th 2019, 09:32

W1VT

Super Moderator

Joined: Apr 4th 1998, 00:00
Total Topics: 0
Total Posts: 0
We are at the bottom of the cycle so that 10M can be hard to use unless you have a lot of local activity or an unusually good location. I was able to use 10M during a solar minimum from Hawaii because the sloping ground toward Australia resulted in an exceptionally good elevation pattern.

Zak W1VT

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