A good field test. I've been pleased with the KM4ACK antenna the few times I've had it out in the field and during the 2 week test I ran here at the house with my G90. However, like most hams, I like to know my options.
Thanks for running the test… looking forward to more of this content. I agree that the map data looks fairly consistent in terms of geographic distribution… but as it’s WSPR, there are only so many monitoring stations. Did you notice any difference in the SNR for those stations that picked up both antennas? I have the same antenna from N9SAB, and agree the design is appealing and functional. I also have his QRP EFHW, which has a matching box, instead of having the 49:1 on the winder itself (as KM4ACK’s kit has)-but it’s essentially the same functional design. End feeding is more convenient for quick deployments, I think… but for longer sessions or multiple-day ops where you can get the OCF Windom up high…. I suspect there is value there. Because the 10’ coax stub radiates as a vertical segment, it perhaps needs to be up higher to function optimally. I was curious if you ran the Icom 705’s internal ATU on the N9SAB micro windom prior to running the test? The EFHW (designed to be resonant on 40m, and thus also 20m) was designed to be run without a tuner, but one typically expects to employ the ATU on the OCF dipole on pretty much all the bands. While they’re both multi-band, I think I can tune more bands more easily/quickly on the OCF. So, setup on the OCF windom dipole is more demanding, but you win some additional versatility. The EFHW is better for quicker/shorter deployments primarily on 2 (maybe 3) bands.
Thanks for the comments. I am definitely going to keep working with the N9SAB antenna. I suspect it will work better than the EFHW after I trim the wire and get in more in the clear like 30 feet. Unfortunately, the IC705 doesn't have an internal ATU. Why, I don't know. It certainly is a drawback to the radio, which is not cheap. Thanks again for interacting. I will certainly do another video on N9SAB after I trim it and test it again.
A good field test. I've been pleased with the KM4ACK antenna the few times I've had it out in the field and during the 2 week test I ran here at the house with my G90. However, like most hams, I like to know my options.
Thanks for running the test… looking forward to more of this content. I agree that the map data looks fairly consistent in terms of geographic distribution… but as it’s WSPR, there are only so many monitoring stations. Did you notice any difference in the SNR for those stations that picked up both antennas?
I have the same antenna from N9SAB, and agree the design is appealing and functional. I also have his QRP EFHW, which has a matching box, instead of having the 49:1 on the winder itself (as KM4ACK’s kit has)-but it’s essentially the same functional design. End feeding is more convenient for quick deployments, I think… but for longer sessions or multiple-day ops where you can get the OCF Windom up high…. I suspect there is value there. Because the 10’ coax stub radiates as a vertical segment, it perhaps needs to be up higher to function optimally.
I was curious if you ran the Icom 705’s internal ATU on the N9SAB micro windom prior to running the test? The EFHW (designed to be resonant on 40m, and thus also 20m) was designed to be run without a tuner, but one typically expects to employ the ATU on the OCF dipole on pretty much all the bands. While they’re both multi-band, I think I can tune more bands more easily/quickly on the OCF.
So, setup on the OCF windom dipole is more demanding, but you win some additional versatility. The EFHW is better for quicker/shorter deployments primarily on 2 (maybe 3) bands.
Thanks for the comments. I am definitely going to keep working with the N9SAB antenna. I suspect it will work better than the EFHW after I trim the wire and get in more in the clear like 30 feet.
Unfortunately, the IC705 doesn't have an internal ATU. Why, I don't know. It certainly is a drawback to the radio, which is not cheap. Thanks again for interacting. I will certainly do another video on N9SAB after I trim it and test it again.