HF DX From A Small Garden - Yes It Can Be Done!
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 14 апр 2024
- Many Ham Radio Operators are working DX from small gardens with very modest antennas. Peter G3OJV, relates his own experience and shows how you to can join in the fun.
Наука
Thanks for dispelling some of the commonly repeated myths of HF antennas 👍. For almost 30 years I’ve used antennas the “experts” said would never work with great success 😉. Keep these great videos coming! 73 de Dan WD4DB
I have a very small garden 15m x 4m and my CobWebb nest of dipoles has brought in plenty DX stations over the years. VK with an FT817 and USA with a 3W home brew SSB rig spread across the bench. Living in the centre of a 'heritage' City means a tower and a Yagi are not even worth dreaming about! Thanks for sharing Pete.
Well done and thanks for sharing.
0:00 Interesting video Pete, I agree about pile ups. Being an M7, I'm limited but managed to get my first VK last week with my Alex loop on the 2nd floor bedroom floor with an IC705. 10600miles 👍
This was around grey line time, which I didn't even realise until I've been hearing more and more about that. That would be an interesting video, about the grey line and band openings
73
As a novice class in the US, my first rig was a TenTec Argonaut 509, max power 5 watts (ok maybe 6) into a resonant inverted V up 10 meters at the peak. Worked VK5NRE near Adelaide one night, midnight local, for 2048 miles per watt. Good for a certificate from QRP-ARCI. Yes, it can be done.
Thanks for sharing.
Nice video, interesting thought about lowering the tower. Theory is nice but we often overthink things, experimenting is half the fun. Like you say with pileups timing is everything. I worked VK2GR last September from Cornwall coast on 20m with a 8ft vertical, single 10ft tuned radial (wonderwand) and 10w from my kx2. Got past the pileup and got a 559 report. Never can tell until you try. 73 Steve MW0SAW
Thanks for the video. Always learn something from them!
Glad to help!
Certainly can work DX from the small garden. I have a 705 with a Bandspringer wire antenna. I spoke to a VK yesterday on 10 watts. It’s not the size of the garden it’s making the most of what you have.
Yes agreed.
Thankyou for another great video Peter ,i also have a half g5rv at 6 meters and work europe regularly on 20. cheers Mark zl4us.
Many thanks Mark.
Thanks for this. It helps to get the word out that just getting on the air is the most important step a lot of the time.
Last night, the five watt 20 meter homebrew rig here was spotted in Estonia and Germany from a dipole in San Francisco about 15 feet up, stretched from the roof of our house to the back fence. I've had a QSO from here to Sweden on 3/4 Watts, and to Spain and France on five watts. Just have fun and get a signal going, and the rest will come :) 72 de KD0FNR
Great news and great achievements. Yes getting on the air at the right time helps.
Thanks Peter ... real world wisdom about antennas and DX!
73 - KF6IF
Good to hear from you.
Back in the 70s I worked a lot of DX on 80 metres using a pair of full-size 1/4 wave verticals placed at the end of a ridge with a clear shot in all directions. I also had various other antennas including a full-size delta loop on 160 on a 112 foot tower. It was always fascinating to watch, as the Sun inched towards the horizon, the 80m signals from Europe start to rise up out of the background noise on the long path (LP). At times signals would push my S meter to 20 db over 9 (on 80m!) at the peak and then slowly drop and disappear into the noise as the Earth rotated and darkness fell. At the time when signals were very strong on 80 LP, switching to a high angle 80 mx dipole gave similar signal strengths of S9 ++ but only for a few minutes. As the signals dropped the low angle verticals would hang in for another 30 - 60 minutes or more, long after the low dipole had lost all traces of a signal. I'm pretty sure that the reason for the good performance of the dipole was due to ducting and not skip. The highish elevation 80m signals were being refracted, not to the ground but at an angle that meant that refractions were taking place on the inner "shell" of the E layer. So, a low dipole can work very well if you catch the greyline at just the right moment, when the reflecting layer is tilted at both ends of the path.
A long comment but somewhat relevant, I hope! 73, Ken ZL4KF (zl4kf.nz)
hi Ken. Nice to hear from you and very interesting comments. One of the problems is that we don’t always know the exact propagation that is taking place. Be interesting hear from others on this. 73 Peter
Great tips and info the new ham! Thanks, 73. KK7SAB
Our pleasure!
We seem to often work the same great DX Peter! 73 M3KXZ
Brilliant thank you for opening my eyes.
My pleasure.
Worked newfoundland with 5 watts on 20 m from my RV with a small telescopic monoband whip on thé trunk when we were sitting in a camping in the north of Spain.
When you bring 60 years of radio wisdom to the table the smart viewer will pay attention. On another note, Im not sure about the UK but in Canada all vehicles are rated for fuel economy based on a fictional driving loop that is completely unrealistic in day to day life. Bau it does mean that every manufacturer has to use the exact same model. Maybe 5 degrees is a fictional model for antenna radiation? Thank you for sharing. Brian 73 VE3GUE
A suggestion for a future topic would be grounding in relation to long cable runs
Hi Peter Nice video again. Video wish : practical half size G5RV tuning for dummies. Having trouble tuning one. Where to start, wires or ladderline and how to deal with contradicting measurents. 73 Jan PA4J
A small garden would be so nice. having to live in an apartment with no Balcony and major QRM is what I have to deal with sadly.
I find this quite interesting. I am trying to figure out what sort of antenna to put up.
A Loop antenna is also an option for very small gardens. I have repaired a MFJ one and am looking forward to building my own once it stops raining for two days in a row !!! Their height above ground ( if not used horizontally) can also be as low as 1x diameter of the loop. Low power ones are easy to build and experiment with. Once you gain confidence and experience then progress to higher powers using suitable variable capacitors from the usual auction sites. I've bought some that should be good for at least 10kV for as little as £14 allowing a couple of hundred Watts at least.
Thanks for sharing.
Peter, you are giving away my tricks...
Ha Ha.
Thank you very much for this video. As per your first slide, I still experience some grey areas when transmitting from London to Europe. Unfortunately, no England operators can hear me. I am using a 7.6m vertical height with a balcony rail as a radial. However, I've had very good QSOs from Spain and Sweden within the angle of arc. - G7UNF
Had a cracking 2 X QRP QSO with VK3MJ and his 5 m high dipole shoehorned into his garden this morning! Ampro 20 whip on a magmount my end. Rough band conditions and always amazed at contacts like this. 73 M3KXZ
Well done. Proves something!
Can we get a 3-way zoom call vid with yourself, callum, and W6LG… would love a big 5 degrees match :)
Another Great video .... Regards de GW0WVL 👍
Many thanks!
Hi Peter,
Great video which I am will dispel many myths people have..
I tx on a vertical but rx on a low to the ground dipole, this set up if possible works great for dx qso without noise.
Basic radio, coax and get on the air at right time equals dx. Cheers mate. Zl3xdj.
Hi Brian. Many thanks. Have been on 20m a bit, and working into VK. Trouble is getting up early as sunrise gets earlier now!
In the eye of an ordanary Dutchman, you are a very correct, calm and elegent Englishman.
Well thank you very much.
Always enjoy your videos. I was using a Yagi, but the winds where I live are extreme at times. I took it down and replaced with a home brew off center fed dipole fed about 10 meters. With 100 watts I’ve worked from Japan, New Zealand etc to Eastern Europe. Lately with 10 meters open, I’ve really had good luck. 73. KD5JCW
Thanks for sharing! It's not Luck, its skill and persistence!
Yes! I love this, small garden here with random sloping wire but I get better results down at the beach /P with a vertical! Thanks for all info Peter!💐
Occasionally run a 20m dipole at 5m agl, works lovely. I can only go that high because I'm surround and criss-crossed by telegraph wires at about 6m. A 10m inverted v at 5m is beautiful. 20m is fine. Also 5m support great for a 1/4 wave gp.
Sounds good.
In the 1970s is used to work SSB to G and Europe every afternoon from my mobile on the way home from uni. This was around 06-07:30 UTC. Rig was an FT7 and a helical 20m whip about 2 metres long. I was VK4AFS at that time. I have also worked lots of G and Europe using just a horizontal dipole at about 4 metres with 200 watts. 73 de John VK4VT (in memory of Syd, who was the very first holder of this call & my mentor)
Many thanks for sharing that. Yes some great times back then!
We do things on HF that commercial operators (military, marine, financial data companies) would consider impossible.
Yes agreed.
KI6LQE. nice video Peter. I only use wire antennas and have a suburban garden. Put up some wire, experiment a little and you will get DX. Always enjoy your videos and l usually learn something I can try in my garden.
Can you do a video on hop (skip) and the average distance one might get and more importantly once the signal lands what size area in can I be heard, 100 square miles, couple of square miles or? I am most interested in what the coverage is once the signal reflects back down. Thanks for all the information you provided to us fellow ham operators.
Hi Peter, thank you for all the effort you put in these videos, as an M7 who's new to HF I learn a lot from you. The first HF antenna I have now setup in my house is an end fed 20m long wire connected with a 9:1 unun > to a 1:1 unun > to an FT-710. The antenna is in the loft where space is limited to a perimeter of about 5m by 5m so I have laid out the wire horizontally around it in a Π shape. If you have any thoughts on this setup or ideas that could improve it I would appreciate your input.
Sounds a good layout.
@@watersstanton Thank you again
You rock!
You could also say, take away the reflectors and directors of any Yagi and you are left with a dipole. I would also submit that Profs Yagi and Uda conducted their experiments on the horizontal directional antenna at VHF or UHF in order to prove their theory. Once proven, moved to a fixed direction wire directional HF antenna to further prove their concept.
Hi thanks for you nice video's , i m from The netherlands and have also a small Garden. Can you send some video's with result for dx in small garden so i can see what the best options are?
Thank you Peter! Any thoughts on whether multi-hop may be chordal hop?
Chordal hop usually has a distinctive sound and sometimes you can get a mix of both!
@@watersstanton Thank you!
I live in the bottom of one of the South Wales valleys, at 5 deg my signal would be directly into the side of the valley in the East and West direction. I have always put out a fairly good signal on bands 20m and above over the years with beam antennas despite my location, and if thhe band is open I can work North and South America like shelling peas. I don't think that's much down to the amount of energy being radiated at 5 degrees.
I have never used 40m a lot, but whatever antenna I have tried on 80m ranging from 1/2 wave inverted V dipole, Inverted V G5RV, G7FEK, Inverted L, inverted V doublet etc has never been great for local contacts.
Many thanks. BTW I used to operate a lot in Scotland and sometimes benefited from reflection from the mountains.
Yagi benefit is not just gain it’s direction ability ultimately it’s prop no prop no dx that simple angle really doesn’t come in to it.Cant say I’ve ever heard any big station if prop wasn’t running.
Any antenna is better than no antenna
I have a very bent dipole in the loft for 17M
With only 5~10W I have 178 DXCC on 17M
inc VK's , ZL's and some Pacific Islands
My housing Estate Garden is 7M x 5M :(
That is great to hear. Well done.
Hi Peter - could you do a video on how to do that reverse beacon like how to setup the 7300, what frequency I need to use (from Queensland Australia) and how to see the results - never done it before and i think a lot of your viewers would love to know how to do that! Cheers. VK4MIX
One coming up.
I work lots of DX with a simple setup as I've said before. I manage to work all over but I find though that I can work North and South America on pretty much a daily basis. The only thing that I think of helps me with these areas is that behind my house to the West, NW all the way round to SW is a field, so no obstacles for a long way. To the East there's other houses. I find that I can work to the East when the conditions are very good. I can work LP to Australia reasonably well if I am on the air at the right times. Do you think my theory re the field holds up ? I would be interested in anything that can help me work to the East with more reliability. I find I keep a good eye on the scope if a new signal crops up, tune lightning fast to the signal, and sometimes it's China or Japan if I'm lucky!
Thanks for sharing. Sounds good.
With current conditions a 10m halfwave vertical and 10w can work the world on SSB! VK4SDD
Yes, take advantage whilst it lasts!
I work plenty of DX from a small yard de VK5GG
Great! Join the Club!
I'd like to make a complaint! I've just set up an end fed half wave native for 40m. I'm now spending all my time on the radio and not getting other stuff done it's entirely your fault.
Ah well at least you are enjoying ut!
I have a small garden and fitted in antennas with some bends and curves , so can use all bands up to 80m. I think with a bit more wire can do 160m ,so yes it can be done by anyone with small garden .
Made a test with a lamp and a mirror at 5 degrees and guess how it looked at the other end. Not much good.
That is the original Brewster observation using light.
Woohoo! The match is on…. Flat earth society lol