Magnet Wire Antenna Experimentation

Steve KA1VHF gave me this idea a couple weeks ago so I figured I would try it - use magnet wire to string up some nearly invisible antennas!

The stuff I found is #34 with red enamel (I know the color means something, like the temperature rating maybe but I would have to look that up again). Anyway, this stuff is TINY! As was expected - it also is not very strong.

I decided to string up a random wire today to see how it plays. I unrolled some of the wire and used a BNC-SO-239 adapter as a weight. I fiddled with my window trying to get the screen out. Once I got the screen out (and that was a trick! I didn't know the TOP of my window unlatched and swung out) I threw my weight over the corner of the roof with the wire trailing behind. I unrolled a bit more wire and attached the fishing line with the sinker on the end. Then I just tossed the sinker up over a tree out front and voila! Antenna!

The wire really is hard to see. I lost it a few times and it was only a couple feet in front of me. The bad part is when the sun hits it just right it reflects and you see a gleaming red spider web string. You have to be in just the right position to notice it. I bet, on a cloudy day, you could walk right under it, looking for it, and never know it was there.

I worked Dennis KB0SFP just a few minutes ago on 20 meters with it. So I know it gets out. However, there was a bit of RF getting in to my TV. I have a coax cable running out the back, down the corner of the house, and connected to the gutters as an antenna, which is grounded to the water spigot out back (basically the whole plumbing in the house is the counterpoise). So I figured I was grounded well enough for the magnet wire antenna. However, because of the RFI on the TV, I figured I would try and run a wire straight to the plumbing under the sink in the bathroom to see if that helped. In the end I think that made it worse - I ran that ground wire back behind my desk, the stereo table, and the TV. The RF on it was probably too strong and too close to the TV.

On to some more experimenting.

Venturing in to the Bottom 25 on 40 - Good DX! Also, TS-2000 vs. FT-857D

This is something I rarely have done - and, being an Extra, I guess I should do more of. 40 meters is a great band - especially in the current null in the solar cycle. It is also a "low band" (160, 80, and 40 meters) that is open more at night than during the day.

I was tuning around on 40 meters comparing the receivers of my FT-857D (with the Inrad 300hz filter) and TS-2000. I happened to tune down in to the "bottom 25" to do some better digging. I hit a few stations up arond 7.030-040, but they were all S5+. I found a few weaker stations to dig up down around 7.005-010. I didn't pay much attention to the stations, all I was trying to do was see how well I could tweak the rigs and compare the capabilities.

While I was sitting there, I was on the computer keeping tabs on DX Summit and spotted DJ9RB on 7.017. So I figured I would scroll over there and see if I could hear him. I could, very weak, but there (my noise floor here is terrible) calling CQ DX. So I listened for a while and heard him work a few stations. I never considered myself to be "DX", but I guess if you flip the coin and consider a German DX then an American would be DX to a German, right? HI

I figured I would try the FT-857D so I tried to switch my key over. My key has a 1/4" plug on it for the other HF rigs so I put an adapter on it. However, the way the adapter is designed makes it not fit in the back of the FT-857D! So I swapped rigs back to the TS-2000 and gave him a call.

He didn't hear me the first couple times, some other people stomped all over me. So I sat there and called back again and he snagged a few letters. I repeated my call a few times and he got it! After a quick change of reports (his: 229, mine: 429) I had him in the log at 0404!

Later on, just a little while ago, I was scrolling the band just to see what was there. Its real late here (almost 3am EDT) so I figured there would be some kind of DX on there. I came across a real LOUD station - CT9/DL1CW! I figured this would be easy, only he was rolling right along at about 25wpm (12 over my speed limit). So I called back once I had a chance (a few others beat me to the key before) - "CT9/DL1CW de KC8QVO". He came right back and didn't miss a letter! We exchanged reports (me: 569, him: 599) and I had Portugal in the log at 0621.

So, not too bad! Germany and Portugal at the bottom of 40. I guess I should head over there more often!

The reason I never liked going to the bottom 25 is my code speed isn't great. My thoughts have always been "if I am going to be an Extra I am going to operate like an Extra". So I would much rather be fluent with CW rolling along at 20-30wpm than be where I am with copying calls and signal reports only.

I find it is MUCH easier to run fast on CW when all you exchange is signal reports and call signs. On 6m I roll along at about 22wpm chasing grids, but when I sit back and ragchew I have to dial the key back to about 13-20wpm (depending on how much space I feel like leaving). Oh well, I will get up there eventually!

And, yes, the TS-2000 IS a better receiver. That said, the Inrad CW filter makes the FT-857D a MUCH MUCH better CW rig than originally. It reduces the swamping significantly, as well as the noise in the passband (bringing the measured noise floor down - in my case S9 noise to about S4, pulsing higher but not constant).

Just a quick side-note - the antenna I was using is a set of 1/4w fan radiators loaded up against the duct work in the house here. I bolted an SO-239 chassis to the mounting bracket holding an 8" vent duct to the rafters in the attic. I still don't have it all tuned up (I wrote a post a few weeks ago about this one, there is a TON of interaction between the radiators) so I used my cheater-box (or, "tuner"). Hey, it worked Portugal and Germany tonight!