This antenna is fed at the base of the vertical section by an SGC auto tuner. The vertical section is about 5m tall and the horizontal section about 7m long with both sections strung within some oak trees.
Had the opportunity today to check the Inverted L, the first time in a year. In the 14 years that this antenna has been in use, the insulator at the bend from vertical to horizontal has become almost fully embedded within the supporting tree branch. This insulator was free when installed, held to the tree by some Kevlar rope wrapped around the branch. In the 14 years, the branch has grown and almost taken the full insulator. See the following photo:
A bit difficult to see as the photo was taken into the sun, however only the hole for the wire and a small bit of the insulator body is still free. The main part of the body and the hole at the opposite end for the supporting rope has fully disappeared into the branch.
The following photo shows the horizontal section running to the tree at the end of the garden.
The wire almost rubs against the branch in the foreground, I wanted to check that the insulation has not been worn through, however it was in good condition. As can be seen, the wire is fully within the trees.
The following photo shows the auto tuner at the base of the vertical section.
This is an SGC model SG-230. This is the second one I have had since 1999. the first failed around 2002. The replacement has worked perfectly since.
The two yellow/green wires at the base of the tuner connect to a copper earth rod, from this a single wire runs under the earth beneath the horizontal section in the air.
This set-up was originally used by my TS2000 and now supports the FT2000. It supports operation on all bands between 80m and 10m which is very good for such a small system. Obviously performance is a very big compromise, however for a simple antenna that does not stand out in the garden it work really well.
No comments:
Post a Comment