Last summer I put up a 1-wave sloper for 20 Meters. Maybe I should start
off by saying that I have HATED 20 meters for the last 25 years.
However, having a little gain, and some directivity may change my
mind...
My yard is about 225-feet long, and steps from a 160-foot road frontage
to 90-feet about 1/2 of the way back. I can put up all sorts of long,
skinny antlers, so the 1-wave sloper, loosly based on the "Super-Sloper"
in the December 1995 (???) QST was the antler of choice.
During the CW Swweps this last November, I realized that I was on 20 more
than 40, a real change for me. Also, I have been working 20 CW on a
"random" basis more than the past. Surprisingly, I am making contacts,
and enjoying myself on the band. The frosting on the cake was this
weekend...
It seems that, of my 18 QSO's on the FYBO FD, 13 of them were on 20
Meters, and it was a case of "I called, and they came back..." Later
this weekend, it was 8 QSO's on 20 and 2 QSO's on 40 for the CQC QRP
Test and the same quick answers. Saturday's performance made me think
that a dipole, up in the clear, and aligned for the Left Coast would be
good, so I strung one up, 35-feet up, broadside to the Coasts. The
1-Wave sloper beat it hands down. Every time that I threw the switch,
the Sloper won.
Folks, it's hard to beat results like that, and the antenna is the
simplest "gain" antenna I have EVER had.
For those that didn't catch the thread on this before, the Sloper is
1-wave long, or 68 feet @ 14.1 MHz. The feedpoint is 1/4-wave from the
high end, or 16.5 feet. The high end is about 25 feet up, and the low
end is high enough to not get run into while I am out in the back yard
(about 7.5 feet) The end insulators are nylon chalk-line, about 5 feet
at the top, and about 10 feet at the bottom, so the total overall
installation is 83 feet, which happens to be the distance from the
corner of the house, next to the shack window to the back corner of the
barn. It is fed with RG-8X, directly, no balun or other lossy junk, and
the SWR is about 1.5:1 at 14.1, rising to 2:1 at 14.35...
I don't care what it looks like on the modelling. It works, and it's
better than the dipole at 35'...
One will be in the trunk with me when I travel this year, along with the
Argo 556...
See ya on 20!
72/73, Keith, WB2VUO, QRP-L #582, scQRP 40, Tech Specialist (ARRL/WNY),
ARRL Life Member, VP/BARK, Beacon Chaircritter, Rochester VHF Group
Trustee, KB2YTW/B 10 Mtr QRPp Beacon (250 mW @ 28.2870 MHz)
"In the Depths of the Great Bergen (NY) Swamp...FN13ac"
Packet - wb2vuo@w2im.#wny.ny.usa.noam
Email - wb2vuo@juno.com
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