I am tending to lean towards the fan box loop as it looks nothing like an antenna as the last thing I want are the condo cops coming after me. This unit is not really made for rain and is "portable" meaning I will have to take it in and out when using it. As for the 1788 it sure is more money but it covers more bands and is built better and I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for! So my delema is which antenna to go for.......
The 1780 fan box
1. It is cheaper but that may not be a good thing
2. It looks nothing like an antenna.
3. Very portable so small footprint.
BUT
1. Only covers from 14-30 meters
2. Not good in bad weather due to housing construction.
3. Has to be taken in and out.
The 1788
1. Covers from 15-40 meters
2. Solid construction
3. Able to be left outdoors year around.
BUT
1. The cost is more.
2. It looks like an antenna
3. May be hard to hide and hiding it may affect it's preformance.
Some exciting news regarding my signal getting out in this concrete jungle!
I was able to get the loop out and in the horizontal position and it worked great! The receive was very good and I was able to finally get spotted on the RBN. This are only U.S spots but with 5 watts and up to this point batting ZERO in the spot dept I am thrilled to see that my signal is getting out. Now I just have to fine tune things. At this point I have not tried WSPR but now that the horizontal position seems to work that is my next step to see how I do using WSPR.
rows to show:
showing spots for DX call: VE3WDM
search spot by callsign |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| de | dx | freq | cq/dx | snr | speed | time |
| W8WWV |  VE3WDM | 7016.9 | CW CQ [LoTW] | 7 dB | 23 wpm | 2305z 13 Dec |
| NY3A | VE3WDM | 7016.9 | CW CQ [LoTW] | 9 dB | 23 wpm | 2305z 13 Dec |
| WZ7I | VE3WDM | 7016.9 | CW CQ [LoTW] | 10 dB | 23 wpm | 2304z 13 Dec |
| W2MKM | VE3WDM | 7016.9 | CW CQ [LoTW] | 11 dB | 23 wpm | 2304z 13 Dec |
| K1TTT | VE3WDM | 7016.9 | CW CQ [LoTW] | 10 dB | 23 wpm | 2304z 13 Dec |
| W3LPL | VE3WDM | 7031.9 | CW CQ [LoTW] | 1 dB | 23 wpm | 2255z 13 Dec |
| K1TTT | VE3WDM | 7032.0 | CW CQ [LoTW] | 8 dB | 23 wpm | 2255z 13 Dec |
| WZ7I | VE3WDM | 7031.9 | CW CQ [LoTW] | 8 dB | 23 wpm | 2255z 13 Dec |
| WE9V | VE3WDM | 7031.9 | CW CQ [LoTW] | 6 dB | 23 wpm | 2255z 13 Dec |
| W8WWV | VE3WDM | 7032.0 | CW CQ [LoTW] | 8 dB | 23 wpm | 2255z 13 Dec |
| W4KKN | VE3WDM | 7031.9 | CW CQ [LoTW] | 4 dB | 23 wpm | 2254z 13 Dec |
| NY3A | VE3WDM | 7031.9 | CW CQ [LoTW] | 9 dB | 23 wpm | 2254z 13 Dec |
10 comments:
Mike,
I would get the 1788 and hang a plant off of it, then it would look less like a antenna:-)
Mike AD5A
Good evening Mike, Yes there is lots you can do with the 1788 to hide it...just have to be creative.
Mike
At least you got your signal out Mike. I would definitely go for the MFJ-1788 as it covers 15-40 meters (not MHz!). If you want to do 10m you can easily brew a small invisible antenna yourself. Good luck, 73, Bas
Good morning Bas, yes it was great new to see my signal on the RBN and I have changed from Mhz to meters....not sure what I was thinking.
Mike
Hi Mike, that's the solution, never give up experimenting. With the horizontal polarization you can finally transmit with results. A MFJ loop crossed my mind, maybe next year, though still a pricey antenna. 73 Paul
Good evening Paul, thanks for the reply and I am not one to give up! This is a pricy antenna for sure but I do have some left over money in my paypal account that will cover most of the cost.
Mike
Glad you can get your RF emitted from there. Hope you'll manage to improve your antenna situation. Cheers
Hello Mike,
I get the feeling there's a lot of "steel" in the building construction. I lived in a 30 unit apartment complex once and had to put the Isotron on a "painters pole" and raise it above the steel structure before I could radiate properly.
The balcony might be the thing necessary for success?
That's sure the plan but it's slow and easy as I want to get the right antenna and camouflage.
Mike
Good evening John and nice to hear from you, yes there is lots of steel and concrete for sure. It seems the balcony is the only way to go with getting my signal out.
Mike
Post a Comment