T H E 6 T H F L O O R

Life in 6 Land

Tag Archives: 6-BTV

Time to Sell?

It was a rather quick decision to buy looking back on it. I had moderate success with the ground mounted Hustler 6-BTV I purchased from DX Engineering in 2007. I figured I could do better with a bigger antenna, which also meant more expensive antenna. Sometimes that logic is right, other times questionable. When I compared antennas to replace my 6BTV I looked at about 3 other options, but the one that rose above the rest was the SteppIR BigIR.

I spent time reading the manual and reviews of the performance of the antenna and thought it was the antenna for me. Now, some 12 months later I am beginning to have my doubts. I have not been completely happy with the purchase since it arrived. It was a rash decision I made, dropped a good chuck of change on the vertical, 80M coil and a 1:1 balun, not to mention the control cable and another cable to connect to my Yaesu.

I have said this before, but I don’t fault SteppIR, it’s a quality product, but currently it is not in the most optimal of areas. That being my backyard, which is limited in terms of space to run effect ground radials. Sure, I can still get out, but at what it cost me I could have bought something else for half the price and been just as happy I think.

So now I am considering selling the BigIR, hopefully to someone local in order to save on shipping costs. I figure I will toss an $800-$900 price tag on the entire setup, which would require me to dig up the backyard again in order to get the control cable out (100′ I believe). Not sure what I want as a replacement and I doubt it will be any better than what the BigIR has done. Considering the current solar conditions and ground radial situation I would say I have done a good job on the vertical. But could I do better?

I have begun looking at those 43′ verticals. Not sure if this is really needed or if I would see an improvement in my signal if I had an antenna tuner at the base of the vertical. Currently, the Yaesu FT-1000MP’s internal ATU cannot tune the entire 80M band, so I am limited at times on how low I can operate. These verticals and I have been looking at the one from DXE seem to be nothing more than a hollow, tapered aluminum tube with a balun and antenna tuner at the base.

I need something to get me on 30-80M and possibly 160M. Mainly for 40Mand 80M during contests is what I am after. The hex holds its own on 10-20M, but I have some issues when the sun goes down and I must move to the vertical. I am keeping my options open. Unlike the purchase of the SteppIR, this won’t be a rash decision. If I can get what I want to ask for it then I could get an all new vertical setup with an antenna tuner.

Perfect 10?

Okay, so 10M has been not been perfect, but I have really enjoyed the ARRL 10-Meter Contest this weekend. I did work some contacts last year in this same contest when I was running 100 watts into a 6BTV. This year has been another story. Thanks in part to the hex beam and amp I have currently logged 65 QSOs in about 3.5 hours over the course of 2 days. I expect to get 2 hours when I get home today and hopefully hit my magic number of 100!

While sunspots continue to scarce, propagation has been fairly good when working CW and SSB on 10M for me. I was not really sure what to expect, but thanks to joining the NCCC I believe many of the members participating have provided some of the interest for me to “get involved.” Sure, being a little pistol station can be frustrating at times, but I have not had that feeling during this contest. Much like 7QP or Sweepstakes, the has been an enjoyment I have felt, unlike that in some of the other contests I have participated in.

Burned Up: Follow Up

I got some time yesterday to tilt down the 6-BTV and see the extent of the burn damage. The best I can tell the 20M trap is fine, but the cap and silicon inside the cap were burnt, with the plastic melting a whole through the entire trap cap. Not much damage. As for the cause, talking to KX5JT it was probably arcing caused by too much power. I usually tune up with less than 100 watts driving the amp, but I can’t remember if I did this prior to using the amp when I last made a QSO.

I want to get the 6-BTV back up and in line for the upcoming CQWW WPX -CW Contest, which is at the end of the month. I doubt the BigIR will be available at the end of May, so I will run one more contest with the 6-BTV before I dismantle it. I did find a wonderful site from AE1Z and his experience ordering and installing his BigIR, so I have been frequenting his site lately.

I plan on installing the vertical where the existing one is. Problems with that, first is the 4 foot metal pole I have driven into the ground in order to mount the 6-BTV. This post will have to be removed. The second issue, the 50 radials I currently have in place. I plan on replacing 16 of the radials, which are currently only 7′ long on the north side of the radial plate. I hope to double this length, maybe get them a bit longer. It will be interesting since I will have to dig under my fence in order to get them longer. I am debating about running 4-6 of them in an east-west orientation off the north portion of the radial plate in excess of 40-60 feet. Again, I will have to see what problems his could potentially cause.

The mounting pole is 24″ in length for the BigIR, with 8-10″ sticking out in order to mount the the vertical to. I will be looking at a concrete form tube for mounting purposes and some electrical conduit in order to run the necessary cables to the shack. The post and cables should arrive by the weekend, but I won’t consider the install until after the WPX contest.

Look forward the fun and thrill of the BigIR. Will report back as we make progress.

Burned Up

Not sure of the when and how, but I noticed some burn marks on my Hustler 6-BTV above the 20M trap this morning. Guess I should have taken a closer look last night when I noticed one of the guy wires on the ground. What I didn’t realize was this wire was burned off, but didn’t realize it until I went outside this morning to reguy is.

Trying to pinpoint when this could of happened as I only operated for about 10 minutes last night, calling CQ on 20M and a quick QSO with KH6QR. I will have to open up the 20M trap and see if there is any scorching in there. I also think I see some burning at the base. *sigh* Guess there was a reason to look for an upgrade on the 6-BTV with the SteppIR BigIR.

More information when I pull the antenna down…

Handicapped by…

There is a saying the amateur radio community that money is best spent in upgrading your antenna. This can be an investment as little or as much as you want. That is a great aspect of ham radio. If you have some trees and wire, you are set! Of course some (like myself) tend to buy antennas as opposed to experiment with antennas. Nothing wrong with either approach, but if learning is to occur then a “home brewed” antenna cannot be beat!

As for my station I have some very substantial upgrades so far in 2009, both of which I did not expect to happen so quick, being on HF since 2007. But when a good deal came I my way I could not pass it up. I upgraded my Icom IC-718 to a Yaesu FT-1000MP, once a top contesting rig, well proven and full of mods and filter, courtesy of N6RO. Just a few months ago I inherited a ETO Alpha 76PA linear amplifier. Another quality piece of hardware that I NEVER thought I would see in my day.

Both additions have a learning curve I am still working with on a nightly basis. For the layman, the rig has more knobs and dials and gizmos than my previous rig, which allows me to do more in order to receive a signal. The amp allows for a 100w input and in return can pump out close to 2kW!!! Power!!!

Unfortunately I am now handicapped by my antenna, a Hustler 6-BTV. It has been a very solid performer since it was erected with some additional parts purchased through DX Engineering. After laying 50 radials and tuning for resonance (as opposed to VSWR) the antenna performs average given the circumstances and limitations I have.

To date I have confirmed 49 states and 34 countries, the latest coming last night working ZF2ZB down in Grand Cayman. 34 countries with an average antenna setup. Not too bad, I am setting my sights for 100 by the end of the year on the 6-BTV. But how do I go about improving the antenna situation?

As mentioned the main limitations are the homeowner’s association and the CC&Rs I must abide by. Thankfully I have already got an exemption for the 6BTV at 24′ and even the one lady who was opposed to the proposal is okay with it now. So I do have the HOA on my side to some degree. But what are my options?

When we purchased the house I cut down the two eucalyptus trees we had, which now leaves the back yard without any real vertical component, except for the roof line of the house, which is about 35′ high. Wires or a combination might be the only option I have running in a sloping, inverted vee of the middle of the house down to the corner of the fence. Will it work? Dunno. Experiment is part of the hobby, I will have to give it a try.

Buy a new vertical? This has really been on my mind, a Big SteppIR would be great at 32′ it is just a bit higher than the current setup. The other vertical would be a Bencher Butternut HF9V (26′) or even a ZeroFive Antennas Ground Plane Vertical (21′) I would approach the HOA for their “approval” before raising anything new. They might go for it, I don’t know. I have yet to receive any sort of complaint about the antenna or interference from my radios. Both big pluses.

So I will read the reviews and the installation instructions and hopefully make a well informed decision on what to put up in place of the 6BTV.