You HAVE a 34A. Put it up with your dipoles. DON'T use old coax. Pay
attention to numerous articles about how to deal with
cleaning/preparing old beams, weather-proofing, burying, routing,
lightning protection, and baluns. Don't put up anything that is
rickety and will fall over on you or other valuable persons/things.
Then your success will depend *far* more on your operating skills.
Join a contesting club and learn from the best. (YCCC, FRC, SCCC,
PVRC, and dozens more, will welcome you with open arms.)
To figure out the dB equivalent of the op skills you will learn in the
contest clubs, use Guy's precise Op Skills to equivalent dB gain
conversion formula:
(You - Lid)/(SuperOp - Lid) x 28.2 dB.
To figure out how you stand in the crowd and how much antenna gain and
amplifier power you need to compensate for an op skill differential,
use the variant formula:
(Them - Lid)/(SuperOp - Lid x 28.2 db.
... and compare the You and Them results.
(28.2 factor guaranteed accurate to +/- 1/2 db.)
Remember, a SuperOp at W3LPL is probably going to clean your clock. A
lid at W3LPL is just a LOUD Lid. (Last is highly theoretical, as not
sure Frank allows 'em on the property.)
On Thu, 07 Oct 1999 13:54:46 -0700, you wrote:
>
>Hello All!
>
>All this talk of antennas is making me nervous as to "WHAT I SHOULD BE
>PUTTING UP!!"
>
>I have a KLM KT-34A (not the XA) and planned on using that along with some
>dipoles for hf and a 2mtr beam and omni for vhf/uhf. As some have put it,
>I don't want to sell the "family farm" to fund my passion for radio nor do
>I want to! I don't need to be a big gun as I enjoy chasing DX, SWLing, and
>ragchewing with my cronies. I plan on running a "barefoot" station so gain
>and ears are important to me but I don't want some 30 plus footer towering
>over me during a spring/fall icestorm or summer windstorm here in WI.
>
>Adding some more fuel to this antenna fire...it's been interesting
>though...what's the consensus on the KT-34A that I have relating to other
>antennas out there that are of similar size and around the 6sqr ft. mark.
>Yes..$ is also a factor!! This will be a new tower and all appearing
>sometime next spring/early summer.
>
>Thanks for the advice and keep the great discussions or should I say
>debates going!!!
>
>
>'73 all
>
>Mike K0NWA
> mdunlap@pressenter.com
>
>
--. .-..
73, Guy
Guy Olinger, K2AV
k2av@contesting.com
Apex, NC, USA
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