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Re: [TowerTalk] ground plane problem help needed

To: towertalk <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] ground plane problem help needed
From: Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 9 Aug 2022 00:46:48 -0700
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
This is just the mounting base that I used.  Then I used some aluminum tubing I had (swaged so they fit into each other and clamped).  This was not a complete CB antenna.  As I said,  it was just the base for one and I added the vertical element (above the short piece in the mounting base).  I use the mount to bolt it to a wooden post about 5ft off the ground and run 1/4 wave radials (3 of them).  Since both base mounting sections were identical I was surprised at so much of a difference between the 2.  As I said,  the first one I used was resonant at 39mhz and this one is 13.5mhz.  Resistance from the center contact (on this second one) of the SO239 to ground is infinite (as it should be). Resistance from center conductor of SO239 to vertical element is zero (as it should be).  That is why I suspect there is a problem with the plastic used to insulate the vertical element from the mounting bracket.

Thank you.

Jim Pruitt
WA7DUY

On 8/8/2022 1:01 PM, Jim Rhodes wrote:
The antenna I modified did happen to be made by HyGain, if I remember correctly.  Someone gifted it to me when I lived in Lincoln when I was in school.  It was a long sucker, 5/8 wave on 11 meters.  First used it pretty much stock on 10 meters when first licensed, but decided there was more action on 20 so I shortened it to a 1/4 wave on 20.  There was a transformer in the base to match the impedance of the 5/8 wave, so the first thing I did was to remove it. Was only a round piece of pc board with a spiral etched on it about an inch in diameter.  They were only built to handle less than 20 watts.

On Mon, Aug 8, 2022 at 2:45 PM Jim W7RY <jimw7ry@gmail.com> wrote:

    As I said before. It's a choke.

    To provide a DC path to ground for static.

    73, Jim. W7RY

    On Mon, Aug 8, 2022, 2:05 PM Gene Smar via TowerTalk <
    towertalk@contesting.com> wrote:

    >  Jim WA7DUY:
    >      Are you attempting to get a ground-plane vertical operating
    as an
    > elevated 1/4WL antenna using that base?  Or are you
    ground-mounting the 20M
    > element using the base just to hold the element onto a ground stake?
    > Answering those questions will clarify for us what you're
    attempting to do.
    >      I have a similar 11M GP antenna from Radio Shack that I cut
    down by
    > 11 inches (radials, too) to operate on 10M back in the late
    70s.  I no
    > longer use it but it was easily found in my garage today.  I
    just now
    > measured the DC resistance of the base connections.  The SO-239
    center pin
    > to insulator set screw measures zero Ohms (as it should) on my
    el cheapo
    > VOM; it measures about an Ohm between the SO-239 threads and the set
    > screw.  So there is something there between the center conductor
    and the
    > mounting base; not sure what it is, though.
    >
    >
    > 73 deGene Smar  AD3F
    >
    > -----Original Message-----
    > From: Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@gmail.com>
    > To: towertalk@contesting.com
    > Sent: Mon, Aug 8, 2022 1:41 pm
    > Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] ground plane problem help needed
    >
    > As near as I can tell these were not HyGain verticals. The mount
    part
    > looks similar to them.  No, there is no choke anywhere.there is
    just the
    > black plastic insulator that the vertical part goes through at
    the top of
    > the bracket and another at bottom where the SO239 is located.
    >
    > Thank you
    > Jim Pruitt
    > WA7DUY
    >
    > On Mon, Aug 8, 2022, 4:32 AM Jim W7RY <jimw7ry@gmail.com> wrote:
    >
    > > Is there a choke between the ground plane and the center
    conductor?
    > > An ohm meter will confirm.
    > > Hygain was famous for that.
    > >
    > > 73, Jim w7ry
    > >
    > > On Mon, Aug 8, 2022, 12:26 AM Jim Pruitt <jpruitt67@gmail.com>
    wrote:
    > >
    > >> About 4 years ago I picked up 2 bottom sections of what I
    think were 11
    > >> meter ground planes.  The section looks like the bottom
    section for a
    > >> HyGain 18AVQ vertical or similar. The only difference is the
    mounting
    > >> flange has a plate that holds what looks like about ½"
    diameter ground
    > >> radials.  The issue I am having is that I used that mounting
    section to
    > >> make a 20 meter vertical.  Easy enough, right? WRONG.  I used
    mating
    > >> tubes to make the ¼ wave 20 meter vertical but it resonated
    at...ready
    > >> for this.... 39mhz!  Then I grabbed the second one and used
    it.  Now it
    > >> resonates at 13.5mhz but shortening the vertical does not
    bring the
    > >> frequency up.  I am wondering if perhaps someone (CBer maybe)
    ran way
    > >> too much power through them and broke down the dialectic of
    the plastic
    > >> (or whatever that is) insulator that isolates the vertical
    from the
    > >> mounting bracket and ground.  That is the only explanation I
    can come up
    > >> with as to why it is so far off.
    > >>
    > >> Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to fix the problem?
    > >>
    > >> Thank you.
    > >>
    > >> Jim Pruitt
    > >> WA7DUY
    > >> _______________________________________________
    > >>
    > >>
    > >>
    > >> _______________________________________________
    > >> TowerTalk mailing list
    > >> TowerTalk@contesting.com
    > >> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
    > >>
    > >
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Jim K0XU
jim@rhodesend.net
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