A couple of years ago I designed this antenna which had the good property of substantial low elevation gain and the model generated consistent and predictable 4NEC2 results. The wire that it would replace was already "pretty good" so it's taken two years to decide to build it. But I always had the feeling that [...]
Author: Gary Rondeau
A Pull-up Bamboo Moxon Antenna for 20m
As much as I love all of the wires up in my trees, I've come to realize that a little real gain and directivity would be nice. However, my trees are really in the way for a a typical tower and a beam antenna, so I am left to consider what resources I have and [...]
Bees, Bears, and a Honey Flow
June 1st is a pretty good date to pick for the beginning of the main honey flow in our area. There are early nectar sources such as Big Leaf Maples, Dandelions, and fruit trees which come earlier, but the weather is not yet cooperative and the hives are not as developed yet. By June 1st [...]
COVID-19 No End in Sight
Oregon is one of the states with the lowest per capita COVID-19 infection rates. However, despite our best efforts, we are still seeing about 50 new cases per day (down only a little from a high of about 70 cases per day five weeks ago). Nothing much has changed for the last two or three [...]
COVID-19 Leadership Matters – A Tale of Two States
The response to the COVID-19 crisis has varied from state to state depending on the perceived need for aggressive action and depending on political considerations in our divided nation. As a result, the United States offers 50 simultaneous experiments in epidemiological response, often with dramatically different initial conditions, such as the high population density and [...]
Quick COVID-19 Math
Due to the scarcity of tests across the country, hospitals usually only test those cases that they need to admit to the hospital. The hospitals are not testing the majority of people complaining of symptoms, nor the many possibly infected asymptomatic people. We need to keep this fact in mind when looking at the statistics [...]
Planting Pacifies Pandemic Panic
The cognitive disconnect is extreme. Beautiful March sunshine, flowers in bloom, the bees, buzzing in anticipation of a new season. Shuttered businesses, empty grocery shelves, shelter-in-place orders and lock-downs around the country, all in preparation for the onslaught of an invisible enemy. A liar in chief tries to turn a catastrophe to his personal advantage. [...]
Modeling Baluns and Transformers with NEC Codes
Antenna modelers are often left with a question about how to handle baluns and impedance matching devices when using the NEC codes. Often we just ignore all of the feed nonsense and place the source right on the antenna wire to find the pattern, drive impedance, etc. You can also just reflect the driving impedance [...]
The Climate Train Wreck – A Review 2019
After decades of complacency, climate change is rearing its ugly head and people are taking notice. Political will, if not quite yet possible, is nigh, so it is time to make an overall climate assessment. Let's see where we are, where we are going, and what we can do about it. Our global response to [...]
Coax, Connections, Calculations, Coils and CATV Cable
I've been using a spool of RG-6 CATV cable of dubious quality for quite a while as my go-to source of antenna feed line because I happened to have the spool in my junk collection. Using the 75 Ω cable got me thinking about why we care what impedance the cable is and how matching [...]
