[aprssig] Need help testing 30m HF APRS in the Northwest

[Ray McKnight]

Indoor antennas seldom work well.
Even a poor improvised outdoor antenna usually works better
than something mounted indoors.  A dipole in a L configuration
is likely quite mismatched.  If at all possible try mounting it as an
inverted V, but it sounds like your L is necessitated due to
the size and shape of the room.  Remember, a dipole radiates
off the sides.  If even only temporarily, get it outside and up
off the ground 15-20 ft and broadside to WA or CA and see
what happens.  Not sure what a "RED LED SWR bridge" is,
sounds like some CB contraption that blinks when the SWR is
supposedly too high, wouldn't trust it as far as I could throw it.
Put a real meter on it.  There shouldn't be any need for a Z or
any other match if the antenna is cut to the correct length and
mounted correctly, away from things that detune it, high enough
(1/2 wave or better) off the ground.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ben Jackson" <ben at ben.com>
To: "TAPR APRS Mailing List" <aprssig at lists.tapr.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 30, 2006 21:32
Subject: Re: [aprssig] Need help testing 30m HF APRS in the Northwest


> On Sun, Jul 30, 2006 at 09:11:33PM -0700, Ray McKnight wrote:
> > You've made no comments as to what your antenna is and how it's mounted.
>
> It's an L-shaped dipole, indoors.  It's not quite half wavelength,
> more like 48% since I couldn't tune it when it was exactly 1/2.
> The L points southeast, which is probably the worst direction based
> on known digis.
>
> It's tuned with a modified Z-match using a "red LED SWR bridge".
>