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Random length wire for use with KX3

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Joseph Trombino, Jr

Random length wire for use with KX3

Howdy Gang:

Nice WX tomorrow for our neck of the woods (southeastern North Carolina) so I'm gonna take my KX3 out and play radio.

I have the internal tuner installed and am wondering if anyone has had success with a particular length of antenna wire with the tuner in the KX3??

I usually use a PAR EFHW for 40/20/10M but wanted to play with something different and also give the internal tuner a spin around the block.

So, what lengths of wire have been used successfully with the KX3??

Many thanks for any info....will be on the air shortly after lunch time...1800Z or 1900Z....will be looking for you around the QRP watering holes on CW.

73, Joe W2KJ
I QRP, therefore I am
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Calvin Jones

Re: Random length wire for use with KX3

Hi, this looked like a good article that talked about random wire lengths.

http://www.hamuniverse.com/randomwireantennalengths.html

I am interested in trying it out when my Kx3 arrives.

73's
KA7MAY

Sent from my iPad

On Nov 9, 2012, at 2:33 PM, "Joseph Trombino, Jr" <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Howdy Gang:
>
> Nice WX tomorrow for our neck of the woods (southeastern North Carolina) so I'm gonna take my KX3 out and play radio.
>
> I have the internal tuner installed and am wondering if anyone has had success with a particular length of antenna wire with the tuner in the KX3??
>
> I usually use a PAR EFHW for 40/20/10M but wanted to play with something different and also give the internal tuner a spin around the block.
>
> So, what lengths of wire have been used successfully with the KX3??
>
> Many thanks for any info....will be on the air shortly after lunch time...1800Z or 1900Z....will be looking for you around the QRP watering holes on CW.
>
> 73, Joe W2KJ
> I QRP, therefore I am
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

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M5FRA - Colin

Re: Random length wire for use with KX3

In reply to this post by Joseph Trombino, Jr

Joe,

this week I made a switchable 1:1/4:1 balun for the KX3. Tried it on a
20M EFHW and the internal tuner tuned it using the 4:1 setting. See
http://www.linkradio.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=232:balun-11-41-switchable&catid=11&Itemid=25

Colin - G8FRA/M5FRA

m5fra.org.uk <http://www.m5fra.org.uk>

------ Original Message ------
From: "Joseph Trombino, Jr" <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Sent: 09/11/2012 21:33:19
Subject: [Elecraft] Random length wire for use with KX3

>Howdy Gang:
>
>Nice WX tomorrow for our neck of the woods (southeastern North Carolina) so I'm gonna take my KX3 out and play radio.
>
>I have the internal tuner installed and am wondering if anyone has had success with a particular length of antenna wire with the tuner in the KX3??
>
>I usually use a PAR EFHW for 40/20/10M but wanted to play with something different and also give the internal tuner a spin around the block.
>
>So, what lengths of wire have been used successfully with the KX3??
>
>Many thanks for any info....will be on the air shortly after lunch time...1800Z or 1900Z....will be looking for you around the QRP watering holes on CW.
>
> 73, Joe W2KJ
> I QRP, therefore I am
>______________________________________________________________
>Elecraft mailing list
>Home:
>http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>Help:
>http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
>This list hosted by:
>http://www.qsl.net
>Please help support this email list:
>http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
>

af9w

Re: Random length wire for use with KX3

In reply to this post by Joseph Trombino, Jr

I've had pretty good luck using 2 40 foot wires. Either fed with a 1:1 balun and coax or with a BNC to banana jacks. Sometimes I put both wire ends up high like a V and sometimes I put one wire end up high the other on the ground or just above the ground. Tuner seems to be able to tune all the way from 80M - 10M. Sometimes if it doesn't want to tune, I shorten the ground side until it does by coiling the free end of the ground wire. I've used shorter wires when I only want to work 40M and below with good luck also. Just get some wire and mess with it until you find something you like.

Bob AF9W

On Nov 9, 2012, at 2:33 PM, Joseph Trombino, Jr wrote:

Bob Stephens AF9W

Chip Stratton

Re: Random length wire for use with KX3

In reply to this post by M5FRA - Colin

I have replaced a 25 foot with a 41 foot wire for the KX3. It runs to a
banana plug adapter from which I also spread out three 16 foot ground
radials. A 5 foot length of RG-59 runs from the KX3 to the banana adapter.
This is tuning to less than 2:1 SWR on all ham bands except 160m. I find 41
feet is not too long to get vertical into a tree. My former 25 foot wire
usually didn't match on a couple of bands.

73
Chip

On Fri, Nov 9, 2012 at 5:04 PM, M5FRA - Colin <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Joe,
>
> this week I made a switchable 1:1/4:1 balun for the KX3. Tried it on a
> 20M EFHW and the internal tuner tuned it using the 4:1 setting. See
>
> http://www.linkradio.it/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=232:balun-11-41-switchable&catid=11&Itemid=25
>
>
> Colin - G8FRA/M5FRA
>
> m5fra.org.uk <http://www.m5fra.org.uk>
>
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From: "Joseph Trombino, Jr" <[hidden email]>
> To: [hidden email]
> Sent: 09/11/2012 21:33:19
> Subject: [Elecraft] Random length wire for use with KX3
> >Howdy Gang:
> >
> >Nice WX tomorrow for our neck of the woods (southeastern North Carolina)
> so I'm gonna take my KX3 out and play radio.
> >
> >I have the internal tuner installed and am wondering if anyone has had
> success with a particular length of antenna wire with the tuner in the KX3??
> >
> >I usually use a PAR EFHW for 40/20/10M but wanted to play with something
> different and also give the internal tuner a spin around the block.
> >
> >So, what lengths of wire have been used successfully with the KX3??
> >
> >Many thanks for any info....will be on the air shortly after lunch
> time...1800Z or 1900Z....will be looking for you around the QRP watering
> holes on CW.
> >
> > 73, Joe W2KJ
> > I QRP, therefore I am
> >______________________________________________________________
> >Elecraft mailing list
> >Home:
> >http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> >Help:
> >http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> >Post: mailto:[hidden email]
> >
> >This list hosted by:
> >http://www.qsl.net
> >Please help support this email list:
> >http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> >
> >
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

Don Wilhelm-4

Re: Random length wire for use with KX3

In reply to this post by af9w

There is a reason for the 43 foot vertical - alternately the 44 foot
each side of center antenna advocated by Cebik (SK). It is not resonant
on any amateur band and the impedance range can be handled by most tuners.

So if you are putting up a vertical, I would recommend a 43 or 44 foot
antenna with a 43 or 44 foot radial (or several radials). If a dipole,
use 44 feet on each side of the antenna feedpoint. If you do not need
80 meter coverage, go for the 22 feet on each side of the dipole.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 11/9/2012 6:59 PM, Bob Stephens wrote:
> I've had pretty good luck using 2 40 foot wires. Either fed with a 1:1 balun and coax or with a BNC to banana jacks. Sometimes I put both wire ends up high like a V and sometimes I put one wire end up high the other on the ground or just above the ground. Tuner seems to be able to tune all the way from 80M - 10M. Sometimes if it doesn't want to tune, I shorten the ground side until it does by coiling the free end of the ground wire. I've used shorter wires when I only want to work 40M and below with good luck also. Just get some wire and mess with it until you find something you like.
>
>

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