Hi All,
Here in the desert finding a tree for support can be problematic. Even when
you do find one, or two, they tend to be rather short and skimpy. Even when
trees are plentiful, they aren't always located conveniently. So, I more or
less solved my "portable" problem with a good collapsible pole (mine is a 40
ft. Wonderpole), and a relatively simple device that attaches to my trailer
hitch on my vehicle. This item slips into my hitch receiver, and provides a
vertically oriented cylinder that is about 2+ inches in diameter and a
little over 1 ft. long (tall). The Wonderpole just slips into the cylinder
and rests on the ground at the bottom. It's very sturdy, and so is the
Wonderpole.
Anyway, with this setup I can be up and running almost anywhere in 15
minutes or less. I can hang an inverted vee or EFHW on the pole, or just
use the pole as a vertical with wire running to the top. I know not
everyone has a trailer hitch, but it's a shame if you don't! Alternatively,
you can buy an attachment that does much the same thing as my trailer hitch
device, but has an extended base plate which you just park one of your
vehicle tires on top of. These "gadgets" are usually available at RV shows,
etc. You may have to pay $40 or $50 for one, but in my view they are worth
their weight in gold just to have the versatility/flexibility as to wherever
you happen to be located. This is all NOT a backpack setup, obviously, but
everything is easily transported.
As for the KX1, you have to remember that the ATU in that rig is rather
limited compared to other Elecraft tuners. It will do a good job in most
situations, but nothing like what you can do with the ATU's in the K3 or
KX3. So, be mindful of just how hard you are trying to make it work.
Adding, or maybe even subtracting, a little length on the radiator may be
all you have to do to make everything work. As others have cautioned, stay
away from half wave lengths unless you are doing something "balanced", or
have a matching network like for an EFHW. Also, since you are probably
trying to "multi-band", I recommend balanced feed line. Cebik's 44' and 88'
antennas are good choices, and I use them often. However, 80 meter results
with the 88' version, and 40 meter results with the 44' version, are less
than spectacular, and again, can be somewhat difficult to tune.
If you are looking for something really portable as far as antennas go,
check out what some of the SOTA guys are using--especially KT5X. Fred has
portability down to a science.
Dave W7AQK
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