something new, but not under the sun

[Mike Morrow-3]

There are a number of documents that describe the U.S. Army in Vietnam
using the hand-crank-generator-powered, all vacuum tube, Morse only,
10-watt AN/GRC-109 HF station with a buried antenna.  Here's a description
of a long-wire antenna in bambo tubes, 18 inches below ground:

 http://books.google.com/books?id=PxFh1CQe5R4C&pg=PA53&dq=AN/GRC-109

(Pictures of this set are at http://www.ohio.edu/people/postr/bapix/GRC109.htm
 The last Army contract for this set was 1969.)

If it worked using a low power transmitter in such a critical application,
I suspect that it would be worth a try for ham hobby purposes.

Mike / KK5F
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[k6dgw]

Only one data point and admittedly anecdotal:  My team and I had a
mobile troposcatter site on the coast of what was then South Vietnam.
We were on a sand dune and had a GRA-4 fan dipole for our HF in-country
and unit nets [KWM-2A].  Typhoon comes thru, blows down the dipole [and
our tents], and covers the wires [and all our gear and us] with sand.
TJ wipes down the KWM-2A's, turns them back on, and our HQ is calling
us.  He answers, and gets a "good and readable".

So, at least once, a wire antenna seemed to work fine buried under
15-30cm of sand.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2011 Cal QSO Party 1-2 Oct 2011
- www.cqp.org
On 6/12/2011 11:31 AM, Mike Morrow wrote:
> There are a number of documents that describe the U.S. Army in Vietnam
> using the hand-crank-generator-powered, all vacuum tube, Morse only,
> 10-watt AN/GRC-109 HF station with a buried antenna.  Here's a description
> of a long-wire antenna in bambo tubes, 18 inches below ground:
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[stan levandowski]

We need a government-funded study to evaluate the potential harmful
effects of RF heating on earthworms first.
Remember Kevin Bacon in the movie "Tremors" ... this could be dangerous
stuff in the hands of "amateurs"
;)

Stan WB2LQF

>
> So, at least once, a wire antenna seemed to work fine buried under
> 15-30cm of sand.
>


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