Simple Ham Radio Antennas

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  I'll return to my diet after I eat the traditional feast of turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries, assorted vegetable, and some pumpkin dessert.  I walked an extra 2 miles today to compensate for my once a year indulgence.  I know, what I consume will take a marathon run to erase.  I'll try to limit my portions--at least that's the idea anyway. Among the articles I read over the past few days, were some of the comments from hams living in CC &  R and otherwise restrictive environments.  E-ham.net's antenna forum contains several interesting articles that may prove useful to those of us challenged by our lack of real estate.  One operator whose call escapes me at the moment mentioned his successful use of the MFJ-1622 Apartment Antenna that allows coverage from 40 through 2 meters.  The antenna is described on page 69 of MFJ's 2012 Ham Catalog.  The antenna consists of a sturdy clamp for attachment, a "bug catcher" loading co

Today is a solemn day for those who call a radio newsroom home.  Nine years ago today I was on the early shift (in Hawaii) when the World Trade Center was hit by aircraft, re- sulting in the loss of approximately 3,000 lives. From that day forward, nothing in this nation remained unchanged.  I'll leave the diatribes and finger pointing to others, but to me, the event reinforced the need to be prepared, both in protecting our communities and in keeping amateur radio communications intact.  Since that awful day almost a decade ago, I've tried to have backup plans in place for the shack-- reserve power, spare rigs, extra wire, tools, and reference material. I've also kept a supply of food, medical supplies, fuel for the car, and money on hand just in case the integrated society we inhabit comes apart.  Preparation, training, and a positive attitude can go a long way in maintaining your sanity in a world that appears to have lost all reason and a sense of re

'Back again after another exciting week in the KKBG-FM KHLO-AM news room.  Never a dull moment around here with more than enough oil spills, intrigue, and local corruption to cast forth on the airwaves. ' Sort of makes me glad to close shop and go back to the ole Swan 100-MX for some cw therapy.  I just finished reading an interesting series by Eric Nichols, KL7AJ, on "Plasma Physics for the Radio Amateur, I-IV."  This series is pretty good stuff, fully understandable, and easy to apply to one's current antenna situation.  You can find the series at hrrp://www.eham.com.  My antenna activities are doing well, with another vertical antenna modification in the works.  This time around the Smith Chart, I'll be building a vertical dipole for the 20- meter band.  I'll use my old 33' MFJ fiberglass mast for the project. 'Should be fun.  Meanwhile, under the house 40-meter loop is doing well as a NVIS antenna.  The loop also does a pretty