Simple Antennas for Amateur Radio Operators--a continuing series
ANOTHER SIMPLE ANTENNA While I was reading the 13th edition of the ARRL's "Hints and Kinks for the Radio Amateur (copyright 1992)," I came across an interesting article by J.A. Ciciarelli, WB3DDM, on strain relief for coaxial cables. It wasn't the excellent suggestion of using garden hose or automotive heater hose to reduce strain on the coax that caught my eye, but rather the type of antenna he chose for his operation. Apparently, WB3DDM prefers to use long-wire antennas in the inverted -vee configuration. According to J.A., " I feed the antennas 1/4 wavelength from one of the leg ends so that I can use coax transmission lines (each leg is an odd multiple of a 1/4 wavelength). Thus, the feed point is not at the apex, but along one of the sloping legs. This arrangement frequently creates a sharp bend at the coaxial connector." And so enters his idea of using hose to relieve some of the strain. The process is illustrated on page ...