Simple Ham Radio Antennas

'Just about ready to wrap up a week in the KKBG-FM/ KHLO-AM news room.  I've had sufficient excitement for the week with all of the stories on the oil spill, the Middle East crisis, and assorted local crime stories The weekend news shift begins on Saturday, but that shift is only for half-a-day, so the hours won't be too bad.  At least I have an enjoyable job.  Field Day beckons on 26/27 June--an event I will probably miss since I'm working the drag races that day.  I'll probably operate a bit from the home station, running 1E (emergency power).  While I was reading the eham.net site today, I found two Field Day articles that may prove useful to you or your radio club:  "900 Watt Generator for Field Day" by Mike Higgins, K6AER and "How to Come Back After Field Day" by Keith Wood, K1LDS.  Both articles contain some good, basic information.  Have a good weekend.  Aloha from Hawaii Island. KH6JRM.

This has been a fairly calm Saturday in the KKBG-FM and KHLO-AM news room.  I need a quiet day now and then.  Other than the Middle East crisis and the Gulf oil spill, things are alright. My deepest sympthies to our Gulf of Mexico friends--what a gawsh awful mess, both ecologically and economically.  With all this going on, the hurricane season has just begun. The station has been keeping Big Islanders informed on what to do and how to prepare themselves for what is expected to be an active storm season.  With that in mind, how well prepared are you? When I get home after my shift, I'll make sure all batteries are charged, spare antennas made, and the generator fully fueled.  I've got a good stock of food and the ole Tercel is topped off in fuel. Hopefully, the storms will miss you.  Have a good weekend. Aloha from the Big Island. 73. KH6JRM.

Now that the Memorial Day celebrations are over, I can return to some degree of "normalcy" at the KKBG-FM/KHLO-AM news room.  Of course, normal has all kinds of meaning in the news business, ranging from the usual crimes, crises, and weather changes to the bizarre stuff that crops up during the day. You wou't believe the number of strange calls I get before, during, and after holidays.  Anyway, I'll be able to squeeze in a few hours of operating this weekend.  Time at the old Swan 100 MX will provide the needed atitude adjustment from the near crisis mode that grips the news cycle.  On the docket for this weekend is further work on the 20- meter vertical dipole and minor repairs to the under the house loop that does the majority of local con- tacts.  I really enjoy getting out in the back yard and working with wire and portable masts.  I don't know if I'll be working with the Big Island Amateur Radio Club during the upcoming Field Day event. 

Things are quiet at the KKBG-FM/KHLO-AM news room on this Memorial Day.  I just finished an exciting 2 days at the Hilo Drag Strip where the Big Island Auto Club celebrated the 40th edition of the Memorial Day Drags.  The station has broadcast coverage of the drag racing season for 27 years and that falls under my job description.  Extensive use of the FRS (family radio service) and MURS (multi use radio service) is used at the track to maintain contact with the tower, pit areas, drivers, security, and track crew.  Low power UHF FRS radios (0.5 watt TPO) and VHF MURS radios (2 watts TPO) give those of us in the tower a good 1.5 to 2.0 mile range.  The track also has a legal, 100mw AM station for the fans, who can tune in on the tower chatter at 1610 kHz. The 8' whip is on top of the tower and gives a decent signal out to a mile.  My reports are cell-phoned to the station (4 miles away) for broadcast.  Racing fans may want to get a good hand-held scanner and follow

Another week at the KKBG-FM/KHLO-AM news room is just about over.  There has been plenty of events to keep this new hound busy--from that BP oil leak to the latest crisis in the Middle East.  After the morning shift, I'm more than ready to head for the shack for some quality radio time.  The 20- meter vertical dipole is working well.  The antenna is supported by a 31-foot "jackite" mast and fed with 450-ohm balanced line.  I've put a bit of top and bottom loading to compensate for the short- ness of each element (about 1 1/2 feet).  The dipole fees well and the old Drake MN-4 seems to match everything up.  The antenna is usable on 20, 15, and 10 meters.  The performance on 40 leaves a lot to be desired, but I have a separate 40 meter vertical elsewhere in the yard, so that band is not a problem.  Getting on 80 meters is a tad difficult from my postage stamp lot, but perhaps I can erect a homebrew vertical helix tuned for 80 meters to take care of th