Antenna for Flex 6600 Radio?

Rufus

Getting back into HF after many years of absence. My new 6600 shipped & now I am thinking about antennas for it. I have already ordered a flagpole for one of them. Was thinking about an end feed wire ant using an ATU/Balun combo for the second. I can run the wire outside my house and into big oaks trees I have.

Any recommndations for write, ATU, BALUN combinations?

73
KG4ASZ

Joe N3HEE

Take a look at the end fed half wave antenna. It uses a 49:1 impedance matching transformer connected to a half wave length of wire. These antennas are resonant on many bands without needing an ATU. Commercially available from many sources. Homebrew friendly if you want to build one yourself.

I've used one for the past year with great results. It's configured as an inverted L with apex at 50 feet. I feed it directly with 200 feet of RG8-X coax. I also use it on 160 meters by simply bypassing the transformer. In my case I use a 4 foot ground rod at the base with 30 long radials for use on 160 meters. For 80-10 meters you can simply use the ground rod without radials. I've made thousands of contacts with that antenna over the past year !

Joe

N3HEE

John KB4DU

So much of this is depends on the space available and the configuration of the shack and potential supports. Every antenna will radiate all the power fed into it. The configuration of the antenna affects the pattern of the radiation, along with nearby objects, ground conductivity an terrain.

I think a major mistake many hams make is waiting for the rig to arrive. Then in haste to get on the air, a wire is thrown out a window, with disappointing results.

Wire antennas give the most signal/dollar. It’s not hard to put up a dipole. It is hard to put up an antenna that works better than a dipole. An end fed is really still a dipole, just a little harder to feed. An external tuner will allow an adequate match over a broad frequency range.

I have a fan dipole cut for 75/40 meters, and use a tuner to operate it on all the other bands except 160.

Mike Steventon

For a long time I used dipoles, fan or otherwise. My present QTH limits me in dimensions, so I have opted for an End-Fed Halfway for 40m with 49:1 UNUN and a 8ft earth ground-rod (took some getting in but I did it!). The end of the antenna has a 110uH coil and about 2.5m wire, which allows it to be tuned reasonably well onto 80 Metres. Vertical section about 25ft high then horizontal for the rest. Using a very robust fibreglass telescopic from Moonraker to hold up the vertical bit. As John says, get a good ATU to easy-tune the antenna on frequencies that do not match too well.

73 de Mike G4GWH

Mike Steventon

ps. if you opt for and end-fed, I suggest you invest in a couple of Common Mode Chokes, one at the feed-point, and one on the transceiver side of the ATU, to mitigate rfi problems. Works well for me.

Mike-VA3MW

If you go the EFHW route, there is a bit of RF Physics you have to be aware of, and there is lots of discussions online regarding them.

You will need to choke the feedline at least 1/2 wave from your lowest operating frequency as the feedline is part of the antenna, or, provide a counterpoise wire at the feed point and then a choke on the feedline at the feed point. (I think I have that correct). This keeps RF from the places you don't want it.

Mr Radio

OM Rufus,

Palomar Engineers manufacture good quality products. Another firm worth looking at is balundesigns.

Their websites provide information about suggested antenna lengths and installation.

Tom

https://palomar-engineers.com/antenna-products/

WX7Y

Yes, Palomar Engineering Manufactures is great stuff, probably some of the best store bought stuff around.

I always have to build my own how ever to handle the power that the PGXL can output on high duty cycle modes.

The Palomar 7K's baluns are nice , I have had to modifiy the 9:1 Baluns I bought because of some issues I had with heating between the plastic case and connections melting and the connections getting looser and looser with the plastic melting out from under the wire connections by Soldering and double nutting everything so getting rid of every connection that compressed direct to plastic and have a great metal to metal solid connection.

The Balun them selves are top notch, just cost me a little more money to replace the plastic electrical box after it got really melted and about caught fire, a few longer screws, more stainless nuts and star washers, Oh and installed a Plastic Vent in the new box.

NOW NOTHING gets over heated and zero loose connections.

Always remember all manufactures really OVER rate their Balun's and are for Intermittent duty cycle so for 1500 Watt AMP's like the PGXL you want no less then a 5K to 7K store bought Balun.

At my shack Common mode chokes are a MUST have so for 80 Meters and up bands I use 8 Mix31 beads and for 160 Meters I use 16 Beads over the Coax Cables.

This is all just my opinion and the way I build MY stations and just hit Delate if you don't find this useful.

Mr Radio

OM Rufus,

Palomar Engineers manufacture good quality products. Another firm worth looking at is balundesigns.

Their websites provide information about suggested antenna lengths and installation.

Tom

https://palomar-engineers.com/antenna-products/

Rufus

Thank you for the comments. I ordered a end feed half wave to start off with.

73
KG4ASZ