Arial help please

Hi just a quick question - I've spent all morning putting up a SIGMA EXCALIBUR Compact Home Base Arial as a temporary measure with the recommended length of RG213 Magnum PREMIUM 50Ω coax (17ft-9inches) i did check the cable for shorts but i didn't check the arial
my question is should i have 50 ohms at the radio plug between the plug casing & the solder tip with it all connected or have i got this wrong. any comments please

Hi Colyn,

Don't confuse the 50 ohm RF impedance with resistance......you ain't gonna be measuring it with a multimeter
To measure RF impedance you'll need at least an antenna analyser or such, but don't go rushing out to buy one.

You can use a multimeter to check your coax and PL259 connections for shorts, open circuitry or continuity and that's about it, (still handy and possibly what you've already done).

Just hook it up and give it a go, so long as your SWR is less than 2 it should work.
Don't expect much from that antenna though, maybe good for local work but will struggle after that. Although with a bit of E-skip even a biscuit tin mounted mobile can break Europe

Hope that helps.

(Someone's bound to come by slagging that antenna off and why the coax needs to be cut a certain length....blah, blah, blah. But sometimes you need to work with what you've got).

All the best,
Victor

Thanks Victor Just had a mild panic attack thinking the Arial was faulty & it all had to come down again - because of what i thought i remembered from 40 years ago - i'm pleased i got it wrong - thanks again

Hi Colyn.

Victor is right,,,, if you want a quick easy cheap antenna get yourself some 20amp single core twin and earth and build a 1/2 wave wire dipole,,,,, it will do a better job than the sigma,,, cut each leg 9.09ft that will give you room to adjust for swr,,,, you can use this horizontal, vertical or inverted V to suit your location, you will need a balun as your going balance antenna to unbalance feeder, but google it you can make your own baluns and rf chokes,,,, and remember height is might and might is right.

Best 70thirds Tom 26CZ455

No worries Colyn, hope it works out for you. (I bet you measured a short on the Excalibur and panicked!)

Tom's got the right idea if you're up for it. My own antenna is a simple inverted V wire dipole mounted in the loft although mine is only choked with a ferrite ring rather than balun. Regularly hitting Europe with it at the mo and cost me nothing

Work with what you've got mate and take it from there.

Best of luck with it all,
Victor

no victor that was my worry i did the cable which was ok but i didn't check the Arial at all - this Excalibur is only a temporary measure just to get some local coverage till i decide where i want to go with the hobby - SSB or take the basic ham exam & go in that direction
I'll take a look at home made dipoles in case this is rubbish. I only decided to give it a try cause i read a review saying it was an underrated antenna & could produce some good results for the price - we shall see
cheers colyn

Hi Colyn.
I can second what Victor and Tom say.
I too have a Dipole in the loft (not allowed any external Antennas)
A few weeks ago I got QSO's into East Hungary and Northern Italy (865 miles as the crow flies) on 8 watts. I find working QRP more fun and challenging.
Plenty of info on the Internet and just experiment to see what works best for you - it's all part of the hobby and one aspect that I find enjoyable.
Enjoy your radio.
Cheers
Stay safe
73's
Dale
26-CT-3550

No problem Colyn.

Radio can become an all consuming hobby like the best hobbies!
Sidebanding on the CB frequencies can be a lot of fun and also frustrating but personally for me that's the fun of it. Getting your ticket opens a different world of radio and many more frequencies, most much easier to obtain radio contact on. But boy are you gonna need much bigger, more complex antennas!

Have fun with it all and most of all enjoy it.

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Hi Dale,

I'm glad I'm not the only nutter with bits of wire hanging in my loft!
Like you I've had no problem cracking Europe with it but I've had not a sausage with UK contacts?!?!?
Not that I'm that bothered, conditions dictate and it's nice hearing those European stations calling back to various Charlie Tango numbers

All the best.

Remember you can only check your coax for any shorts with it disconnected from the antenna because the matching sections of many antennas appear as a dead short to DC.

A good question to ask, Dalesman.