Home Brew 11/10m T2LT

I am using a Home Brew T2LT antenna set up centred 27.500Mhz.
I want to use the same thing for 10m and looking at the calculated lengths there seems to be only a small difference.
If I use a separate matcher/tuner could I use the same antenna for both bands.
If so what would anyone suggest. Could I home brew this also as not got a lot of extra cash at the moment?

Kev

You could fold the tip back on it's self and tie-wrap it to bring it down a bit for 10.
You can then unfold it again for 11.

Hi Kev,

You certainly could utilise a matcher on your antenna but worth checking out what your SWR bandwidth is first. A lot of antennas are usually specified in their 2:1 SWR range this being quite safe to utilise on many radios. (Despite arguments about 1:1 SWR 'perfection'. )

At 2:1 or less your efficiency is 90% or better so nothing to fret about in reality and I'll happily use an antenna up to a 3:1 SWR. (Yes, yes, that'll still upset some but even that is 75% efficient so better than nothing.) Worth seeing how far you can get into the 10m band before your SWR goes too high. Remember a lot of activity on 10m is SSB/Digital so in the first 28 to 28.5MHz or so.

There used to be a lot of AMU/ATU products available for CB radio but alas not so much nowadays. The old Zetagi gear used to be good such as the M27 which had air-spaced variable caps so could handle at least 100W, whereas the modern MM27 uses poly-varicon types and I wouldn't push much past 10W or so through them. There were others too, the TM-535, TM-1000 and the current TM-999 amongst other offerings from different manufacturers.

Worth a scout about on places like eBay to see if such items turn up.

If you want to build your own they're simple enough bits of gear to put together but you might come unstuck sourcing air-spaced variable caps. If you do have any to hand all you have to do is build an appropriate inductor/coil for it and Bob's your Uncle.  

Worth having a look on the old t'internet for ATU/AMU articles and you'll find all sorts of info for "T-Match", "Pi-Match" and "L-Match" circuitry.

I built my own Pi-Match 'tuner' and with a bit of electric lawnmower lead in my loft (yes, really!) I've been working the world with my Ham licence from 160m to 6m or 1.8MHz through to 50MHz on one piece of wire wiggling around that antenna space. Never say never!


I'll await the 'resonance' arguments and even infinitesimally small 'loss-calculations' that usually arise from such antenna discussions but I suppose each to their own....whatever keeps you happy.


Good luck with it all Kev and above all, make sure you're enjoying yourself.

All the best,
Victor