"From their beginning in Cleveland, Ohio, Hustler Antennas have been produced in the U.S.A. for over 40 years. "Hustler Antenna" is a TRADEMARK of New-Tronics Antenna Corporation."
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LARG HF Net Advisory de AI1V - Rick - Reston, Virginia
On The Occasion Of The July 15, 2010 LARG Thursday Night HF SSB NET:
Just so everyone knows, I am still in a highly challenged antenna situation.
The public area trees that hold up the far end of my OCF dipole are still
slated for trimming, so my long antenna has to stay down. You might say
that my 80M antenna is in "limb-bo" :0.
I will try to call the Thursday net tonight on my makeshift shortened
dipole, but I'd appreciate it if someone would volunteer to jump in just in
case I'm radiating like a dummy load.
Thanks in advance.
Here is my story of implementing a very deployable HF antenna.
Rick - "Cliff Dweller" - AI1V |
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In preparation for a quick set-up HF deployment for an ARES drill, I decided to finally put together the pieces of a downsize dipole that I had been planning for a few years.
The concept is a pretty common one. Instead of a full size 1/2 wave dipole (which at 3.7 MHz is over 126') use a pair of loaded monopoles (whips) arranged in a dipole configuration. This lets you put them up at any height without worrying about radials.
The Amazing 75-Meter Hustler Dipole Antenna at AI1V, Rick de Reston, Virginia |
There are lots of "short" whips available. Some are expensive tunable screwdriver arrangements. Others are single band such as the Hamsticks.
I've always admired the Hustler mobile whip system. It consists of a rigid 54" mast and one of several available threaded "resonators" depending on the band used. I had a fairly complete system from many years ago and I took advantage of another one for sale on the LARG web site. I then got a "Rotatable Dipole Mount" from the Hamstick company (catalog #901, $19.95) and that completed my dipole kit. Several companies make these mounts and since the Hustler whips end in a 3/8" #24 thread, they are almost all compatible. They permit you to connect two whips back to back and have an SO-239 connector for the feedline.
The Hustler whips have been around for decades and can still be bought new at a pretty reasonable price, though deals can be had at hamfests. Low power (400W) resonators are available for 10, 12, 15, 17, 20, 30, 40, 60, 75, and 80 meters. High power (1000W) resonators are available for 10, 15, 20, 40, 75, and 80 meters.
Love This Umbrella
Prior to the drill, I put the system together and saw what the tuning range was. The antennas are tuned by extending or retracting a whip that extends out the end of the resonator. Below is a tuning chart for my system using 75 meter resonators. The measurement is from the tip of the whip to the top of the resonator body:
Length |
Center Frequency |
32 3/4" |
3.99 MHz (fully nested) |
34" |
3.93 MHz |
35" |
3.90 MHz |
36" |
3.86 MHz |
37" |
3.82 MHz |
38" |
3.79 MHz |
39" |
3.755 MHz |
40" |
3.73 MHz |
41" |
3.71 MHz |
42" |
3.69 MHz (fully extended) |
The SWR is less than 2:1 from 10KHz below to 10KHz above the center frequency. I was able to work lower than the lowest frequency using the built in antenna tuner on my rig (that's how I was able to do NCS duty on 3.675MHz).
The Mounting and Feed
I prefer the Hustler whips for two reasons. First of all, most other mobile whips for HF are either bottom loaded (coil at the bottom like most screwdriver antennas) or continuously loaded (antenna is just a long, loosely wound coil like the Hamsticks). The Hustler antennas are center loaded - the coil is significantly above the antenna feedpoint. I would need to study it more, but I believe that more current flows in the lower mast section of the center loaded whips than in the other approaches which means it can radiate better in some conditions (YMMV). The reason more manufacturers don't take this approach is that it is more mechanically challenging, with the lower mast having to support the resonator mass at a considerable lever arm.
The other reason I like the Hustler mobile whip system is that it is old and has been around ham radio pretty much forever, which I can personally identify with!
Best Regards, Rick - AI1V |