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Membership – Baltimore Amateur Radio Club Pro-rated Starts in November
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W3FT 146.67 Repeater is undergoing maintenance.
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TECHNICAL TALK:
In limited Space- Apartment or Condo with a Balcony, can an end fed antenna work well enough for 10-40 Meters? First is the ARRL Exposure Calculation. Cost Speaker wire, Un Un Spare RG 58.
A balcony with 8 ft x 8 ft can work for 10-40 Meters, smaller size 10-20 M.
End fed box 8 x 8 Balcony prototype 9:1 un un 18 AWG stranded. No choke 2 ft coax after 9:1
Recommended Wiring Route (36 Feet)
To maximize performance and minimize signal cancellation (which happens if wires are too close to each other), aim for at least 1.5 to 2 feet of spacing between horizontal or vertical runs.
| Segment | Direction | Length | Running Total |
| Start | Feedpoint (Bottom Left) | – | 0 ft |
| 1 | Vertical Up | 8 ft | 8 ft |
| 2 | Horizontal Right | 8 ft | 16 ft |
| 3 | Vertical Down | 8 ft | 24 ft |
| 4 | Horizontal Left | 4 ft | 28 ft |
| 5 | Vertical Up | 8 ft | 36 ft |
Installation & Wiring Diagram
In this configuration, your wire forms a “U” shape with an extra vertical leg in the middle.
- Feedpoint: Place your 9:1 Unun at the bottom-left corner.
- Insulators: Use plastic standoffs or PVC pipe at each corner to keep the wire away from any metal (railings, siding, or gutters). Metal nearby will significantly de-tune the antenna.
- Spacing: By ending segment 4 halfway (4 ft) across the frame before going up for segment 5, you maintain a healthy gap between the radiating elements.
- The Unun: You must use a 9:1 Unun (Impedance Transformer) for a 36-foot “random wire.” A standard 49:1 or 64:1 EFHW transformer will not work well with this specific length.
- Counterpoise: Random wire antennas require a “missing half.” Attach a 17-foot counterpoise wire to the ground/shield side of your Unun. You can let this wire hang straight down or run it along the floor/baseboard.
