Random wire antenna kx3 software

Out of curiosity i just write a little c program that uses band edges. Elecraft kx3 1606 meters ssbcwdataamfm 10 w pep 100 w with kxpa100 amp rtc and battery charger board 1. Aecreative 2pcs quick connect bnc wire antenna cable connector plug for amateur ham radio uniden radioshack scanner. Random length wire for use with kx3 in reply to this post by af9w there is a reason for the 43 foot vertical alternately the 44 foot each side of center antenna advocated by cebik sk. Your antenna will be the difference between success and failure and should be your. As typically installed, it is a compromise antenna but great for portable use because it is easy to pack and easy to install. Currently, im using two types of antenna for field operations.

Im still amazed at the success im having with my random wire antenna on 80m. You apply a little rf and adjust the antenna tuner to achieve the lowest swr. To get startedi decided to build myself a quick spreadsheet to determine the lengths of radials i wanted, per. The difficult problems associated with random wire or long wire antennas are caused by ground currents and radiation from the single wire feeder.

The ax1 is resonant on 20 meters in one switch position, while the other is designed for efficient 17 and 15 meter matching using an atu. Use the convenient key 18 plug or receptacle on the left side thats what its for. His own design of a 3d printed rack beautifully shows off the radio and panadapter and, from observation. Random wire antenna lengths university of delaware. Using two current baluns, one at each end, i use open wire feed and match the system with a tnetwork tuner in the shack. Feeling a bit too lazy to calculate that by hand, however, i wrote a program or two to do all the dirty. Brian haren informs us that with firmware update 34 issued by commradio on december 18, 2019 performance of the. Theres also an internal automatic antenna tuner module kxat2, which can tune a random wire, dipole, on multiple bands. Engineers have worked out that when the length of the wire is a 14 wave or some odd multiple of that, the antenna works best. Take a roll of wire and connect it to your feedline antenna coupler and start walking. Before i get into the nittygritty details, let me first make a distinction between endfed halfwave antennas, such as the ones sold by lnr precision and endfed wires that use some kind of tuning to achieve a 50. Years back, i did a writeup on a simple, random wire antenna made from a 50foot roll of speaker wire from a local dollar store.

Kx3 basic computer setup for panadapter and log k4mtx. The management works very hard to make sure the community is running the best software. Sebastien temporarily attached one end of the antenna wire to the top of the fire escape. One of the simplest yet very functional antennas is the marconi often called a random wire or long wire. Longwire antennas require a length greater than a quarterwavelength.

Ive been using the w1sfr random end fed antenna with my kx3 and yaesu ft891 radios for many months now. Elecraft kx2 random wire antenna qrp portable test qrp. The elecraft kx3 and qrp antennas linkedin slideshare. This antenna has been made popular by the emergency amateur radio club of hawaii earchi. It is not resonant on any amateur band and the impedance range can be handled by most tuners. For a counterpoise i made two 50 foot lengths using 24awg speaker wire. The beginners guide to software defined radio rtlsdr duration. Icom 7300 and icom 7610 as well as ham radio software programs.

Does anyone have a link to a website or an excellent design for a random wire that. Elecraft kx2 random wire antenna qrp portable test youtube. Random wire antenna for ham radio is the simplest one you can make. It can be deployed as a dipole or an inverted l vertical. This kx3 utility version can be used to load kx3 firmware versions 0. Any or all problems are in the counterpoise and feed system. A random wire is exactly thata piece of wire thats as long as you can possibly make it. The almost random wire antenna kb6nus ham radio blog. Dec 11, 2016 a random wire is a compromise portable antenna. In fact, i will be taking my kx3 barefoot and this antenna on a three week vacation this spring to the southern philippines mindanao.

The antenna itself works just as well as any other wire of similar height and length. A homebrew zmatch transmatch wb3gck qrp amateur radio. Technically the kx3 is already an sdr hardware components replaced by software through direct conversion receiver architectureso i think he meant to ask how use the kx3 s iq data in sdr applications as the elecraft manual calls them. Theres also an internal automatic antenna tuner module kxat2, which can tune a random wire, dipole, or whip on multiple bands. Thus, a random wire is a high impedance or hiz antenna. I use it with a collapsible 32 foot fiberglass pole from mfj, when working from my rv. This will serve as my backup antenna for the dxpedition to saint pierre.

Whether you use the ax1 as a stealth field antenna, for pedestrian mobile. It is called a random wire antenna because it is just that. Heres what i pack along for a road trip with my elecraft kx3 qrp transceiver. Theres now no doubt in my mind that a random wire can be an effective antenna. My friend and i used a kx3 for fd the last two years and are planning on using it again this year. Dec 09, 2015 currently, im using two types of antenna for field operations. Yesterday, i worked a guy who said he was running 500w. Poor mans electronics web page random wire antenna. I just returned from new zealand where i took the kx3, an external 3ah battery to allow for full 15 watts output, and a 58 ft. One end goes straight into the rig, often with no feedline, and the other end in the air attached to something as high as you can find. A rear tiltfoot angles the kx2 for use on any surface, from. Nov 10, 2016 the antenna extension was made by using two dx engineering wire end insulators that are be bolted together for strain relief and anderson powerpoles for the electrical connection of the 14awg antenna wire.

You will need an open area large enough for the entire run of the wire. I added a toggle switch to ground one side of the secondary winding to accommodate singleended loads like a random wire. My kx2 owners manual, page 10, says a length of about 25 feet for each wire, matched to the kx2s output using an antenna tuner. This antenna is rigged on the roof at 25 meters over sea level. I want to try and model an antenna i am planning on building and wanted to see what the best height, shape would be. One i built for hf, and one i bought for everything else. Since the kx3 is a softwaredefinedradio sdr, youll be able to extend its capabilities using computer. But the problem is what to choose,i will use an external tuner at the radio. The other end connects to the random wire connector on a suitable antenna tuner. You insulate the ends, and a wire goes from the near end of the random wire to the tuner. For the past couple of weeks, ive been playing with endfed wire antennas. An antenna that will tune to an acceptable swr using a common antenna tuner throughout the amateur radio bands of 1. Since you are only running 5 watts, i would focus on using a resonant antenna and the ld8073 is a resonant antenna. My kx2 owners manual, page 10, says a length of about 25 feet for each wire, matched to the kx2s output using an antenna tuner see atu, pg.

Just select a band, tap the antenna tune switch, and go for it. This doesnt happen often kx2 portable 84 wire and 5 watts. It is an amazing antenna in terms of performance, and takes me literally 10 minutes at most to set the whole thing up. Ive seen a lot of traffic on the random wire topic. Wire length for end fed random wire ny4g ham radio. But if youve never done it, you probably have a few questions. In the search for the wonder antenna that is small, portable and easy to setup, ive decided to build an endfed antenna using a 9. Four variation of a random wire antenna with a length of 18. So if you are putting up a vertical, i would recommend a 43 or 44 foot. Either a random wire our the window to a tree 1520 feet away. The kx2 also makes a great mobile rig, and it can even be used handheld.

The graph in figure 7 has been produced with data generated from 4nec2 antenna modelling software for an antenna wire of 18. Ive owned my elecraft kx3 for five years, and this little rig continues to amaze me. But the kx3 also has iq output, so you can achieve similar results with a computer, soundcard, and software it just wont be as portable. I had a roll of 14 gauge copperclad steel stranded antenna wire on hand so used that for the antenna and some cheaper wire from the junk box for the counterpoise. May 26, 2017 theres also an internal automatic antenna tuner module kxat2, which can tune a random wire, dipole, or whip on multiple bands. Contacts made with the end fed random wire using the earchi matchbox are all with 50 watts and the kx3 kxpa100 are g0orh, kr5n, mi0ahh, ea6nb, ea8dl2dxa co8ly on the warc bands during the tests i conducted today. I m going to try your 58 wire portable antenna idea when my kx3 arrives.

Elecraft random length wire for use with kx3 there is a reason for the 43 foot vertical alternately the 44 foot each side of center antenna advocated by cebik sk. The kx2 is the best portable radio for ham radio adventuring. With the kx3 i wanted to be able to work all bands without switching a wire tuned with the internal kx3 tuner. One end of the wire attaches to a tree, pole or other support, preferably at a high point. K4mtx amateur radio, low power, wire antennas, and other. This link is listed in our web site directory since monday jan 19 2009, and till today random wire antenna for shortwave listening has been followed for a total of 5172 times. Over the last two weeks i have been putting together a ground counterpoise system to go along with my random length antenna see original post. Wire antennas for the beginner every ham knows how to make and install wire antennas. Noise reduction nr removes random background noise hiss. Kxat2, which can tune a random wire, dipole, or whip on multiple bands. Apr 03, 2014 in the search for the wonder antenna that is small, portable and easy to setup, ive decided to build an endfed antenna using a 9.

I started with a basic radial plate dx engineering and purchased a kit that included 500ft of wire and various hardware for 20 radials. Schematic download modsnotesalerts firmwaresoftware parts order. Qrp operation off the grid from a backpack midatlantic amateur. Hi, if you dont mind a newbie question how long does the kx3 run.

Jun 06, 2017 two random wires on the elecraft kx2 for qrp ham radio cw work in the state park klondike. Hy power ant co makes a shortened 80 meter dipole that is 68 feet long. Any wire will do as an antenna and will provide a signal of some kind. The other end connects to the randomwire connector on a suitable antenna tuner. You can connect a wire antenna directly to the kx3 without. My yard is small with no trees, but i can run the wire about 30 feet up then slope it down and run it anywhere throughout the yard.

At 35 its not too short and not too long and works great in every configuration ive tried so far. Elecraft kx2 random wire antenna qrp portable test. This portable qrp antenna takes about 2 mintues to put up 3 if you get the wire tangled. In exchange for simplicity and low cost you give up operational space, meaning, the antenna is small and lightweight for storage but when deployed it will take up a lot of linear feet.

Despite ground types all graphed impedances peaks and troughs are. A loop on ground antenna works good up to 20 meters and will shock you on commercial am, 160,80, and 40 meters. Using the ax1 with an atu eliminates tedious length adjustments. Endfed 406m antenna and kit kx3kx1 and qrp accessories. Modeling end fed random wire antenna in mmanagal software. I had a similar roll of wire in my junk box, so i set out to see if i could build another useful portable antenna from it. Build this random wire antenna great for crystal radios click on the image for a larger version many of the projects on this web site such as simple crystal, transistor and tube radios will require a good antenna. Air sota programs, i often find myself in the backcountry.

The kx2 also makes a great moble rig, and can even be used handheld. A rear tiltfoot angles the kx2 for use on any surface, from desktop to park bench to rock. Random wire antennas best lengths to use for random wire. Now, if you want to pick a length for all the wire you will be using but it will then not be random try to avoid any length that will be a half wave or multiple of. The other day i had a request from mike, ve3wdm to create a post on my setup running the kx3 as an sdr. The secondary winding is wound between the turns of the primary to ensure tight coupling.

No or very little ssb, but primarily cw and possibly digital modes. I put up an 84 random wire antenna and made a qrp contact with the. I am about to string up a new long or random wire for my sdr and sw listening and looking for feedback on the length and positioning of the wire. But you could just as easily use coax feed and a tuner at the base if you prefer. This project is really simple and most of it was made using stuff i found in my junk drawer. Random wire antenna with ground radial system inverted l. Kx3 wire antenna this weekend i took my kx3 on a camping trip and used the 24 wire antenna and 16 33 counterpoise wires i used for my kx1. I had suggested that he not invest in a factory made antenna just yet, but instead explore what hes able to do with a simple wire antenna directly.

A socalled random wire antenna is an end fed antenna. Is it possible to model a random wire antenna in the software. Wire one side of the key to the tip of a stereo plug wire the other side of the key to the middle ring of the stereo plug. What are people using for a general all around antenna for this. Also i used 75ohm tvsat coax and f connectors and again despite impedance mismatch with rsp there is signal to sell. Often random wire antennas are also inaccurately referred to as longwire antenna. Brian haren informs us that with firmware update 34 issued by commradio on december 18, 2019 performance of the internal tuner was vastly improved. I was able to tune reasonably well on 20 meters and even 30, but was unable to tune less than 3. A true random wire antenna is the length of wire you can fit between your. Hi scott a true random wire antenna is the length of wire you can fit between your end supports. Ver2calwireantenna actuallyaver2callyorientated resonate12wavedipolewith theearthbeingthe return half duetopoorground conduc2vitya. Aug 12, 2016 for the past couple of weeks, ive been playing with endfed wire antennas.

Antennas kxline transceivers kx2, kx3 classic transceivers k2, k1, kx1. This antenna is rigged on the roof at 25 meters over sea. Technically the kx3 is already an sdr hardware components replaced by software through direct conversion receiver architecture. I saw that they do not recommend adding the source at the beginning of the wire.

Pair the antenna with our throwing line kit and you have a complete solution to getting on the air quickly and reliably. The elecraft kx3 continues to impress the swling post. The atu was certainly a handy feature on the ctx10, but it didnt allow me the flexibility to, for example, load up a random wire antenna. The reason to have the tuner in the shack is so that it can be easily adjusted, but if you had an automatic antenna tuner and could locate it some distance from the shack, then rf. Sometimes i put both wire ends up high like a v and sometimes i put one wire end up high the other on the ground or just above the ground. Current drain is as little as 5 ma, yielding up to 8 hours of typical operation on a single battery charge. Apr 17, 20 the other day i had a request from mike, ve3wdm to create a post on my setup running the kx3 as an sdr. For those people who just would like some data this is the output of the program listed above. The tuner was on a window sill in my shack, and i could run up to 25w before the rf in the shack got to be too much. Random wire antenna for shortwave listening resource detail. My biggest challenge is an apartment friendly antenna. If you are a licensed amateur radio operator, the atu can be a powerful tool for matching random length, or multiband antennas to your desired broadcast band by tuning to a nearby ham band frequency. As we know, any length of wire will present resistance impedence to the feed line your coax and the radio, and it also makes sense that the longer the wire gets, the more.