Short Vertical Antennas

2020-07-06 Fifteen years ago I got my first "decent" QRP rig, a Yaesu FT817nd. I also found myself traveling some in my work so wanted a small portable antenna to take with me. I bought an original Miracle Whip. I only remember one contact with it. I was staying in a ground floor bedroom in a colleagues home in Dallas Texas. No counterpoise, internal battery, I thought I was on top of the portable world, a whole new world for me. My CW was fledgling but I think I recall getting one guy to answer me. I heard quite a few signals but that one station was the only one who apparently heard, or at least admitted hearing me! But I was hooked.
It was about ten years before I thought much more about short vertical antennas for portable operating. With our annual family vacation being at our son's place on a lake in Minnesota the idea began to look interesting again and I stumbled across a DIY article about the Pac-12 vertical. So I built one. That gave me some success. 
Picture
My original Pac-12 by the lake in Minnesota on family vacation.
But I wasn't totally sold on it so for the past several years it sat in a bag on a shelf under my bench. But when I got my nanoVNA and Wolf River Coils TIA 1000 I got to thinking about it again. And as i mention on my page about the antenna I dragged it out, hooked it up and again, had some success. That caught my attention. I've been looking for a new antenna project!
Then, just to complete the saga (to this point), on a Facebook page someone mentioned the new short vertical available from QRPGuys. I'm a fan of theirs having assembled their EFHW and random wire antennas and been very happy with them. So I ordered one! Then, after downloading and looking at the instructions while I wait for it, my mind has started racing.... I will likely begin DIYing my own modifications or versions of it. I've already taken note that the Miracle Whip whip, at 55 inches is ten inches longer than the one that comes with the QRPGuys one! So, this page will chronicle my shortened vertical adventure! As with most of my pages it will be in reverse date order, that is the most recent progress will be at the top of the page.