Martin's Site
  • Home
  • Backpacking/Camping
    • 2018 Backpacking/Camping Season >
      • Ice Age National Scenic Trail
    • 2017 Backpacking/Camping Season >
      • July 2017 Camping at Timber-Lee Christian Campground
      • Cancelled Ice Age Trail Backpacking Trip
      • June 2017 Hiking/Backpacking/Camping >
        • Cave of the Mounds and Blue Mounds State Park
      • May 2017 Backpacking/Hiking/Camping >
        • May 19 Ottawa Lakes Campground
        • May 4-7 2017 Porkies Backpacking Trip >
          • Porkies Backpack Trip Day 1
          • Porkies Backpack Trip Day 2
          • Porkies Backpack Trip Day 3
          • Porkies Backpack Trip Day 4
      • April 2017 Backpacking/Camping/Hiking
      • March 2017 Hiking/Camping More Preparations
      • Feb 2017 Hiking/Camping
    • 2016 Hiking/Backpacking/Camping Season >
      • December 2016 Hiking/Camping
      • November 2016 Hiking/Camping
      • Oct 2016 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Trip
      • August 2016 Camping
      • July 2016 Hiking/Camping/Backpacking
      • June 2016 Hiking/Backpacking/Camping
      • May 2016
      • April 2016
    • Shelters >
      • Tents >
        • Reparing Tent Poles
      • Hammocks >
        • Hammock Stand >
          • Portable Hammock Stand
        • SnakeSkins or Sleeves vs. Stuff Sacks
        • Hammock Suspension
        • Keeping Warm in a Hammock >
          • Lite Top Quilt or Bag Liner
          • DIY Under Quilt
    • Glacier National Park 2015
    • Training for Glacier National Park Backpacking Trip
    • Backpacking Stoves >
      • Trangia 27-3 UL Stove >
        • Cooking with Trangia
        • ALOCS Trangia Look Alike Burner
      • Fancee Feest Stove >
        • Fancee Feest & Stanley Cook Pot
        • Another Cat Food Can Stove
      • DIY Alcohol Stove
      • DIY Igniter for Alcohol Stoves
      • Wood Burning Backpack Stoves >
        • Emberlit Fireant
        • Lexada Wood-Gas Stove
      • Gas Cannister Stoves
    • Backpacking Food
    • Other Gear
  • Ham Radio - K0BXB
    • Helping Others
    • Ham Radio Field Days >
      • 2018 Field Day
      • 2016 Field Day
      • 2015 Field Day
    • HF Backpacking.... >
      • Portable Rigs >
        • Ten-Tec R4020 QRP Transceiver
      • Portable Antennas >
        • Light Weight Antenna Support - Fail
        • G5RV Jr of Speaker Wire
        • End Fed Half Wave Antenna
        • Other Portable Antenna Options
        • 84 Foot End Fed Multi-band Antenna
        • 51 Foot End Fed Wire
        • 35 foot end fed wire
        • Tuner/Matchbox
      • Ultra Portable PSK/Digital
    • Going Mobile HF & VHF
    • Re-installing the Mobile
  • Adventures
    • 50th Anniversary In Alaska >
      • Day 1 Sites in Fairbanks
      • Day 2 Morning River Boat Cruise
      • Day 2 Afternoon travel to Denali
      • Day 3 Denali History Bus Tour >
        • McKinley Wilderness Princess Lodge Photos
      • Day 4 Coach ride to Anchorage/Whittier
      • Day 5 Ship Cruise at Yakutat Bay and Hubbard Glacier >
        • Photos of Yakutat Bay
      • Day 6 Galcier Bay
  • RC Planes
    • 2018 Flying Season
    • 2017 Flying Season
    • 2016 Flying Season
    • 2015 Flying Season
    • Great Planes Escapade - .40 size
    • T-6 Texan
    • Cessna 170
    • Fokker V.23 WWI Combat Sport Scale Plane
    • Great Planes PT-40 Trainer
    • Great Planes Combat Spitfire
    • Hobbico TWINSTAR
    • Other Planes >
      • Flite-Test FT-Cruiser
      • Micro Fokker Eindecker by Dave Robelen
    • Things I've learned....
  • About
    • July 12, 2017 Flood
  • Other....
    • Remembering Charles & Eva >
      • Feist Family Photos

Portable antenna tuning devices/approaches

Nearly any antenna in use today requires or benefits from a tuner. Single or multiband dipoles are of course an exception as are some other dedicated antennas specifically designed for one or several bands. But most ham shacks today have one or more tuners. My primary tuner in the shack these days is an LDG Z11Pro II which will handle just about anything I throw at it. I also have several manual tuners, most on the shelf and only get used occasionally. The first portable tuner I had and still have is the MFJ -971. It is a wonderful little tuner and more than suitable for a drive up portable setup. But its size and weight make it a less suitable tuner for a long backpacking trip, though its versatility is enviable.
The two that I'll be playing mostly with in preparing for our summer 2015 six day backpacking trip to Glacier National Park are a home built parallel tuned transformer for end fed half waves for 40 and 20 meters and the Tuna Tunah ii by QRPme.


Tuna Tunah ii

From what I am learning while using this tuner it is quite versatile and can handle a surprising range of antenna impedance. It takes a little patience and persistence to find the right combination of switches but I have yet to find anything it won't tune!

If you compare the photo at right with the official photo QRPme's website you'll notice the additional switch mounted just to the right of the mounting nut in the middle. It allows me to switch in additional capacitance across the built in variable capacitor. I added it a year or so ago when playing with end fed half wave antennas. So far this year I have not found it useful! The switched conductors have allowed met o tune anything I've connected so far.

Another alteration was replacement of the provided RCA connectors for transmitter and antenna with BNC connectors. I don't have any coaxial cables with RCA connectors on them so they were a major inconvenience. Not sure why the manufacture used them as they are rare in ham radio for antenna connections especially.
Picture

Parallel Tuned Transformer for End Fed Half Wave Wire Antenna

For details of this approach I suggest the the website by M0UKD. My version of this is described on my end fed half wave antenna page.
Proudly powered by Weebly
✕