CaHRTenna Poseidon is the Coffee and Ham Radio’s take on the popular Rybakov vertical non resonant antenna. Today we’ll talk about Poseidon, show you how to build your own, and put the Greek god of the sea on the air.

CaHRTenna Poseidon Vertical Antenna: https://coffee-and-ham-radios.square.site/product/cahrtenna-poseidon-vertical-antenna

The Rybakov Antenna: https://ve3gam.webqth.com/am-work/rybakov/rybakov.html

Coffee and Ham Radio’s Poseidon is based on an antenna called the Rybakov. That antenna, created by Italian ham IV3SBE about 20 years ago is a non resonant ground ground mounted vertical antenna with a radiating element of 25 feet. At the feed point is a 4:1 unun or transformer to match the 200 ohm impedance the antenna presents. Radials of about a similar length provide the ground network for the antenna. With a tuner, the antenna will operate on the 80 through 6 meter bands, although it gets pretty inefficient on 40 meters and below. Your best performance will be on the higher bands and this style of antenna really excels on 10, 12, and 15 meters. As you get higher in frequency, the RF radiation angle gets lower and lower, making it an excellent DX antenna.

But why the name Rybakov? When IV3SBE designed the antenna, he envisioned it being supported by an 8 meter fishing pole. The antenna’s 25 foot length makes it perfect to deploy with a lightweight mast or fishing pole. Rybakov is Russian for fisherman, so it makes sense to give the fishing pole antenna that name.

Coffee and Ham Radios did send me a Poseidon vertical antenna kit to build and put on the air in exchange for a video. But my opinions are my own and there is no outside influence. So let’s head inside, build this antenna, and then put it on the air.

So what makes Poseidon different? I believe the key difference lies in the transformer. If you look at most 4:1 unun designs, they use a red T200 style toroid. The red toroids work well and offer very good overall efficiency, but a key design element of this antenna was to make is tunable with a transceiver’s internal tuner. That means you will need an SWR that’s 3:1 or less over the entire frequency range the antenna is designed for. Unfortunately the T200 isn’t up to that and you will get higher impedances at the lower frequencies. This green colored iron powder core that’s used in Poseidon offers an overall better impedance matching at a wider range of frequencies, with a slight tradeoff of efficiency. Is the tradeoff worth it? It is if you don’t want to bring an extra piece of gear out into the field. Also consider, lower impedance coming out of the antenna means less losses in your feed line. So overall, its a valid choice to make.

The second consideration with this antenna is that 4:1 transformers can pass along common mode currents, causing the outer shield of your feed line to radiate. This will affect your antenna’s radiation pattern. Proper 4:1 windings will also include a second toroid would as a 1:1 choke. In order to make this antenna easier to build, Poseidon does not use the double toroid winding, instead you will need a choke of some sort on your coaxial cable. Today I’ll be using an integrated choke on my feed line for this antenna.

Graphical contact map provided by: https://www.qsomap.com/
Thank you for your support.

How I record my contact audio: https://youtu.be/tOqzZPphE7k
My headset trigger switch: https://youtu.be/b5Wu8BlrSF0
Heil Ham Radio BM-17 Dual headset: https://heilhamradio.com/product/bm-17-2/

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The post Building the CaHRTenna Poseidon: A non-resonant vertical antenna powerhouse appeared first on KB9VBR Antennas.

Watch me, in real time, as I deploy an end fed half wave antenna, set up my station on a picnic table, and do a QRP (5 watt) POTA activation on the 15 meter band.

Products seen in this video:
Weaver Leather Products 12 ounce throw weight: https://amzn.to/47jxpeS
Atwood Rope MFG 275 Tactical Paracord 100 Feet 4-Strand: https://amzn.to/4aIPi9w
Rode Wireless GO II 2-Person Compact Wireless Mic: https://amzn.to/48CEHLx
Talentcell 12V LiFePO4 Battery Pack LF120A1: https://amzn.to/3voW3gU
Coffee and Ham Radio Apollo EFHW antenna: https://coffee-and-ham-radios.square.site/product/cahrtenna-apollo-end-fed-half-wave-/8
Heil BM-17 dual side headset: https://heilhamradio.com/product/bm-17-2/
Hamrs Logging App: https://hamrs.app/

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Links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not affect the price you pay.

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Timestamp
00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:03 Cahrtenna Apoll EFHW Setup
00:12:30 Transceiver and Logging Setup
00:18:13 15 Meter POTA Activation K1447
00:35:21 Conclusion

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The post How I do it! A complete POTA activation from start to finish appeared first on KB9VBR Antennas.

The folks are Coffee and Ham Radio did it again! This time with their Ares End Fed random wire (non-resonant) antenna. What’s a random wire antenna and why would you want one? Let’s talk about that as we put this antenna together.

Coffee and Ham Radio (CaHR) Ares Random Wire End Fed antenna:
https://coffee-and-ham-radios.square.site/product/cahrtenna-ares-random-wire-end-fed-/13

CaHR Ares Build Instructions: https://github.com/TemporarilyOffline/cahrtenna/blob/main/Ares%20Build%20Instructions.pdf

Ares is the Greek god of war. Also of courage. That’s a mighty high aspiration to name an antenna after. But it seems fitting for an antenna, that when used properly, can be uncompromising and savage on the bands. The Ares is a random wire, or non resonant end fed antenna. It uses a 9:1 transformer at the feed point to match the impedance of the wire to the transmitter.

Coffee and Ham Radios sent me this antenna in exchange for a build and review video. There’s no outside influence and my comments are my own.

But why a non resonant antenna? Don’t antennas need to be resonant to operate. That’s the cool thing about this style of antennas. If a radiator is not resonant on any of the bands it is intended for, it will have an impedance at the end of the wire of about 450-600 ohms. You can use an external tuner or matching device to resonate it on those bands. Back in the days of tube radios and open wire feed lines, it was easy to match the 450 ohm impedance of the random wire to your transmitter. Today, using 50 ohm coax, we use the 9:1 transformer and a tuner to accomplish the same task. It’s a really weird quirk that makes this style of antennas useful on a broad range of frequencies.

This is a pretty simplified explanation, I’ve got a video that goes into greater detail, I encourage you to check it out, the link is in the description below.

With that said, I have quite a bit of experience with and really love random wire or non resonant antennas, so I’m a bit excited to put this one together. Let’s head to the bench, unbox the Ares antenna, assemble it, and give it a test.

Let’s talk about wire length, because that’s the key to an effective non resonant antenna. If you look online, there are countless charts that give you preferred wire lengths based on which bands you wish to cover. These lengths have been mathematically calculated to not be resonant on any of the target frequencies you wish to use. But two lengths that are preferred are 41 and 71 feet.

With 71 feet of wire, and a tuner I can pretty much operate on any band between 10 and 80 meters. If my radiator is a shorter 41 feet long, then I have 40 through 10 meter support. There are other lengths that work. But these two lengths, 71 or 41 feet have the best mathematical combination for length vs band coverage.

The Ares now comes standard with enough wire for a 71 foot radiator along with a 28 foot counterpoise, approximately 100 feet of wire. Older models only came with 60 feet of wire. So the upgrade in wire length allows the freedom to choose between building an 80 meter or 40 meter antenna. I want 80 meter support, so I’m building mine with 71 feet of wire, but if you want an antenna with a smaller footprint, and 80 meters isn’t a big deal for you, cut your radiator at 41 feet for 40 through 10 meter coverage

Resources

Random Wire Antenna Lengths: https://udel.edu/~mm/ham/randomWire/
Optimal lengths of random wire antennas: https://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/technote/randwire.htm

Tiger Sauce: https://amzn.to/46UIH9G

As a bonus, patrons can view the full, unedited phone contacts for this Parks on the Air activation. Visit my page on Patreon for details: https://www.patreon.com/kb9vbrantennas

I do return QSL, if you made a contact with me and would like a QSL, please send me one. Return postage not necessary, but always appreciated. As they say, KB9VBR is ‘good in the book.

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Minnesota Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

1 cup wild rice
4 slices bacon
1 large yellow onion diced
2 large celery stalks diced
2 large carrots diced
1 pound mushrooms sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
2 tsp rosemary
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp vinegar
salt and pepper

In a separate pot add wild rice and 1 tsp salt to 2 cups boiling water. Cook for about 45 minutes or until done (authentic wild rice may take less time, read package directions).

Cut bacon into 1/4 slices and cook in large pot until fat is rendered. Remove to paper towel. Add vegetables to bacon fat and saute until onions are translucent 3-5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for additional 15-20 minutes until they develop a deep brown color.

Add butter, when melted add flour and oregano and stir until thickened. Add wine to deglaze pot. Add chicken stock, bay leaf, and rosemary. Cook for 20 minutes.

Add wild rice, heavy cream and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Add vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with crackers.

Timestamp

00:00 CaHR Ares Random Wire Antenna
02:06 Unboxing the CaHR Ares Antenna
05:45 Assembling the random wire antenna
07:22 Non resonant Antenna wire lengths
08: 22 Deploying the antenna at Blue Mound State Park
10:09 17 meter contacts
12:15 15 meter contacts
14:08 40 meter contacts
14:47 20 meter contacts
17:10 Wild Rice and mushroom soup
18:10 How did it work?

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Links may be affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This does not affect the price you pay.

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Like what you see? You can leave me a tip:
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The post Work 8 amazing bands with one antenna! CaHR Ares End Fed Random Wire appeared first on KB9VBR Antennas.

I meet up with Dan, KD9MSP, and Don, KD9SZN, for a three-way activation of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail (POTA K-4238) at the Langlade County, Wisconsin Lumbercamp Segment. We also check into the Hillbilly Hilton at the abandoned Norem Lumber Camp.

Dan and Bob invited me to check out the Hillbilly Hilton, an improvised shelter found in Langlade county on the Lumber Camp segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. The lumber camp is long gone, with the exception of some foundations and a root cellar. But we’ll get to that in a bit, first we need to put this park on the air.

I do return QSL, if you made a contact with me and would like a QSL, please send me one. Return postage not necessary, but always appreciated. As they say, KB9VBR is ‘good in the book.

• – – Links and Things Mentioned – – –
  Ice Age National Scenic Trail: https://www.iceagetrail.org/
  Two-Way microphone splitter: https://amzn.to/3Pgys8d
  Coffee and Ham Radio Apollo End Fed Half Wave Antenna: https://coffee-and-ham-radios.square.site/

As a bonus, patrons can view the full, unedited phone contacts for this Parks on the Air activation. Visit my page on Patreon for details: https://www.patreon.com/kb9vbrantennas

Like what you see? You can leave me a tip:
https://www.paypal.me/kb9vbr

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The post A massive POTA pile-up at the Hillbilly Hilton appeared first on KB9VBR Antennas.