Kite Antenna Part 1 of 2

[TheBlackbelair]

I want to do this too. I go to the top of Catalina Is. (1,000ft. elev.) of the coast of California frequently. It is often very windy and plenty of open area to deploy a kite.

73,

k6kub

[TheBlackbelair]

@TheBlackbelair

[VK3EGN1]

Great work Jack!

To be effective on low bands you need tuner for high power.

Multielement array helps even more.

I guess keeping wire vertical is also importand for low angle radiation.

Cheers

[vermontcreekbed]

@VK3EGN1 My biggest problem is getting the wind, when I want to fly the kite it is usually at night and the wind drops off a lot. This video was made about 4 years ago and things have changed a lot with the kite setup. I do like the flowforms though I did try a sled kite once it pulled like hell but was very unstable.

I missed your talk at the Centre Victoria Hamfest. I had presented just before you and wanted to get out and see some of the hamfest. Cheers, Jack.

[BurningTirez]

Thats genious now I just need to figure out how to get a 4 element beam to float lol

[greywolf271]

@BurningTirez

I've been thinking about this too. Then I could work Adelaide repeaters from Alice Springs.

[F5RAB]

Hello Jack,

which sutton flowform kite size do you use ?

How long can you keep it in the air ?

Thanks

73 F5RAB Antoine

[vermontcreekbed]

Thanks for the comment Antoine, for this video I used a Sutton Flowform 8 that is 8 Square Feet. I have another kite which is a model 16 (sixteen square feet) so it is twice as big and has more lift. As for keeping them up in the air, providing there is some wind the kite will fly until something wears out . You know, stitching, Kite String, joiners etc.

Cheers, Jack.

[g4kki]

thanks Jack, i got myself an 8 cell flow form kite and today went up in the hills here and had a 66 foot wire almost vertical. Inspired me and i'll be out with it often from now on.

Bill G4KKI

[vermontcreekbed]

Blimey Bill,

I hope you secured it well that thing would probably given the chance would take you up as well. Thanks for posting.

Jack.

[colincolin30]

You inspired me to make a sutton freeform kite.Found the design on the net and bought a $20 SEWING MACHINE AND IT WORKED OK!!

vk2JCC

[vermontcreekbed]

Well done! My sewing and kite making leave a lot to be desired so I wint the import option.

Hope you have some fun lifting antenna's.

Jack.

[gblan]

If you put a small drogue bucket or a flat streamer tail approx 20 feet long off of each trailing edge point the kite will fly with much improved stability. Try it.

[vermontcreekbed]

The sutton flowform has 2 points to connect tails to and I have then in the kit to use. I find that I only require them when the wind is really up. Thanks for the suggestion I expect there are others who will benefit from your comment.

VK3W-W-W Jack.

[colincolin30]

hi ,

I had my kite up today and it does tend to want to fly sideways. Did you find this? Is this the reason why you used the streamer tails?

regards

Colincolin30

[gblan]

Tails help with stability mostly by creating some drag. If your kite is consistently pulling in one direction I'd guess it's a bridling issue.

[officemuc]

great antenna, will try soon! The ground radials may be absolete if you use a tuned circuit + impedance transformer for matching the random wire. Key words: "Fuchskreis", "Fuchs Antenna", see Rothammel, Antennenbuch, 9th Edition 1979, p. 192.

Appropriate grounding may nevertheless be helpful for reducing statics. Any experience with statics so far?

vy 73 de 9V1MS

[gasparinifilho]

cara muito doido isso vou fazer uma pra mim sou pxzeiro vou colocar uma plano terra ou uma direcional ou uma 5 oitavos de onda la en cima pra voar. e falar com o mundo todo qsl ?

[vk5jjj]

Great stuff Jack - we need to find you a camera crew! Get WT, QI, ZJH, EMF and KAB on the job. Where can we get those kites in VK. 73 ES VK5JJJ

[2e0hts]

This is very interesting! I live on a Moor top where lots of people come up to fly kites, planes and anything that will go up. I would like to try this sometime, thanks for a great video I am off to watch part 2. Simon 2E0HTS