I've owned one of these for about 6 years now. It is my favorite portable antenna. I do not adjust the length for different bands Instead I just fully extend it and use a small automatic antenna tuner with 4 radials. I use mine mostly ocean side so after use, I rinse it with plain water and then wipe it down with a cloth dampened with WD-40. Antenna still looks new.
Hello GeoD.. Thanks for stopping by.. It has been my favorite antenna as well for 20m.. I have not tried it on any other bands but like your idea.. I've tried many antennas QRP but having that 1/4 wave for 20m works the best for me.. I've operated it on a POTA activation, during a weekend solar storm, QRP 500mw SSB, and it was able to perform and get some amazing calls.. Here is the video if you are interested: th-cam.com/video/cUIhVrpd-lM/w-d-xo.html ... You're setup sounds similar to mine.. Thanks for sharing yours.. I like the wd40 idea.. Thanks for watching.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
This was my first antenna when getting into radio, I used it for QRP it worked very well for DX. After using it for portable operations for a couple years the sections wouldn't stay together anymore. I'm not certain how I hurt it, but eventually several sections developed the same problem and after duct taping the sections on several outings, I had to stop using it and transitioned to using a telescopic pole and wire. I still have the MFJ-1979 antenna and keep it to remind me of my great first experiences with QRP portable and getting great DX!
Hi Carson... I've heard other reports of it falling apart after some use.. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that mine holds together for a while.. So far there is good resistance when extending and collapsing it.. It does take a lot of abuse when the wind is strong.. We shall see how it holds up over the next year or so.. I probably should prepare to purchase a backup for when it snaps.. LOL... Thanks for your comment and heads up.. Kevin ~ k0klb
We camped at Lake Pactola USFS about 5 miles north of Hill City and loved that place. There are several upper campsites that are walk-in sites without reservations that seemed to be open during the weekdays and we got 2-3 bars Verizon there. A couple of times we had to park under the trees to hide from the hail, but our Karma points held out that trip, LOL. That is looking like a nice antenna choice for my rear hitch to experiment with, I would like to play with 20 & 30M with a decent coil if I can locate the accessories.
Hello David.. We love South Dakota and could easily move there.. Hill City is always a favorite place to visit and camp at Rafter J.. The MFJ1979 antenna works well for my portable situations.. Thanks for watching.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
@@hamradioqrp-k0klb Thanks Kevin. When I am 100% portable you view from strange perspectives, lol. We stayed at one of the Rafter J cabins in 2011 when we were having our fifth-wheel trailer worked on in Smith Center, KS, and needed to come to Rapid City to renew our DLs. That would be fun to do POTA up on the Needles Hwy section of Custer SP no doubt!
The MFJ-1979 has been very good for me, I bring it for all portable activities. I did 8000 KM to Russia 10W USB with 3 radials. You will enjoy this antenna! 73
Hi Frank... So far so good.. I've heard reports of them falling apart after some use.. but mine is holding together at this time... However, I've probably only extended it less than 10 times.. I'll check back in a year and see how we fared... LOL... Thanks for your comment... 73 Kevin ~ k0klb BTW.. It is the best antenna I've used portable QRP so far..
Another good friend Terry from AZ. I got to get out and do some of this. We went to the Black Hills five years in a row with our ATVs. We stayed on top of the hill south of Deadwood at a cabin. We need to get back there again this time with the ham radios.
Hi Kevin.. we love the black hills.. Hill City and that area.. Lots of cool places to visit.. Thanks for your comment and for watching... 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
Just got the chinese one from ebay, possibly the same one as mfj, bell wire cut (not generous on the copper inside nowadays) ground stake and antenna analizer sorted here in the UK, now the difficult bit, telling my wife I will be testing it in the garden!
I could use another one for a spare.. I need to price shop and see what I can find.. Thanks for watching and commenting.. I appreciate it.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
If you replace your radials with a 46x84 aluminum screen your VSWR will be full band very low. I threw down two of these aluminum screens and it was like my QRP signal suddenly had a 10dB amplifier on it. Don't take my word for it, give it a try!!! Reference some of the KB9VBR videos. Cheers & 72, Davey - KU9L
Hi Thor.. Thanks for your comment.. It's one of our favorite places to go.. We love the black hills and all the sights.. not to mention good radio fun too... Thanks for watching.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
Hello CW CW.. Thank you for your comment.. I agree, it works very well.. This antenna is pretty much my go to antenna now on 20m.. So far it's held together well, but I think I need to have another on standby for that day when the wind takes it, LOL.. Thanks for watching.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
I would loved to see how you had your antenna mounted on top of the camper. I have that antenna a d am puzzled as to what to mount it to. Thanks for your time. N4KBM
Hello Tommy... Thanks for your comment... I have a 4ft section of mast (pipe) that is clamped to the spare tire mount on the rear bumper.. To get my antenna up high, I place two more 4ft sections on top of it with the antenna attached to the top, so the base is 16ft high and hang tuned 16ft radials down at a 45 degree angle off the back.. You might be able to see it better in this video th-cam.com/video/mGqbar8uq7k/w-d-xo.html ... Thanks for watching.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
Hi Michael... Thanks for your comment... I've seen folks use compression but I have never tried it.. Thanks for the suggestion.. I'll have to try it and listen on some web SDR's to see if I can hear a difference... Thanks for watching.. 73 Kevin ~ k0klb
@@michael.meinhardt What antenna do you use on your vehicle?.. I'm thinking about mounting my 7100 in the truck, but don't know what to use for an antenna that wont blow off going down the road.. thx
@@hamradioqrp-k0klb I use mono band whips made by AmPro. I believe MFJ has something very similar - the ham stick. I have one each for 40, 20, 15 and 10m. However, I never drive with them. I only operate stationary and I use a triple mag-mount on the roof of my car. There is a guy in my area who does use them while driving and has been for many years. He says they are fine for that. He uses some fishing line to guy the antenna to the car. At 8 feet long, they bend quite a bit. But I'm sure you have a big truck and you could use a hitch mount, which would give you a very secure system. You can see my setup on QRZ under DL2AKV.
Hi John.. Thx for stopping by and commenting.. What you see on the phone is not an app, but a website I pulled up using safari web browser.. here is the link to the website of all the SDR's that you can access rx.linkfanel.net/ I also use it on my laptop at home when I want to see how propagation is acting when I am calling CQ.. Thanks for watching.. I appreciate it.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
Hi Darryl... Thank you for your comment... I'm using my iphone, with a web browser accessing the Web SDR network.. it can be found at the following web site: rx.linkfanel.net/ You can access SDR's (Software Defined Radio) across the world via the internet and listen to yourself on a frequency.. It comes in handy to find out how your signal if propagating around the world..
Hi JB.. Thank you for your comment.. Since this video, I have been able to re-configure the radials around the camper and added a 4th radial.. although I realize more would be better, for an easy portable situation, I’m ok with only 4... I already walk into (trip over) them enough as it is.. haha, LOL.. Thanks for watching.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
I've owned one of these for about 6 years now. It is my favorite portable antenna. I do not adjust the length for different bands Instead I just fully extend it and use a small automatic antenna tuner with 4 radials. I use mine mostly ocean side so after use, I rinse it with plain water and then wipe it down with a cloth dampened with WD-40. Antenna still looks new.
Hello GeoD.. Thanks for stopping by.. It has been my favorite antenna as well for 20m.. I have not tried it on any other bands but like your idea.. I've tried many antennas QRP but having that 1/4 wave for 20m works the best for me.. I've operated it on a POTA activation, during a weekend solar storm, QRP 500mw SSB, and it was able to perform and get some amazing calls.. Here is the video if you are interested: th-cam.com/video/cUIhVrpd-lM/w-d-xo.html ... You're setup sounds similar to mine.. Thanks for sharing yours.. I like the wd40 idea.. Thanks for watching.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
This was my first antenna when getting into radio, I used it for QRP it worked very well for DX. After using it for portable operations for a couple years the sections wouldn't stay together anymore. I'm not certain how I hurt it, but eventually several sections developed the same problem and after duct taping the sections on several outings, I had to stop using it and transitioned to using a telescopic pole and wire. I still have the MFJ-1979 antenna and keep it to remind me of my great first experiences with QRP portable and getting great DX!
Hi Carson... I've heard other reports of it falling apart after some use.. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that mine holds together for a while.. So far there is good resistance when extending and collapsing it.. It does take a lot of abuse when the wind is strong.. We shall see how it holds up over the next year or so.. I probably should prepare to purchase a backup for when it snaps.. LOL... Thanks for your comment and heads up.. Kevin ~ k0klb
We camped at Lake Pactola USFS about 5 miles north of Hill City and loved that place. There are several upper campsites that are walk-in sites without reservations that seemed to be open during the weekdays and we got 2-3 bars Verizon there. A couple of times we had to park under the trees to hide from the hail, but our Karma points held out that trip, LOL. That is looking like a nice antenna choice for my rear hitch to experiment with, I would like to play with 20 & 30M with a decent coil if I can locate the accessories.
Hello David.. We love South Dakota and could easily move there.. Hill City is always a favorite place to visit and camp at Rafter J.. The MFJ1979 antenna works well for my portable situations.. Thanks for watching.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
@@hamradioqrp-k0klb Thanks Kevin. When I am 100% portable you view from strange perspectives, lol. We stayed at one of the Rafter J cabins in 2011 when we were having our fifth-wheel trailer worked on in Smith Center, KS, and needed to come to Rapid City to renew our DLs. That would be fun to do POTA up on the Needles Hwy section of Custer SP no doubt!
The MFJ-1979 has been very good for me, I bring it for all portable activities. I did 8000 KM to Russia 10W USB with 3 radials. You will enjoy this antenna! 73
Hi Frank... So far so good.. I've heard reports of them falling apart after some use.. but mine is holding together at this time... However, I've probably only extended it less than 10 times.. I'll check back in a year and see how we fared... LOL... Thanks for your comment... 73 Kevin ~ k0klb BTW.. It is the best antenna I've used portable QRP so far..
Another good friend Terry from AZ. I got to get out and do some of this. We went to the Black Hills five years in a row with our ATVs. We stayed on top of the hill south of Deadwood at a cabin. We need to get back there again this time with the ham radios.
Hi Kevin.. we love the black hills.. Hill City and that area.. Lots of cool places to visit.. Thanks for your comment and for watching... 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
Just got the chinese one from ebay, possibly the same one as mfj, bell wire cut (not generous on the copper inside nowadays)
ground stake and antenna analizer sorted here in the UK, now the difficult bit, telling my wife I will be testing it in the garden!
I could use another one for a spare.. I need to price shop and see what I can find.. Thanks for watching and commenting.. I appreciate it.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
If you replace your radials with a 46x84 aluminum screen your VSWR will be full band very low. I threw down two of these aluminum screens and it was like my QRP signal suddenly had a 10dB amplifier on it. Don't take my word for it, give it a try!!! Reference some of the KB9VBR videos.
Cheers & 72, Davey - KU9L
This is certainly proof that the antenna works.
Hi Leon.. It did work well.. I look forward to more experiments with it in the future to compare it to other antennas.. thx for your comment. 73
Love the Black Hills! Great job!
Hi Thor.. Thanks for your comment.. It's one of our favorite places to go.. We love the black hills and all the sights.. not to mention good radio fun too... Thanks for watching.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
This 1979 Telescopic Antenna works also fine with the Slidewinder Coil by M1ECC
Hi UG.. Thanks for your comment and suggestion.. I'll take a look at it.. Thanks for watching.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
@@hamradioqrp-k0klb My Friend Tom in Bahrain A92GW runs this Antenna with the Slidewinder Coil. Works fanastic as he says. He is on youtube
Nice relaxing video to sit back and watch, thanks for sharing. I have an MFJ 1979 as well....... works good and pretty good quality. 72 de Brent
Hello CW CW.. Thank you for your comment.. I agree, it works very well.. This antenna is pretty much my go to antenna now on 20m.. So far it's held together well, but I think I need to have another on standby for that day when the wind takes it, LOL.. Thanks for watching.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
That's my favorite QRP portable antenna. If you're gonna run QRP, it sure helps to have a resonate antenna! Great video!
I would loved to see how you had your antenna mounted on top of the camper. I have that antenna a d am puzzled as to what to mount it to. Thanks for your time. N4KBM
Hello Tommy... Thanks for your comment... I have a 4ft section of mast (pipe) that is clamped to the spare tire mount on the rear bumper.. To get my antenna up high, I place two more 4ft sections on top of it with the antenna attached to the top, so the base is 16ft high and hang tuned 16ft radials down at a 45 degree angle off the back.. You might be able to see it better in this video th-cam.com/video/mGqbar8uq7k/w-d-xo.html ... Thanks for watching.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
@@hamradioqrp-k0klb I always enjoy your body of work. You make fine videos.
Another fantastic video thanks 73 from kb2uew
Thanks Alvaro... I appreciate you watching and commenting... Glad you enjoyed it.. Kevin ~ k0klb
You might want to turn on the compressor on your IC 7100. Makes a huge difference when running low power SSB.
Hi Michael... Thanks for your comment... I've seen folks use compression but I have never tried it.. Thanks for the suggestion.. I'll have to try it and listen on some web SDR's to see if I can hear a difference... Thanks for watching.. 73 Kevin ~ k0klb
@@hamradioqrp-k0klb I use the 7100 in my car. That's how I know. I believe I have my compressor set to 60%. Works great. Good luck!
@@michael.meinhardt What antenna do you use on your vehicle?.. I'm thinking about mounting my 7100 in the truck, but don't know what to use for an antenna that wont blow off going down the road.. thx
@@hamradioqrp-k0klb I use mono band whips made by AmPro. I believe MFJ has something very similar - the ham stick. I have one each for 40, 20, 15 and 10m. However, I never drive with them. I only operate stationary and I use a triple mag-mount on the roof of my car. There is a guy in my area who does use them while driving and has been for many years. He says they are fine for that. He uses some fishing line to guy the antenna to the car. At 8 feet long, they bend quite a bit. But I'm sure you have a big truck and you could use a hitch mount, which would give you a very secure system. You can see my setup on QRZ under DL2AKV.
@@michael.meinhardt Good to know.. thx for sharing.. k0klb
Going to be sad to see MFJ go out Kevin! 😵💫☹☹
What app are you running on your phone?
Hi John.. Thx for stopping by and commenting.. What you see on the phone is not an app, but a website I pulled up using safari web browser.. here is the link to the website of all the SDR's that you can access rx.linkfanel.net/ I also use it on my laptop at home when I want to see how propagation is acting when I am calling CQ.. Thanks for watching.. I appreciate it.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb
What is the app you have on the iPhone?
What is the device and or software that you’re using adjacent to your radio? Great video, thanks.
Hi Darryl... Thank you for your comment... I'm using my iphone, with a web browser accessing the Web SDR network.. it can be found at the following web site: rx.linkfanel.net/ You can access SDR's (Software Defined Radio) across the world via the internet and listen to yourself on a frequency.. It comes in handy to find out how your signal if propagating around the world..
More radials more radials more radials. Don't forger a copper ground stake.
Hi JB.. Thank you for your comment.. Since this video, I have been able to re-configure the radials around the camper and added a 4th radial.. although I realize more would be better, for an easy portable situation, I’m ok with only 4... I already walk into (trip over) them enough as it is.. haha, LOL.. Thanks for watching.. 73, Kevin ~ k0klb