I got an email a couple of weeks ago asking for my help with an antenna question. This gentleman, who I discovered is 80 years old and a relative newcomer to amateur radio wrote:
I read your post that mentions counterpoises. I live in a retirement community in Florida with small lots. The one way I can string an end fed wire for 20 meters is to run the wire over the shingled house roof front to back. My other option is to run the wire over the aluminum car port roof. Per HOA rules, the wire can only be 12 feet above the house roof at the highest part of the roof. (There would be more distance between the car port roof and the antenna but the antenna would be at the same height AGL.)My question is: Would it be better to place the wire over the shingled house roof or the aluminum car port roof? If over the house roof should I lay wires on the roof below the antenna to act as a counterpoise and should these wires be grounded? Can the counterpoise wires be laid on the roof or should they be raised above the roof? The antenna wire will be 12Ft above the roof. How many counterpoise wires and how close to the antenna wire?Any help you can offer will be appreciated.
We swapped a few emails about his situation, and I began to wonder why he wanted to put up an end-fed, when he actually had enough space for a 20m dipole, and if he drooped the ends a little, space for a 40m dipole. I also suggested that he might want to consider a 43-ft. non-resonant vertical or a trap vertical like a Hygain 14AVQ. I gave him my phone number, and we spent an hour on the phone discussing what might be the best antenna for his particular location.
What really made my blood boil, though is this offhand comment that he made in one of his emails:
I hate to bother you. The two local clubs explained to me that in the past they spent time and effort helping newbies then the newbies dropped out so they no longer help newbies.
I was spitting nickels after I read that. That really has to be the dumbest thing that I’ve ever read. He went on to say that he’d joined their clubs and had gone to some club events, but even so, was unable to get any help from the jerks in those clubs.
Needless to say, my new friend was incredibly disappointed at the lack of help he’d gotten from those jerks down in Florida. He’d always heard that hams helped other hams, and was really heartbroken when he’d gotten the cold shoulder.
Seriously, why would someone refuse to help this guy? My guess is that most of the hams in those clubs are retired, so I rather doubt that time is the problem. My only other guess is that those hams are not all that smart when it comes to antennas, and they felt uncomfortable trying to give advice when they didn’t really understand the situation. Of course, I suppose that it could be that they’re just jerks.
For the sake of argument, though, let’s say that they were hesitant to offer advice because they don’t know all that much about antennas themselves. I can see where someone might offer the weak excuse they did in order to not reveal their lack of knowledge. But, come on. If you don’t know something, own up to it. You’ll earn a lot more respect by saying that you don’t know rather than offering up a lame excuse.
And, even if you don’t know the answer to a question, that doesn’t mean that you are unable to help. I’m certainly no antenna guru, but by taking the time to ask some pertinent questions, I was able to get a better picture of what the guy was up against, and with that information, offer some halfway decent advice.
I haven’t heard back from my new-found friend on how he’s doing antenna-wise, but I was glad to be able to help him. Elmering is good for the soul. You don’t have to be SuperHam to be an Elmer, just a willingness to help. And, who knows? You may even learn something yourself in the process.
Joshua | DC7IA | KK4RVI says
For some people it’s just impossible to admit “I don’t know.”
david says
I ran into some cold shoulders when I was a new ham…I even stopped to ask myself “Is the question just something I should know or is it beyond the other hams knowledge”. Good on you for helping out, I have found myself being an elmer now and am always happy to help where I can.
Dan KB6NU says
Thanks for being an Elmer!
KK4OYJ says
Lol! Well done for doing the elmering. At least the local clubs are honest enough about not helping out for whatever reason. The UK would really make your blood boil. They have an organisation that promotes itself as “dedicated to encouraging excellence”. The reality is that they have a newsgroup populated by ‘experts’ who specialise in the vilification of those who seek help or put a foot wrong. Even worse, the ‘management’ is supercilious and dismissive of you dare to complain!
So be happy with the honesty of the locals and the fact that they had the integrity to decline to help – it’s a lot worse elsewhere!
Encourage elmering everywhere 😀
Steve Cox - W8SFC says
I am with you on that situation in Florida. It’s in my nature to help anyone who asks or offer to help when I see someone struggling with something, so this idea of denying this guy is abhorrent to me. In my opinion these clubs are only social in nature, and they are excluding this guy because they lack the character and spirit of amateur radio, as well as the humanity of simply being decent to someone because it is the thing to do.
It seems to me these guys are living in a closed echo chamber where the only opinions they value are their own and they have effectively made those clubs exclusive which is the antithesis of what ham radio is about.
I am so glad that this attitude is not prevalent here. I am pretty inexperienced and I have learned a lot with much more to learn about ham radio, so I consider myself fortunate that the people here do not behave like the ones in those clubs who are shutting out the new people. They don’t realize what an opportunity they are passing up to be a source of good in this often not so nice world, and they have no idea the rewards they get in return for a minimal effort on their part.
To my local Elmers –
Thank you for all your help and knowledge – I hope one day I will be in a position to pay it forward. It doesn’t matter if I am an expert or merely able, what is important is not refusing to offer what I can to help someone who needs it.
73!
Bob K0NR says
Keep in mind you are only hearing one version of the story. Who knows what else transpired. Just chill out and keep helping people as best you can.
Ivan Cholakov (NO2CW) says
Plan A: One often overlooked way to implements a low profile, all band antenna is to run the wire anywhich way possible (even a thin bare copper wire tracing the wall of the building) and then connect a remote tuner on the bottom such as an Icom AH4. These tuners are not cheap but allow near stealth antenna structures and will tune any length available wire or loop for a multiband antenna. They can also be mounted on the wall close to the ground and look like an everyday cable, phone or power splitter box.
Plan B: is the internet that we love to hate. A number of retired hams use my station remotely to check into nets and chat with friends when they no longer can have a station at their QTH for one reason or another. I know at least 20 hams who make their stations available over the internet to anyone who is licensed and request access.
Ned Davis says
It is a shame this incident happened, but as one commenter wrote, we have only one side of the story.
Yes, many clubs are populated by “grumpy old men” who don’t want young whipper snappers invading their cushy social network. I didn’t include women in this since most of the XYL’s tend to be very welcoming.
We help those who need assistance. We don’t have very many young members since we have our meetings in the early afternoon on a Monday. Certainly not conducive to the working crowd or students. But we are happy to help anyone who asks us. Member or not.