Original article from: Wayne Sarosi 
 Reposted by Rob Dennis,Moderator HAM_TECH,for use of the FIDO HAM_TECH echo.
  THIS POST/SERIES NOT TO BE USED IN ANY CDROM COMPILATIONS FOR COMMERCIAL
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 Antennas and Field Day kits.
Antennas:  A wide range of antennas have been used for field day from simple
wire antennas to full sized yagis.
 I'll list the different types of HF antennas I have seen,used and set-up,
rating them on portability, set-up,performance,survivability,multi-band,and
overall average.
 portability:
  How easy can the antenna be transported by vehicle and/or hand-carried to
 the site.
 set-up:
  Once at the site, how easy is the antenna to set-up and tune.
 performance:
  Does the antenna punch through the crowd and hear well?
  Does the antenna need a tuner?
 survivability:
  How does it hold up to the weather.
  Does the SWR change when it gets wet?
  Can it take a crash and be set right back up again?
  Can it handle a strong lighning storm with high gusty winds and rain?
 multi-band use:
  How well does the antenna work on more than two bands with or without
 a tuner?
 Overall average: total of each area divided by five.
 Scale is 1 to 5 with 5 being the best.
ANTENNA       PORT.     SU        PERF.     SUR       MBU       OAA
===================================================================
Whip          4         4         2         5         1         3.2
Groundplane   3         3         2         4         1         2.6
Bigstick      3         5         3         5         1         3.4
A-99          5         5         3         5         1         3.8
Hustler vert  3         1         3         4         4         3.0
R5 & R7       3         2         3         4         5         3.4Cs
Vert Dipole   3         3         3         4         2         3.0E
Inv.Vee       5         5         3         4         2         3.8E
Slopers       5         5         3         4         2         3.8E
Wire Dipole   5         4         3         4         2         3.6E
Wire Loops    5         3         3         3         2         3.2
Cubical Quad  3         3         5         2         2         3.0Cm
Yagi          3         2         5         3         2         3.0Cm
LPDA          2         1         5         3         5         3.2Cs
Recommendation code:
  E:Emergency antenna for the real thing
 Cs:Single Rig Antenna (1A, 1B, 1C Stations)
 Cm:Multi-Rig Antenna (Stations operating more than one rig)
 The recommendation codes are there for you to use as a guide rather than 
aw.
 You can use E antennas on field day and most do. If you are a point chaser,
the Cs and Cm antennas will do the job better but require more work.
 Cs are designed for the single station in mind,one antenna,one rig,1 to 4
operators,multi-band output. Cm antennas are designed for the 
ulti-rig,multi-
antenna,multi-everything station with multi-band output.
Kits:
 Kits can come in a wide range of flavors. But just what is a kit?
 A kit is a prepared package constisting of at least the following:
 o  An antenna that can be assembled and installed in under 30 minutes.
 o  Coax with connectors at least 50-ft in length that can handle at least
   100w continuous.
 o  A small tool pouch including spare connectors and adaptors.
 o  A small first aid kit.
 o  A flashlight with spare batteries.
 o  A cheap rain poncho.
 o  A 3-ft coax jumper.
 o  An inexpensive but fairly accurate SWR/PWR meter.
 o  Three #2 pencils and small note book.
 o  50-ft extension cord.
 o  Rope or cord to hang the antenna.
 o  Cheap plastic tarp.
 o  A low wattage 12Vdc lamp.
 All this should be in a bag or perferably in a foot locker to go.
 The footlocker can double as a table and also leaves room for your rig,mic,a
12Vdc deep cycle battery and small power supply.
 There is always the possibility that you will be located near a command
center which will probably have a generator. Or there maybe a generator near
you which will allow you to plug in the power supply,place the battery 
etween
the rig and the power supply incase you loose power during a communication.
 It will act as an UPS. Run the minimum power needed to make the contact to
conserve your power.
 Kits can be larger and have many more antennas.
 You can setup kits for emergency use and/or field day.
 A four inch diameter PVC pipe,10 feet long with screw on caps can serve to
hold a pushup mast and beam antenna. This can also hold two supports.
 Where there is no cover for a station,the PVC pipe and supports can be set
up with a tarp covering them as such:
              ========================================== PVC pipe
             /==========================================\
           /  ||                                      ||  \
         /    ||                                      ||    \
       /      ||                                      ||      \ guys
     /        ||                                      ||        \
   /          ||                                      ||          \
 /            ||                                      ||            \
              ||                                      ||  support     \
 Handles can be placed on the PVC pipe for easy carrying.
 Designs are endless and I'll continue on next time with some antenna mods
for quick set-up and use next time.
-WS
--- GoldED 2.42.G1219
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