In the 1970s and 80s I made many 1/2 wave dipole out of coax by spreading a bit of the coax and pulling the center part out through it. Takes some work but makes a nice little portable antenna when done. I would fling some 10 pound test fishing line with a nut or fishing weight tied to it up over a branch using a slingshot. Then once the weight came back down tie some light rope to it and pull it up and over the branch. Then tie the rope to the top of the antenna, and tie a weight to the bottom of the braid ground section, and pull the whole thing up in a tree. I would drive my van up to mountain tops and put a 1/2 wave wire dipole in a tree and talk all over the place on it. I also made a lot of 1/2 wave dipoles using 12 guage wire and an SO-239.
I made myself one and since that day, it's the only antenna I use. Disassembled the ml-145 because of a storm coming, it's been sitting like that since. It's surprisingly good and easy to build! Great video, have a nice day Fred!
Fred - Thanks for the vid on the t2lt. I've just bought one (and also the 8m pole). I've just set it up this afternoon in the garden (took 15 mins). I've got to say It's fantastic. My signal is getting out on FM over 25 miles in a number of directions. So much better than my homemade dipole. Keep up the great work. 73's
The T2LT has the braid cut off and the bazooka is the one where you fold the braid back. I use and have used both and they perform about the same. Folding the braid back is much easier than you might think. 10m roach pole is what I use on the hills and mountains, been out in 50mph plus winds and they will bend but had mine about 3 years as long as you don’t put the guy wires too high up
Hi Jason, for clarification, on the double bazooka the shield is shorted to the center lead on each side about 2/3 of the way out and then the center lead and shield if you like or continued until you measure a full half wave dipole at whatever frequency band you're building it for. The idea is that you radiate on the outside for your centerfit halfway of dipole but the internal untouched center lead utilizing the Velocity Factor of the coax provides an internal full wave shorted loop in order to provide harmonic filtering so a double bazooka tends to be a mono band antenna.
We've found the T2LT/CVCD will outperform the a99 when erected at the same height, same location. We use LMR240 for 1KW+ wattage handling. I'll look forward to DXing you on one in a few years when conditions permit. I also enjoy "mountain-top" ops, so wouldn't it be keen to work each other with a T2LT on each end, deep in the field, US to UK! Maybe 2 telescoping poles for flat-top horizontal ops. Only a simple center-feed would suffice. Or 1 pole to a nearby tree. Problem is I rarely find trees at the top @ 3000m - 4000m altitude.
I have the same setup as this and what I've started doing is taping a PMR antenna at the top and connecting it using some RG58 and then using in with my Baofeng. I use the T2LT with my SDR and that works perfectly well, yet to try using a CB radio
If you had both at the same height they may well be the same signal. The A99 has the matching section making it much more broad banded. both are just 1/4 wave vertical dipoles. This is an older video, but I have missed your videos of you just chatting on air with friends and would like to see you do more of those.
Nice video again Fred thanks for sharing. As most of you know I dont buy antennas anymore, I always use wire and make my own, I have made one of these before as well they are great. Cant wait for a bit of better weather so I can get the ladders out again lol. I also think you would not see any difference between the two at the same height now that would be interesting
For someone in a high-rise building or on an old bridge, you could just toss it out the window or off the side and be ready to go. There is a bridge that was just left to use for recreation that I have thought of doing something like this. One of these could be made for any band. very easily, just use the dipole spects !
Hello Fred, I was just enjoying watching your video. I made one of these several days ago and it didn't tune very well . I used the five turn choke on a 4.25-inch former and it provided a lot of RFI in the shack and tuned real funky. It seemed to move the SWR all over the place as I went up and down the bands from 26 to 29 MHz. I ended up re-wrapping the choke at the bottom with 16 turns and now it works terrifically. I don't know if you're still using an A99 on your roof but if you haven't already discovered it, the IMAX should provide 2 s-units of gain, and the Gain Master by Sirio should provide an additional 1 to 2 s-units over that. Cheers & 73
On that psu. What I would do with that is add a Motorola 3423 crowbar chip and a thyristor which will blow the main fuse if the psu goes overvolts. I'm sure if you look around on the net you will find that basic circuit diagram and only consists of a few components.Good luck
You should have bought some RG58 and a PL-259 plug and build it yourself. Braiding back the shield wiring on RG58 is quiet easy actually. Shrink tubing the entire thing can be more tricky if the tubing is chosen too narrow. Build a couple from RG174 to be lighter then RG58 yet - 8m coax cable and a bit of 50mm PVC tube. T2TL are the easiest to build, 10 windings at 50mm dia, 2.60m from there you strip the outer shield of for 2.78m, fold the end over and adjust the SWR. Vertical Bazooka takes an step more as the wire shield is now braided back and not removed. Horizontal Bazookas have the braiding spliced in and soldered to the core twice.
Just Bought one of these too Fred Will be using ours for CTX on the Hills mate did see the Flag poles on Ebay but bought a Roach pole 7m will be testing it the weekend weather permitting with my Midlands Portapak .
Thanks for the video Fred. That is a very good inexpensive antenna. The Antron 99 is on the same idea as the Bazooka,the only difference is that the Antron 99 has a built-in tuner and the rings on the outside to adjust the SWR. That bazooka is a neat simple antennae.
As a mainly hilltop station I've used the t2lt. My findings are that on a hilltop you'll get out well but an a99 will outperform it ,also the t2lt does suffer swr problems in heavy rain due to the skin effect. The t2lt is a very good antenna for portable work and a lot of the ctx stations use them cos they pack in to a backpack no problem. Once you add the price of a fiberglass roach pole to the t2lt it doesn't look such a good deal.......
Good video Fred ,, had mine up on my roach pole for 9 months think I paid 13 quid for it and it saw serious winds and never broke or cracked, I can understand you not going to the trouble of fitting it were the 99 is but can tell ya your eyes would be popping out your head at how well these things work when they are high up ,, I was cheesed off that I spent 130 on the gain master and my T2lt worked just as good or dare I say better,, but the Sirio has a wider band width due to a resistor or capacitor , in the wire ,, defiantly over priced them things are cheers Shane Bravo Delta 33
Cheers mate. Everyone on here saying the same thing that these will work just as well as a base antenna if you get them high up. Seems to bring in less noise as well.
nice video Fred , well put across that in the end its the coax and the inner element doing the work! looks like a great job for portable works 73s you and yours...
Hi Fred, returning to CB after donkeys years! enjoying your utubes. found an old rig and a magmount in the garage! got a better rig for £6 at a boat jumble! Built T2LT on a pole to get out a bit better. SWR ok across the bands, Look forward to speaking when in your part of the woods on mobile.Have fun....Brains
Nice Test, working a local station with the antenna low down will always be a lower signal, but how you have it now would be fine for DX, and of course put the antron on the ground will work better DX but not good for local copies.
That link to to buy one is as I thought dead now, cheapest to buy is about £24 with the smaller coil / more turns version so little bit expensive for what it is
Cant really see it happening Mark. Iam not sure its my thing & what i want from radio. Those guys take it VERY VERY seriously. I think if i went that way i would sooner become a HAM.
You seem to be able to sell me anything Fred! I bought a (two, actually one was rubbish) maxcom 7E out of nostalgia after seeing one of your videos, but had pretty much ruled out the idea of an antenna at home due to some practicalities. ..but after seeing this bought a pole and a T2LT to put my 7e through! .... if I pick anyone up on the muppets I might even buy a proper radio. T2lt hasn't arrived yet, but the pole has, and within seconds of extending it in the garden I realised how easy this is going to make things for me. Cheers for the video.
I think Network radio is a great comm tool. Its not real radio and It does not replace radio but is a good option when the airwaves are quite. Ive not taken the plunge myself yet. Check out "Ringway Manchester" on UA-cam for reviews.
I liked the idea, but I wanted a rigid base antenna similar to the old Big Stick antennas. So I got 20 feet of PVC pipe, 1 1/4 inches size and a pipe cap, and put a whip mount in the cap. so i can attach my coax inside and the whip outside. My coax is 20 feet long, with PL-259 connectors on each end. Beginning at the point, where you strip and measure out the counterpoise section, I measure out the same length of coax, then make the choke. But my antenna uses any CB mobile whip up to 103 inches long, for the top radial. And my coax counterpoise attaches to the bottom of my whip mount on the pipe cap. The major difference I do is to drill a hole in my pipe, where the coax can enter it to be attached to the whip mount. And this hole is just above the choke, which remains outside my rigid PVC mast. So I have a 103" whip, at the top of my 20 foot mast, the 103" coax is hidden inside of it, and roughly 102" below the top of the mast, the choke winding is outside the pipe. And the remaining 12 foot of pipe is the mast that holds my whip antenna 20 feet up in the air. .
On a 20 meter antenna, I'd make the coax counter poise section 16 foot long, make the choke, and use a 20 meter ham stick at the top. and it would still fit the same 20 foot PVC pipe. So your antenna design works for many of the higher ham bands too. It's just changing the lengths of counter poise sections and the top radials. I've wondered how I can make a "no ground plane ham antenna" for about 30 years, the T2LT design can do it. And it's a 20 foot vertical.
@@CB-RADIO-UK I made mine from RG-213 for handling my Ameritron AL-1200. I fishing-poled a line up through the near tops of a pair of 140' tall Fir trees growing 90' apart, pulled up a cable with a pulley centered between them and have dacron line going up through the pulley and holding it at about 105' at the top. SSB for 150+ miles in all directions!
A common mistake is for people to use the formula 234 / frequency in megahertz for their measurement of both the top and the bottom half, which results in a too Short antenna and an antenna that tunes higher than anticipated. The reason for this is because End Effect is employed in the formula 234 / frequency in megahertz - ONLY for the top quarter wave since the bottom quarter wave is terminating at a choke. There will be no End Effect therefore the bottom half should be the full quarter wave or 108 inches for 11m CB use whereas the top half will end up tuning best somewhere around 103 inches for center of the USA 11m CB band.
my t2lt is roughly 3 meters below my sirio gain master and i can hear stations that i cannot on the gain master so the gain master is coming down at some point
Super video Fred, This is an antenna I wanted to have a play with so your video has given me a good indication of the results. Guaranteed if this was the same height of the antron it may be on a par or outperform. Fantastic video Fred all the best 73s
I run a crt 6900n with a t2lt on a 6m pole from ground level and just had my 1st contact to Germany the other day from 108 division Clyde Valley! Cheers for the video! 108CV052 Jimbo!
Hi Fred, Just enjoyed another one of your videos. I use a T2LT as my every day antenna, only because I have nimby issues where I live. It works well for me although because of height (10 meter pole) it does bring in quite a bit of noise. It would be interesting to see if yours performed well against the amtron if you got it up to the same height. I think you will be very surprised at the performance of the T2LT at the same height or even out in open ground.
Hi Barry. It would be interesting. I am not really set up at home to get the T2LT that high. Iam going to be testing the T2LT near the coast in a couple of weeks.
Working my way up. Found a "dead" radio in the rubbish bin. Found it to have been compromised via a power in version. Repaired the diode. And damaged lands. All in all I am getting about 3.5 watts at the tail pipe. And as I was working i rembered a frend passed. He had given a load of rgu-58. So your thoughts on a bazooka. Will be the cherry on top . Will call my rig. "Dale freeze" after my passed frend .. Ps good choke action. mine is usually. 6-8 turns on a soda can. Then taped down. To keep the form. Cuts way back on the swr. De kv4li tks om
I think you have to try and get back on air after saving that radio. The bazooka's work surprisingly well. They can pick up a bit of RF noise if too close to a house. On our 305 group " 4 watt Paul" has made one as his stuck in and he was giving + 9 db signals 8-9 miles away without running extra power :-)
That was quite impressive mate should work quite will when u are on ya jolly's and very portable too. I like the mag loop idea we will have to talk about that a bit sounds good...
For years I was using the Antron 99 With a fireup 99 on the top & ground plane kit, Put up a T2LT on a roach pole to compare both at the same height & to my surprise the T2LT at my location performed better, The Antron 99 is now down & I am using my T2LT for the home base antenna, I have it fitted to scaffold poles on a swivel bracket so if the forcast is heavy winds I do lower it down, You can make your own for less than £8 a big difference to the cost of most home base antennas, 26CT1582 John Brizzle.
g8ymw The rg58 cable, will be the biggest loss i think...I have setup a so called inverted v wire antenna in the attic, and works also quit well. Antenna hight is always the winning factor!
If FM is only line of sight (it’s what I thought also!), how come I can receive guys from Greece here in France, on FM?? I carefully checked and I hear them distorted on the same AM frequency, cristal clear on FM. And I catch them with a short rubber duck antenna on my handheld Randy III. Cheers
Ah the wonder of radio propagation or known as skip. The signals are bouncing of a charged ionosphere. You can talk 1000's of miles when the conditions allow.
On the TL2T you said the braid is peeled back?, is the shield then cut or is the shield covered with tape or shrink tubing?, iam confused? Great video Fred, thanks for sharing!👍
If you do a comparison you should messure it against the same hight... Other than that nice video.... And try to make a video about a vertical wire antenna, they are directional just take an rg 58 and connect a wire(2x) to the left and right than a just swr by folding it back ore by cutting..(bind it against a rope horizontal) . When you are 2meters above the ground the attente is about 5-6 METER IN LENGTH horizontal depending on frequency and ground effects.... Regards Richard 19rs041
hi Fred, Would these work threaded through the inside of the pole or do they need to be on the outside of the pole ? And have you ever tried the Hawkins thunderbolt SSD 12 + antenna ? Are they the same concept as this T2LT ?
What part of St Albans are you bro, I grew up on Gotham drive and totally into cb from about 14 yrs old. Someone got a small States AM radio. It was great. Handle back then was BedBug. Computers killed cb. Now we can talk in a couple of strokes on a keyboard and your talking to Aussies. I’m in Scotland now. Looking to pass my next ticket to get me more channels. Get back to me dude. 👍👍
fredintheshed1 don’t kid yourself. I live in Motherwell and it’s a hole full of drunks and druggies. Get into the rural villages and it’s great but the most thing I miss is the weather. There’s a saying here....if it’s not raining, wait ten minutes lol. Shouldn’t have moved here but married a wee Scots maiden. Wonderful rural runs and coasts are stunning. 👍
I am about to make one myself. I have 10 metres of mini RG8 with a pl259 on one end already (Was used for something else) Stripping back the braid for the upward arm is too much like hard work and a waste of coax. I have a noggin of insulated wire so I'm going to use that. I'll make mine slightly shorter to favour 10 metres but still cover mid band. 73 de Tony
Great stuff, subd. I have a fibreglass hightop roof on my van and was wondering about putting this kind of antenna on the inside of the fibreglass roof. Hot glueing it around the inside in a sort of large square loop. Do you think that would work?
Not sure it will work that well. The T2LT really needs to be in the vertical plane. Also you might have SWR issues. Why not get a Sirio 4000 or 5000 mobile whip as they work well mobile.
Hi Fred, great UA-cam channel. I’m after an antenna I can put up and take down/ store away relatively easy. Obviously looking to get best range I can. WhaT worked better, the T2LT on the camping pole or Silver Rod on the parasol stand?
Hi Fred, I have been inspired by your Videos - Great to see a comeback on the ol' CB's !. I've shaken the dust off two I had lying in the attic and stuck up a whip .. Just one thing to note in using a 'telescopic flag/roach pole' - Isn't it Important to use a fibreglass pole ? - I'm sure that a carbon fibre pole ( being conductive ) would lead to problems ??. Maybe ? ... What do you think ? 73's Peter
Could you use an ordinary ballun instead of the coil Fred, and if so would you put it on at exactly the same place or would it matter?? Also would a ground plane kit help or make no difference?
Hi Fred hope ur well. I've just ordered one of these from Moonraker are they any good for mobile. TURBO MAG + TORNADO And swr meter for my thunder pole tx handheld
Fred what Bandwidth have you worked on this antenna. Out of curiosity what are the bandwidth limits you generally use i.e the lowest frequency you use to highest. ABCDEF do use the whole gambit?
This antenna will work right across the 11 meter band nad just into the 10 meter band although the SWR will climb . So on a 6900 it will be 27-28 MHz bands A-E. My F is the UK FM channels
Well yes and no. I tried it (link at the end) but the trouble is that most people are using a vertical antenna. Also noise is in issue. ua-cam.com/video/zPvVwBpiCpA/v-deo.html
Hi No. If your going to use the UK 40 FM more then use channel 20 FM. If you think you will be more on the skip euro side then use channel 20 EU. If your going to be about equal on both i would prob use Ch 1 UK FM.
Personally i would prob use channel 40 on the euros. That will be near the middle of the freq and the SWR will not increase too much when you go to UK FM
So Fred, what I'm seeing is essentially a vertical end fed 27mhz dipole that you looped the bottom end to take up slack for the shortened length of the fiberglass mast, am I correct? Or did I miss something?
why the air wound choke in the wire? what are the dimensions of that choke, how many wraps did you go? Have you modified the choke to see how it affects your SWR?
@@CB-RADIO-UK Nope. No lines or something. BUT: The upper two of the thee keys on the right are gone. The typical problem of a Pebble Steel. But I have a Pebble Time Steel that works flawlessly, too.
I wouldn't be surprised if you put the crap coax antenna at equal height with the a99, they'd run dead even. All vertical antennas are unbalanced and hence, noisy. A true vertical or horizontal half wave dipole will out perform all the unbalanced 1/4, 5/8, and stacked collinear antennas out there when it comes to simplex. Do a test where you setup a full half wave horizontal folded dipole at your place and your buddy's. You'll be in for a surprise as you both end up S9+20 over simply by switching horizontal and giving both sides of the wave front a full period to resonate.
I'm tempted to get that antenna for wanderings. Does anyone think it would out perform a sirio 5000 on a 2.5 metre high panel van against the bazooka on a ground pole
if its mounted on a 10m fibre pole,it may have a slight advantage,depends if your van parked on a mountain or low lying ground.The Sirio if roof mounted on van in middle of roof panel will prob perform the same job.The T2LT has no gain over your Sirio. The only thing it does do is raise the antenna height better for line of sight comms,the higher the better if thats what your aiming for. Height will generally outperform any so called gain antenna for line of sight,DXing using sky-wave is a different kettle of fish and requires sometimes a different approach. I found these antennas work best on mountain tops in my location using 4w of FM,but performance will depend on where you are and what surrounding terrain your in,even thou 27mhz is HF,it behaves more like low-band VHF line of sight. Like fred said for what it is,its works and low cost worth a try! And from a quick deployment,its a very handy antenna to have. Personally i found for my situation and terrain adding three 9ft foot counterpoises at 45 degrees,improved performance no end for fix base line of sight contacts use,while not as practical as original T2LT design,quick put up. I live in low sea level ,but have high surrounding hills,so need a higher angle of radiation pattern to get over the hills. I mounted it on 10M fibre pole as a permanent solution,I found once I added the extra ground planes performance wise,it worked a lot better-but thats maybe not the case for you. The question you have asked has too many variables ie height,location,power,surrounding terrain,urban,countryside terrain,noise floor,too give you a 100% correct answer,its a case of suck and see Paul It may or may not,youll just have to try im afraid to get a 100% answer Chance are it may give you a slight edge due to its height factor,but im sensible guessing here I hope that of some help,Paul and good luck! Rob 73's
I watched YOUR Video on the T2LX and could not find anything about it, I found other kinds of antennas, Tea-shirts with Bazooka Gun, Tires, and everything else but nothing about the Antenna YOU are showing in the Video maybe YOU can send ME a link because I have struck-out trying to find it on eBay
No problem. Have a look at this link. Its pretty much the Extreme version of a T2LT and should work very well. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thunderbolt-SSD12-CB-11m-Portable-Antenna-SOTA-Field-use/303151209774?hash=item4695385d2e:g:5MUAAOSwHORb3cdq
Actually, vertical to have the same polarity as the bulk of stations. On direct wave / "ground wave" being cross polarised loses 20dB aka a good 3 TRUE S points , aka 1/100 th of the signal. When the propagation is running, then polarity doesn't matter (Once it has been up to the ionosphere, all references to the ground are lost)
In the 1970s and 80s I made many 1/2 wave dipole out of coax by spreading a bit of the coax and pulling the center part out through it. Takes some work but makes a nice little portable antenna when done. I would fling some 10 pound test fishing line with a nut or fishing weight tied to it up over a branch using a slingshot. Then once the weight came back down tie some light rope to it and pull it up and over the branch. Then tie the rope to the top of the antenna, and tie a weight to the bottom of the braid ground section, and pull the whole thing up in a tree. I would drive my van up to mountain tops and put a 1/2 wave wire dipole in a tree and talk all over the place on it. I also made a lot of 1/2 wave dipoles using 12 guage wire and an SO-239.
I made myself one and since that day, it's the only antenna I use. Disassembled the ml-145 because of a storm coming, it's been sitting like that since. It's surprisingly good and easy to build! Great video, have a nice day Fred!
Built one, and tested it by simply laid it down on the stairway between my house's 1st & 2nd floor. Made contacts to 7 & 10 miles easily.
Wow thats a good result
Fred - Thanks for the vid on the t2lt. I've just bought one (and also the 8m pole). I've just set it up this afternoon in the garden (took 15 mins). I've got to say It's fantastic. My signal is getting out on FM over 25 miles in a number of directions. So much better than my homemade dipole. Keep up the great work. 73's
Thank you for the great ideas. You have been most helpful with me getting back into the hobby.
Thanks Andrew. Glad the videos help.
The T2LT has the braid cut off and the bazooka is the one where you fold the braid back. I use and have used both and they perform about the same. Folding the braid back is much easier than you might think. 10m roach pole is what I use on the hills and mountains, been out in 50mph plus winds and they will bend but had mine about 3 years as long as you don’t put the guy wires too high up
I am struggling folding the shield back over the coax with rg-8.
Hi Jason, for clarification, on the double bazooka the shield is shorted to the center lead on each side about 2/3 of the way out and then the center lead and shield if you like or continued until you measure a full half wave dipole at whatever frequency band you're building it for.
The idea is that you radiate on the outside for your centerfit halfway of dipole but the internal untouched center lead utilizing the Velocity Factor of the coax provides an internal full wave shorted loop in order to provide harmonic filtering so a double bazooka tends to be a mono band antenna.
Apologies for the many T-Mobile voice to text errors 😒
We've found the T2LT/CVCD will outperform the a99 when erected at the same height, same location. We use LMR240 for 1KW+ wattage handling.
I'll look forward to DXing you on one in a few years when conditions permit.
I also enjoy "mountain-top" ops, so wouldn't it be keen to work each other with a T2LT on each end, deep in the field, US to UK!
Maybe 2 telescoping poles for flat-top horizontal ops. Only a simple center-feed would suffice. Or 1 pole to a nearby tree. Problem is I rarely find trees at the top @ 3000m - 4000m altitude.
I used RG213 for handling my AL-1200 Ameritron
I have the same setup as this and what I've started doing is taping a PMR antenna at the top and connecting it using some RG58 and then using in with my Baofeng. I use the T2LT with my SDR and that works perfectly well, yet to try using a CB radio
If you had both at the same height they may well be the same signal. The A99 has the matching section making it much more broad banded. both are just 1/4 wave vertical dipoles. This is an older video, but I have missed your videos of you just chatting on air with friends and would like to see you do more of those.
Nice video again Fred thanks for sharing. As most of you know I dont buy antennas anymore, I always use wire and make my own, I have made one of these before as well they are great. Cant wait for a bit of better weather so I can get the ladders out again lol. I also think you would not see any difference between the two at the same height now that would be interesting
For someone in a high-rise building or on an old bridge, you could just toss it out the window or off the side and be ready to go. There is a bridge that was just left to use for recreation that I have thought of doing something like this. One of these could be made for any band. very easily, just use the dipole spects !
Hello Fred, I was just enjoying watching your video.
I made one of these several days ago and it didn't tune very well .
I used the five turn choke on a 4.25-inch former and it provided a lot of RFI in the shack and tuned real funky. It seemed to move the SWR all over the place as I went up and down the bands from 26 to 29 MHz.
I ended up re-wrapping the choke at the bottom with 16 turns and now it works terrifically.
I don't know if you're still using an A99 on your roof but if you haven't already discovered it, the IMAX should provide 2 s-units of gain, and the Gain Master by Sirio should provide an additional 1 to 2 s-units over that.
Cheers & 73
16T on a 2.4" former.
Thanks for the info. These t2lts can work very well esp in the field.
On that psu. What I would do with that is add a Motorola 3423 crowbar chip and a thyristor which will blow the main fuse if the psu goes overvolts. I'm sure if you look around on the net you will find that basic circuit diagram and only consists of a few components.Good luck
I'm planning to build one of these for ARRL Field Day this year.
You should have bought some RG58 and a PL-259 plug and build it yourself. Braiding back the shield wiring on RG58 is quiet easy actually. Shrink tubing the entire thing can be more tricky if the tubing is chosen too narrow. Build a couple from RG174 to be lighter then RG58 yet - 8m coax cable and a bit of 50mm PVC tube.
T2TL are the easiest to build, 10 windings at 50mm dia, 2.60m from there you strip the outer shield of for 2.78m, fold the end over and adjust the SWR. Vertical Bazooka takes an step more as the wire shield is now braided back and not removed. Horizontal Bazookas have the braiding spliced in and soldered to the core twice.
Yes they are pretty easy. At the time i was due to go on holiday and needed it quick.
Just Bought one of these too Fred Will be using ours for CTX on the Hills mate did see the Flag poles on Ebay but bought a Roach pole 7m will be testing it the weekend weather permitting with my Midlands Portapak .
Same noise level with each antenna.
The bazooka would have matched the 99 if the vSWR had been the same as each other.
Great test thanks
Thanks for the video Fred. That is a very good inexpensive antenna. The Antron 99 is on the same idea as the Bazooka,the only difference is that the Antron 99 has a built-in tuner and the rings on the outside to adjust the SWR. That bazooka is a neat simple antennae.
I think the T2LT is very much like the Gainmaster which itself is just coax and a pole.
As a mainly hilltop station I've used the t2lt.
My findings are that on a hilltop you'll get out well but an a99 will outperform it ,also the t2lt does suffer swr problems in heavy rain due to the skin effect.
The t2lt is a very good antenna for portable work and a lot of the ctx stations use them cos they pack in to a backpack no problem.
Once you add the price of a fiberglass roach pole to the t2lt it doesn't look such a good deal.......
Enjoyed your video, excellent and took me back a bit.
Glad you enjoyed it
Good video Fred ,, had mine up on my roach pole for 9 months think I paid 13 quid for it and it saw serious winds and never broke or cracked, I can understand you not going to the trouble of fitting it were the 99 is but can tell ya your eyes would be popping out your head at how well these things work when they are high up ,, I was cheesed off that I spent 130 on the gain master and my T2lt worked just as good or dare I say better,, but the Sirio has a wider band width due to a resistor or capacitor , in the wire ,, defiantly over priced them things are cheers Shane Bravo Delta 33
Cheers mate. Everyone on here saying the same thing that these will work just as well as a base antenna if you get them high up. Seems to bring in less noise as well.
nice video Fred , well put across that in the end its the coax and the inner element doing the work! looks like a great job for portable works 73s you and yours...
Hi Fred, returning to CB after donkeys years! enjoying your utubes. found an old rig and a magmount in the garage! got a better rig for £6 at a boat jumble! Built T2LT on a pole to get out a bit better. SWR ok across the bands, Look forward to speaking when in your part of the woods on mobile.Have fun....Brains
Welcome back!. I hope you get some contacts. Been a bit of skip around on SSB in the later afternoons.
Good to see you've bought yourself a great radio! 😁
Nice Test, working a local station with the antenna low down will always be a lower signal, but how you have it now would be fine for DX, and of course put the antron on the ground will work better DX but not good for local copies.
My thoughts on the t2lt is that it would be a great backpack antenna to connect to an HT on the trail.
That link to to buy one is as I thought dead now, cheapest to buy is about £24 with the smaller coil / more turns version so little bit expensive for what it is
Cheap to make.
Great to see you do a hillside dx using this antenna.
Cant really see it happening Mark. Iam not sure its my thing & what i want from radio. Those guys take it VERY VERY seriously. I think if i went that way i would sooner become a HAM.
You seem to be able to sell me anything Fred! I bought a (two, actually one was rubbish) maxcom 7E out of nostalgia after seeing one of your videos, but had pretty much ruled out the idea of an antenna at home due to some practicalities. ..but after seeing this bought a pole and a T2LT to put my 7e through! .... if I pick anyone up on the muppets I might even buy a proper radio. T2lt hasn't arrived yet, but the pole has, and within seconds of extending it in the garden I realised how easy this is going to make things for me. Cheers for the video.
Well done Matt. My own T2Lt worked well enough. I will be testing it again in a few weeks time.
Great stuff, I look forward to seeing that, Do you have any thoughts on Network Radio?
I think Network radio is a great comm tool. Its not real radio and It does not replace radio but is a good option when the airwaves are quite. Ive not taken the plunge myself yet. Check out "Ringway Manchester" on UA-cam for reviews.
I liked the idea, but I wanted a rigid base antenna similar to the old Big Stick antennas. So I got 20 feet of PVC pipe, 1 1/4 inches size and a pipe cap, and put a whip mount in the cap. so i can attach my coax inside and the whip outside. My coax is 20 feet long, with PL-259 connectors on each end. Beginning at the point, where you strip and measure out the counterpoise section, I measure out the same length of coax, then make the choke. But my antenna uses any CB mobile whip up to 103 inches long, for the top radial. And my coax counterpoise attaches to the bottom of my whip mount on the pipe cap. The major difference I do is to drill a hole in my pipe, where the coax can enter it to be attached to the whip mount. And this hole is just above the choke, which remains outside my rigid PVC mast. So I have a 103" whip, at the top of my 20 foot mast, the 103" coax is hidden inside of it, and roughly 102" below the top of the mast, the choke winding is outside the pipe. And the remaining 12 foot of pipe is the mast that holds my whip antenna 20 feet up in the air. .
On a 20 meter antenna, I'd make the coax counter poise section 16 foot long, make the choke, and use a 20 meter ham stick at the top. and it would still fit the same 20 foot PVC pipe. So your antenna design works for many of the higher ham bands too. It's just changing the lengths of counter poise sections and the top radials. I've wondered how I can make a "no ground plane ham antenna" for about 30 years, the T2LT design can do it. And it's a 20 foot vertical.
Neat portable antenna, cheers for the video!
Love my T2LT. Basically a half wave is a half wave.
Its a good buy for £15
@@CB-RADIO-UK I made mine from RG-213 for handling my Ameritron AL-1200. I fishing-poled a line up through the near tops of a pair of 140' tall Fir trees growing 90' apart, pulled up a cable with a pulley centered between them and have dacron line going up through the pulley and holding it at about 105' at the top. SSB for 150+ miles in all directions!
A common mistake is for people to use the formula 234 / frequency in megahertz for their measurement of both the top and the bottom half, which results in a too Short antenna and an antenna that tunes higher than anticipated.
The reason for this is because End Effect is employed in the formula 234 / frequency in megahertz - ONLY for the top quarter wave since the bottom quarter wave is terminating at a choke.
There will be no End Effect therefore the bottom half should be the full quarter wave or 108 inches for 11m CB use whereas the top half will end up tuning best somewhere around 103 inches for center of the USA 11m CB band.
my t2lt is roughly 3 meters below my sirio gain master and i can hear stations that i cannot on the gain master so the gain master is coming down at some point
Is that the T2lt you won from me lol..
yes it is its working brilliant
Glad I ran across your channel, I just subscribed. 73's my friend!
Thanks.
Super video Fred, This is an antenna I wanted to have a play with so your video has given me a good indication of the results. Guaranteed if this was the same height of the antron it may be on a par or outperform. Fantastic video Fred all the best 73s
Cant go wrong for £15 buddy.
I run a crt 6900n with a t2lt on a 6m pole from ground level and just had my 1st contact to Germany the other day from 108 division Clyde Valley! Cheers for the video! 108CV052 Jimbo!
That a cracking contact jim
How much power were using jim
@@indiana146 40 watts!
@@Jimmyboy1674 good effort
@@indiana146 thanks mate!👍🏼
Nice one Fred I'm getting one
You should do an item on the t2lt elevated. 🕵
Ive had one of those antennas for years but not really done anything with it. I will have to dig it out and try it again
Just need to find a tree with a high branch Jez and your away.
Cool antenna Fred 👍 Tom.
Hi Fred,
Just enjoyed another one of your videos.
I use a T2LT as my every day antenna, only because I have nimby issues where I live.
It works well for me although because of height (10 meter pole) it does bring in quite a bit of noise.
It would be interesting to see if yours performed well against the amtron if you got it up to the same height. I think you will be very surprised at the performance of the T2LT at the same height or even out in open ground.
Hi Barry. It would be interesting. I am not really set up at home to get the T2LT that high. Iam going to be testing the T2LT near the coast in a couple of weeks.
Working my way up. Found a "dead" radio in the rubbish bin. Found it to have been compromised via a power in version. Repaired the diode. And damaged lands. All in all I am getting about 3.5 watts at the tail pipe. And as I was working i rembered a frend passed. He had given a load of rgu-58. So your thoughts on a bazooka. Will be the cherry on top . Will call my rig. "Dale freeze" after my passed frend .. Ps good choke action. mine is usually. 6-8 turns on a soda can. Then taped down. To keep the form. Cuts way back on the swr. De kv4li tks om
I think you have to try and get back on air after saving that radio. The bazooka's work surprisingly well. They can pick up a bit of RF noise if too close to a house. On our 305 group " 4 watt Paul" has made one as his stuck in and he was giving + 9 db signals 8-9 miles away without running extra power :-)
Parabéns amigo pelo vídeo radio amadores muito boa antena de rádio
Thank you. Its a fine portable antenna.
That was quite impressive mate should work quite will when u are on ya jolly's and very portable too. I like the mag loop idea we will have to talk about that a bit sounds good...
Yes the mag loop can be expensive with a big air capacitor, unless you make one yourself.
For years I was using the Antron 99 With a fireup 99 on the top & ground plane kit, Put up a T2LT on a roach pole to compare both at the same height & to my surprise the T2LT at my location performed better, The Antron 99 is now down & I am using my T2LT for the home base antenna, I have it fitted to scaffold poles on a swivel bracket so if the forcast is heavy winds I do lower it down, You can make your own for less than £8 a big difference to the cost of most home base antennas, 26CT1582 John Brizzle.
Yes iam not surprised following the results i got.
Oh dear power supply link is now useless. Nothing a little simple searching can do. Cheers Fred 😃😁
Parabéns amigo pelo vídeo radio amadores muito boa antena!!
muito obrigado
Wow Fred.... I'd love to see that antenna at the same height as the Antron. I bet it would be just as good as the Antron.
I dont think there would be much in it Andy. Amazing for £15 v £75.
Actually I would think it would beat an Antron. No lossy matching network
g8ymw The rg58 cable, will be the biggest loss i think...I have setup a so called inverted v wire antenna in the attic, and works also quit well. Antenna hight is always the winning factor!
If FM is only line of sight (it’s what I thought also!), how come I can receive guys from Greece here in France, on FM?? I carefully checked and I hear them distorted on the same AM frequency, cristal clear on FM. And I catch them with a short rubber duck antenna on my handheld Randy III. Cheers
Ah the wonder of radio propagation or known as skip. The signals are bouncing of a charged ionosphere. You can talk 1000's of miles when the conditions allow.
it is possible to know the measurements you used for the two arms of the antenna
I might make one myself when i get time. Best to google as plenty of guides and measurements on line.
On the TL2T you said the braid is peeled back?, is the shield then cut or is the shield covered with tape or shrink tubing?, iam confused?
Great video Fred, thanks for sharing!👍
Hi Eric. Yes the shield is cut and sealed.
If you do a comparison you should messure it against the same hight... Other than that nice video.... And try to make a video about a vertical wire antenna, they are directional just take an rg 58 and connect a wire(2x) to the left and right than a just swr by folding it back ore by cutting..(bind it against a rope horizontal) . When you are 2meters above the ground the attente is about 5-6 METER IN LENGTH horizontal depending on frequency and ground effects.... Regards Richard 19rs041
Thanks Richard. i will be testing this antenna further in the coming months.
yes oke.....also try to make a horizontal antenna,i had very good results with it once.......
Well done Fred another good video take care your videos all ways interesting 73s mark Loughborough Leicestershire ct2674
hi Fred, Would these work threaded through the inside of the pole or do they need to be on the outside of the pole ? And have you ever tried the Hawkins thunderbolt SSD 12 + antenna ? Are they the same concept as this T2LT ?
As long as the pole in non conductive in theory it should work. The SWR will tell you. Not tried the SSD 12.
What part of St Albans are you bro, I grew up on Gotham drive and totally into cb from about 14 yrs old. Someone got a small States AM radio. It was great. Handle back then was BedBug. Computers killed cb. Now we can talk in a couple of strokes on a keyboard and your talking to Aussies. I’m in Scotland now. Looking to pass my next ticket to get me more channels. Get back to me dude. 👍👍
Iam South of St Albans. Not as pretty as Scotland :-(
fredintheshed1 don’t kid yourself. I live in Motherwell and it’s a hole full of drunks and druggies. Get into the rural villages and it’s great but the most thing I miss is the weather. There’s a saying here....if it’s not raining, wait ten minutes lol. Shouldn’t have moved here but married a wee Scots maiden. Wonderful rural runs and coasts are stunning. 👍
I am about to make one myself.
I have 10 metres of mini RG8 with a pl259 on one end already (Was used for something else)
Stripping back the braid for the upward arm is too much like hard work and a waste of coax.
I have a noggin of insulated wire so I'm going to use that.
I'll make mine slightly shorter to favour 10 metres but still cover mid band.
73 de Tony
In the USA FCC allows the license for CB equipment, but not the operator. 4 watts AM. 12 watt SSB. no FM or other modulation types.
Yes its the same here in the UK.
No matters...
Great stuff, subd. I have a fibreglass hightop roof on my van and was wondering about putting this kind of antenna on the inside of the fibreglass roof. Hot glueing it around the inside in a sort of large square loop. Do you think that would work?
Not sure it will work that well. The T2LT really needs to be in the vertical plane. Also you might have SWR issues. Why not get a Sirio 4000 or 5000 mobile whip as they work well mobile.
@@CB-RADIO-UK ok thanks
Hi Fred, great UA-cam channel. I’m after an antenna I can put up and take down/ store away relatively easy. Obviously looking to get best range I can. WhaT worked better, the T2LT on the camping pole or Silver Rod on the parasol stand?
For ease the T2LT wins hands down. With the silver road you need to undo clips etc.
@@CB-RADIO-UK thanks for your swift reply and advice. I will grab one of eBay rather than try to make one. Can pick up a pole at the same time 👍
Sorry Fred can u put a link up for gain master 58 wave all so know as. T2lt please. As want to make one but don't know what coax I would be ok thanks
Hi. Check out Daves vid ua-cam.com/video/hi5Vva_Pxn4/v-deo.html
@@CB-RADIO-UK I don't. Want one of them lol
@@CB-RADIO-UK just cable airal
I think most just use plain RG-58
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/126174446901?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D777008%26algo%3DPERSONAL.TOPIC%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20230811123856%26meid%3D84508e37cd484a569df7edd6886149af%26pid%3D101770%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26itm%3D126174446901%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D4375194%26algv%3DRecentlyViewedItemsV2&_trksid=p4375194.c101770.m146925&_trkparms=parentrq%3Ad203033c18d0ad93173004d3fffdd6ce%7Cpageci%3Aa9423587-d1ad-11ee-8827-8a629f2de154%7Ciid%3A1%7Cvlpname%3Avlp_homepage
Can anybody share the instructions to make it yourself? I’m in USA and won’t arrive until august if I order from UK.
Loads of info and calculators on the net. Just search T2LT
Hi Fred,
I have been inspired by your Videos - Great to see a comeback on the ol' CB's !.
I've shaken the dust off two I had lying in the attic and stuck up a whip ..
Just one thing to note in using a 'telescopic flag/roach pole' - Isn't it Important to use a fibreglass pole ? - I'm sure that a carbon fibre pole ( being conductive ) would lead to problems ??.
Maybe ? ... What do you think ?
73's
Peter
Ive never really thought about a carbon pole being conductive before but it might cause and issue. Fiberglass is cheaper and gets the job done.
Could you use an ordinary ballun instead of the coil Fred, and if so would you put it on at exactly the same place or would it matter?? Also would a ground plane kit help or make no difference?
In theory the ballun would work. As for a ground plane its all experimental with these homemade antennas. Trying different things etc.
Fred you say 1 meter off floor... You put it up 7 meters tho.😮
Height is Might. It will work a meter up but keeping it low will increase noise but some margin.
Hi Fred hope ur well. I've just ordered one of these from Moonraker are they any good for mobile. TURBO MAG + TORNADO
And swr meter for my thunder pole tx handheld
Should be a big improvement over the standard antenna as they are almost a meter in length.
@@CB-RADIO-UK will I get out and talk back on skip
Fred what Bandwidth have you worked on this antenna. Out of curiosity what are the bandwidth limits you generally use i.e the lowest frequency you use to highest. ABCDEF do use the whole gambit?
This antenna will work right across the 11 meter band nad just into the 10 meter band although the SWR will climb . So on a 6900 it will be 27-28 MHz bands A-E. My F is the UK FM channels
Cheers Fred just what I want to hear. Thanks so much.
Overall Fred how was this antenna I'm thinking about getting same set up as the wife don't want large aerial
In garden.
They work pretty well. Can suffer a bit more noise but thats prob down to height.
I was referring to you radio rules in that area.
Put some cable ties around the choke holds it together
It seems to have a shrink wrap around it. Good idea with the ties. Thanks.
That switch made power supply will give you noise as well.
SMPS without ferrites puts out hash on both the DC and AC sides. Horrible things.
Dump the RG58 and get something better, better screened and less lossy.
hi ya Fred....can these antennas be used horizontally....in a loft ????
Well yes and no. I tried it (link at the end) but the trouble is that most people are using a vertical antenna. Also noise is in issue. ua-cam.com/video/zPvVwBpiCpA/v-deo.html
@CB-RADIO-UK thanks for reply Fred....
Ps..love the vids
But is it better than a homemade quarter-wave wire ground plane?
Not sure as not tested one.
@@CB-RADIO-UK Then please do so. I've seen the homemade wire quarter wave antennas seemingly outperform the big ones.
Fred do u have to swr all 40 channels on uk FM and am and am FM EU
Hi No. If your going to use the UK 40 FM more then use channel 20 FM. If you think you will be more on the skip euro side then use channel 20 EU. If your going to be about equal on both i would prob use Ch 1 UK FM.
@@CB-RADIO-UK I. Use FM and am and some times EU. So would I need to use all 40 channels on Am FM EU to swr the radio
All is it just. Channel 1 channel 20 and 40. I'm confused
@@CB-RADIO-UK Fred. I've. Not. Got. USB or lsb. Only. Uk FM am eu am FM. So what do I swr it on I'm very confused
Personally i would prob use channel 40 on the euros. That will be near the middle of the freq and the SWR will not increase too much when you go to UK FM
So Fred, what I'm seeing is essentially a vertical end fed 27mhz dipole that you looped the bottom end to take up slack for the shortened length of the fiberglass mast, am I correct? Or did I miss something?
Hi Zach. I did not build this myself but yes it is a vertical dipole. The coil is an RF air choke.
Hola ,buen video ,me gustaría saber las medidas para poder hacer una antena ,tengo una radio super stars 3900 saludos de Chile 🇨🇱 ,temuco.
why the air wound choke in the wire? what are the dimensions of that choke, how many wraps did you go? Have you modified the choke to see how it affects your SWR?
It was suggested so i tried it. Think it was 5 turns. No effect.
Good man. Pebble Steel??? Same here ;)
How is your screen doing. Any lines etc ?
@@CB-RADIO-UK Nope. No lines or something.
BUT: The upper two of the thee keys on the right are gone. The typical problem of a Pebble Steel. But I have a Pebble Time Steel that works flawlessly, too.
Hi Fred good ideia box Power supply. Please send me o Project and messures of The antenna
Hi. I did not make the T2LT but bought it constructed. However see video below.
ua-cam.com/video/KASWnflEX_0/v-deo.html
Manu thanks Fred. 73s from 3et055
Are you using this on FM or AM CB radio? Does it make any difference? When you swing the clarifier to tune in does the transmitter follow?
The Clarify control will only work on SSB. Makes no difference on FM AM
@@CB-RADIO-UK Yeah, I know it only works on SSB; was just wondering if you were using AM or FM radio.
@@w.rustylane5650 Hi I was using a multimode radio AM FM and SSB.
@@CB-RADIO-UK Okay, thanks.
What is the best homebase to start on cb
Hi John. Try this vid. ua-cam.com/video/QYq2tl2QW7w/v-deo.html
Is it easy to set swr on uk 40 and am and eu am FM 40
Yes just fold over the tep section a cm at a time for perfect SWR
@@CB-RADIO-UK ok thanks. Hopefully it will be pre tuned
I wouldn't be surprised if you put the crap coax antenna at equal height with the a99, they'd run dead even. All vertical antennas are unbalanced and hence, noisy. A true vertical or horizontal half wave dipole will out perform all the unbalanced 1/4, 5/8, and stacked collinear antennas out there when it comes to simplex. Do a test where you setup a full half wave horizontal folded dipole at your place and your buddy's. You'll be in for a surprise as you both end up S9+20 over simply by switching horizontal and giving both sides of the wave front a full period to resonate.
Fred will my ordinary cheap little swr mtr be fine for tuning this?
Yes any SWR meter will work.
Cheers! 😁
hello friend from USA how many dollars is 5 squid?
LOL about $7 :-)
It's 'quid' :-)
@@James_Bowie lol i hear yea i dont eat squid either!
Wow,Not bad for 15 quid.
Plus the pole unless you can hang it from a tree.
WHY SOME OF THE COAX CURLED UP ?? 🤔
Choke
Wow, 12 quid. They are £30-40 now
Yeah i know everything has gone up up up.
Where is the link to buy one
The link died a while a go. They are normally sold on Ebay or are pretty easy to make with RG58
I'm tempted to get that antenna for wanderings. Does anyone think it would out perform a sirio 5000 on a 2.5 metre high panel van against the bazooka on a ground pole
I am not really sure paul as the Sirio is a good performer. However the T2LT is a full half wave.
if its mounted on a 10m fibre pole,it may have a slight advantage,depends if your van parked on a mountain or low lying ground.The Sirio if roof mounted on van in middle of roof panel will prob perform the same job.The T2LT has no gain over your Sirio. The only thing it does do is raise the antenna height better for line of sight comms,the higher the better if thats what your aiming for.
Height will generally outperform any so called gain antenna for line of sight,DXing using sky-wave is a different kettle of fish and requires sometimes a different approach.
I found these antennas work best on mountain tops in my location using 4w of FM,but performance will depend on where you are and what surrounding terrain your in,even thou 27mhz is HF,it behaves more like low-band VHF line of sight.
Like fred said for what it is,its works and low cost worth a try!
And from a quick deployment,its a very handy antenna to have.
Personally i found for my situation and terrain adding three 9ft foot counterpoises at 45 degrees,improved performance no end for fix base line of sight contacts use,while not as practical as original T2LT design,quick put up.
I live in low sea level ,but have high surrounding hills,so need a higher angle of radiation pattern to get over the hills.
I mounted it on 10M fibre pole as a permanent solution,I found once I added the extra ground planes performance wise,it worked a lot better-but thats maybe not the case for you.
The question you have asked has too many variables ie height,location,power,surrounding terrain,urban,countryside terrain,noise floor,too give you a 100% correct answer,its a case of suck and see Paul
It may or may not,youll just have to try im afraid to get a 100% answer
Chance are it may give you a slight edge due to its height factor,but im sensible guessing here
I hope that of some help,Paul and good luck!
Rob 73's
I watched YOUR Video on the T2LX and could not find anything about it, I found other kinds of antennas, Tea-shirts with Bazooka Gun, Tires, and everything else but nothing about the Antenna YOU are showing in the Video maybe YOU can send ME a link because I have struck-out trying to find it on eBay
No problem. Have a look at this link. Its pretty much the Extreme version of a T2LT and should work very well. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Thunderbolt-SSD12-CB-11m-Portable-Antenna-SOTA-Field-use/303151209774?hash=item4695385d2e:g:5MUAAOSwHORb3cdq
What.is.the.length of.coax for 11 meters
Hi Pete. There are T2LT calculators on line.
@@CB-RADIO-UK thanks
Does the 11 meter in British kingdom. Have the person licensed or the equipment licensed.
No the 11 meter band in the UK is considered the CB band and is unlicensed.
question. would it be worth getting one for a loft
You could try running one over the beams creating an upside down V. It might be hard to get a low SWR but it could be interesting.
@@CB-RADIO-UK maybe I'll look into one and just run it up the wall of the house, thanks for the reply.
are you allowed linear
There is really no point in using a linear amp with the SS CRT9900 as its more than powerful enough on its own.
Make your own?
very good demo of that antenna might try one myself ideal to carry with you on holiday.
Alan ct2661
hi Fred,,could that antenna be used horizontal ie: from the bottom of the garden to the house rather than vertical.
73's Alan ct2661.
Well it would be interesting to try. However i dont think it would work very well. Normally CB antennas need to be vertical due to the wave length.
Actually, vertical to have the same polarity as the bulk of stations.
On direct wave / "ground wave" being cross polarised loses 20dB aka a good 3 TRUE S points , aka 1/100 th of the signal.
When the propagation is running, then polarity doesn't matter (Once it has been up to the ionosphere, all references to the ground are lost)
I would like to know how much power are you allowed to transmit legally.
Legal power is 4 watts on both AM & FM and 12 watts SSB.