"Meindert Sprang" wrote in
:


Indeed, it will radiate as much as the antenna does. Therefore it is
best to place the ATU immediately at the feed point of the backstay.
The best practical place would be directly below deck, underneath the
backstay. Every effort to keep the GTO15 as short as possible is best.

Meindert

Where'd this "high voltage neon wire" nonsense come from? The tiny wire
inside there is way too small for when the 50' backstay nears 1/4
wavelength at 5 Mhz where its impedance will be REALLY LOW and its antenna
current at 150 watts will be REALLY HIGH.....SAY 15 OHMS and THREE amps!
There are many frequencies at which the impedance of any sailboat backstay
antenna is LOW, not high! around 5-6 Mhz, around 15-16 Mhz where it
becomes 3/4 wavelength resonant.

I don't like this thin high voltage wire idea. Lionheart has a 8" piece of
#10 copperweld antenna wire connecting her AT-150 tuner to the base of the
backstay. This makes 40 meters just work fantastic with a good ground on 7
Mhz where the antenna's complex impedance is still very low.

73, Larry W4CSC

Sigs 5/8 to 9 in Moldova, Moscow, Czech Republic, Brazil on 7 and 14 Mhz
ham bands. Great fun working DX from Florida from the backstay.