After a year of not having a HF antenna at home (and being forced, forced to take all those nice hikes to remote locations just to get on the air), last week I finally strung up the W3EDP-mini antenna above a handy rooftop, dusted off the MFJ-948 tuner,* and got the FTdx-1200 back on the air. And I will say, it is nice to once again sit, warm and dry, with a cup of coffee and a radio inside when it's sprinkling outside.
The performance from this miniature wonder is mediocre at best, with the chief "wonder" being that it works at all, at only 21' total length. The 1200's internal tuner can tame it on the 30, 20, 17, & 15 meter bands, and the manual 948 tuner can force it to work – kicking and complaining at times – on 40, 60, & 80 meters. Weirdly, 12 meters and up won't tune at all, which doesn't really bother me. It's adequate for shortwave listening as well, and it even does a decent job down on the AM broadcast band.
On the whole, I have no complaints. No, it's not a giant NVIS wire that can warm the ionosphere on a winter night. Still it makes contacts, and we can all look forward to the ionosphere improving over the next three years. With this plus a 2m/440 vertical, it looks like my "antenna garden" (as opposed to the usual term "antenna farm" to describe what's in the back 40) is complete for now.
*Side Note: Every ham should have an MFJ-948 tuner or similar and know how to work it. Using a basic manual tuner is kind of like driving a stick shift, one of those skills everyone with a license should have. Beyond that practical aspect though, a versatile tuner with a built-in 4:1 balun invites all kinds of antenna experimentation. You'll also need a decent ground, or you'll most likely become acquainted with my old friend, R.F. Burns.
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