The Signal Report | Operator Stories, Antenna Physics, Field Reports | Greyline

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N9VJY: A 20-Foot Flagpole, 100 Watts, and the Tuner That Looked Like the Antenna
by Jon KL2A

Jim Scholz, N9VJY, put up a 20' DX Flagpole near Milwaukee. When 40, 80 and 160 wouldn't tune, the problem turned out to be in the shack, not the yard. He fixed it just in time for CQ World Wide SSB, then let 100 watts do the talking.

Posted in #Greyline, 20' DX Flagpole, CQ WW, Signal Report, Tuners, Wisconsin

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CQ WW SSB 2026: The Smackdown, the Beach, and Your First Hour
by Jon KL2A

Three stations to work, a one-hour plan for your first CQ World Wide, and how Greyline owners find each other with #Greyline. October 24-25, 2026.

Posted in #Greyline, Contesting, CQ WW, Greyline Award

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The Call We Won the World With: NN3W Goes to the Caymans as ZF2B
by Jon KL2A

Richard NN3W, a Greyline owner in Virginia, operates CQ WW SSB from Grand Cayman under ZF2B, the call Jon and Richard once won the world with. Why a vertical by the sea is the best antenna in the Caribbean, and what to listen for Oct 24-25.

Posted in Caribbean, CQ WW, NN3W, salt water, vertical antenna, ZF2B

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Essential for every antenna

This turns all antenna work into easy one-man jobs. It also makes storm prep easy - just drop the antenna for the storm, raise it later. It takes less than 5 minutes to go up or down. I can't imagine having an antenna without one. I'm old enough that climbing towers, trees or big ladders just isn't in the playbook any longer, so this is a life-saver for my hobby. Buy one and make your life easier and add years to your ability to work on your antenna. Five Stars!!

Thank you, Rob. “Essential” is exactly the word we hoped for. One tip from another owner: walk it down once a season on a calm day and check the hardware at chest height. Fun season ahead! 73, Jon KL2A

Should be part of every antenna

The tilt base makes it possible to raise and lower the antenna in minutes single-handed with complete safety. The design is simple and robust and I love the fact that it can't over-shoot when raising it. In fact, it is seriously over-built. The only help I needed to install it was lowering the antenna to add the unit. It does raise the halyard cleat but I simply removed it, left the bolts in the original holes and mounted it at a comfortable level with a stainless hose clamp, problem solved. No more worries about the antenna during storms here in Florida. Five minutes and it's on the ground out of the wind.

Great addition to My 20V!

After 2 weeks of use I can safely say that the 9' whip is a great addition to my 20V! My rough calculations show about a 2+ db improvement overall. On the receive side the most dramatic indicator is that I am getting approximately the same signal strength without the preamp on most bands. I am also getting more reports in the + range on FT8 than previously. I have used PSK reporter to get a general picture of my RF footprint and signal strength compared to to the original 20v w/ previous reports. I have also been able to work several new countries that I could not work previously...India, Franz Joseph Land, Kahazakistan. India is certainly not rare but it has taken me three years to eliminate my "blind spot". Swr is well below 1.3/1 on all bands 80m-6m using the LDG RT-100 at the antenna. All in all could not be more pleased with the 9" whip addition!

Franz Josef Land and Kazakhstan on nine more feet — that's the report every whip page wishes it had. Thank you, Craig. Your words are on the page now. 73, Jon KL2A

Better base.

I want a 6ft x 18in hole. That is what the backhoe bucket is going to dig. I will need my own base tube, and a whole lotta concrete! I bought this extender to allow a more accurate vertical alignment while dumping in the concrete.

A 6-foot hole will hold anything we build. One tip while the concrete goes in: check plumb from two directions, 90° apart, then leave it alone for 24 hours. Send us a photo when it’s up! 73, Jon KL2A

Product is good. But I need a quick instruction sheet. You remove the bottom tube and replace it with the antenna base. Then the tube you removed connects the the top of the arm and to the insulated base of the antenna. Now I can lower my 24’ antenna without help.

Thank you, Dale. You were right, so we made one: the one-page Tilt-Up Base Instructions (install, lower, raise) now sit on the product page, because of your review. Have the best season yet! 73, Jon KL2A

N9VJY: A 20-Foot Flagpole, 100 Watts, and the Tuner That Looked Like the Antenna

CQ WW SSB 2026: The Smackdown, the Beach, and Your First Hour

The Call We Won the World With: NN3W Goes to the Caymans as ZF2B

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