A slight rain drizzle wasn’t going to be a deterrent for Rob ZL4ROB and a trial of his “Crank IR” HF antenna. So after a few quick adjustments in the carpark, it was out to the grass and up it went.
The Crank IR is essentially a wire dipole with one vertical and one horizontal leg. From spools, the wire elements are extended out by a lead rope running over end pulleys and back to take-up spools. The “dial-a-length” concept provides for adjustment to accommodate a wide range of bands. The horizontal and vertical elements are separately adjustable, allowing for a very good impedance match.
With a significant spreader at the top of the pole, the wire can extend further than the pole height, and return downwards at a spacing that provides good performance for lower bands that require a longer element length.
And now for something complete different…
