I was first licensed in 1962 and have maintained an interest in cw and low band dx. Currently I run a Kenwood TS430S and a TS940, and an Ameritron 811H. The antennas are an 80 meter dipole at 60 feet fed with open wire, and a full size quarter wave for 80 and 40 meters with 53 radials. My location near the south shore (location 1 on the map) of Long Island provides a good ground system.

In the summer, operations shift to the beach house on Fire Island (location 2 on the map), where the ground radial system is located in a salt marsh and surrounded nearby by salt water. There I use a 75 meter full size quarter wave vertical suspended from a balloon/kite combination made by HeliKite in England, and a fiberglass quarter wave vertical on 40. This antenna has an excellent ground system and a very quiet location. I had some good dx time last fall, before closing the house for the winter. Eventually I will add a pole-mounted vertical for 40 and 20 meters.

I am experimenting with vertical antennas located directly on Great South Bay. A test with a 1/4 wave balloon-borne vertical indicated about 10 db gain over my home QTH (using VK6LK as the test source) when the antenna is directly surrounded by saltwater. I will be operating occasional weekends with a 5/8 wave vertical, when weather conditions allow, running barefoot.