The KISS SSB Counterpoise - Revealed ( with Pics )

[SoonerSailor]

Ahh yes. Anecdotal reports and ad hominem attacks. The best weapons against enlightened inquiry for millenia.

[senormechanico]

fijisails,
Using that logic, if a bunch of folded up wire works so well, why bother stretching out the kiss? or using a backstay for an antenna?
Just use a similar length of wire rolled up neatly on a spool and tuck it in a drawer...

[hellosailor]

"rolled up neatly"

What, you've never used a helical counterpoise?<G>

[Patrick_DeepPlaya]

I added this item to the EHAM Reviews page. I'd encourage those who have actually used the KISS (good or bad) to write their reviews there since it's a great site with easy to navigate reviews.

KISS SSB Counterpoise Product Reviews

Thanks!
-p
W7PEA

[deckofficer]

This has been a lot of great information. For in-transit, we all have to depend on a compromise antenna and ground radial system. On the hook, it is a different matter. This is where I get to brag a bit. For you folks that were active 15~20 years ago and have a good memory, chances are you heard the signal of "Whiskey Lima 7 Gone Sailing" while I was on the hook. My antenna system consisted of nothing more than $30 worth of braided wire, coils and caps for traps for my chosen frequencies, and egg insulators. On the hook I would via halyard raise a simple inverted Vee trapped dipole, and using (2) 40' telescoping fiberglass poles attached to opposite railings at an angle, be able to dial in an impedance match by adjusting for a 90 degree angle for the two legs. This allows you to not even need that antenna tuner, which its sole function is only to fool your transmitter into thinking it is feeding a resonant antenna at around 50 ohms. Very simple, and probably 20 db more than a backstay, add that to my home brew 600 watt solid state amp, and I could be heard and could also hear quite well. I will be using this same low buck antenna on my next boat, the only changes is the final amp will be the new solid state, 2000 watt amp from Tokyo High Power TOKYO HY-POWER�iHL-2.5KFX SPECS.�j

[hellosailor]

Patrick, that eham review listing could be a bit confusing. A casual reader might mistake the "Icom endorsed principle" for an endorsement of the KISS counterpoise. In fact, what principle Icom is endorsing, or where they are endorsing it, is a mystery. (What, multiple tuned radials?) I'm just saying--it could be clearer.

I've always wondered why open water sailors don't make better use of kite antennas, which can do a dandy job of battery charging if you bleed the static off right. <WEG>

[SoonerSailor]

What is on Eham right now is the builder's description of the product lifted from the web page. So far, I don't see any actual user reviews.

[kaimusailing]

I am a recently retired broadcast engineer. I had purchased copper foil, copper mesh, and considered installing those as my ground plane. After seeing actual reports of paying customers of the KISS ground plane, I bought one and it will be installed as soon as I complete that area of the hull. What actually is important is the radiated power. Antennae such as the inverted vee or dipole only require an earth ground to quiet the chassis, the signal is generated by RF which is reactive and it's more like having a springboard. The RF ground which is called counterpoise is not a voltage sink, but an component that is reactive. At the power levels that marine SSB's operate, there are a lot of schemes that will work. The KISS installation is very attractive compared to some of the schemes that require running foil throughout the hull.

[witzgall]

I installed one on our boat about a month ago. The first two contacts I had were a guy in Montana, and a maritime Mobile Net operator in Santa Monica, CA. This was from Adams Creek of the Neuse in North Carolina. Both said I sounded great.

The rest of the rig is a Kenwood TS-480sat, sgc 230 Tuner and a backstay antenna.

Chris

[nv5l]

It's not a choice between kiss or running foil throughout the hull -- running foil throughout the hull is not needed. Kiss makes it easy to get a set of 1/4 length radials, that's all.

Connecting the ground lug to you green wire, lifelines, etc., is probably all you need. Of course, many people aren't satisfied unless they spend a lot of money, hence the attraction of buying the kiss system.

Whatever makes you feel good is fine with me. Kiss is actually pretty cheap, so I've considered it myself, but so far haven't needed it.

[Patrick_DeepPlaya]

Originally Posted by SoonerSailor

What is on Eham right now is the builder's description of the product lifted from the web page. So far, I don't see any actual user reviews.

Correct, that is what the eham site requests be put in as the entry, which I just entered. Adding reviews is up to those who have owned these and I encourages those of us on this thread who have to go and add their reviews, good bad or indifferent.

thanks!
-p

[senormechanico]

I finally got my Icom 706MkII installed.
The ground plane consists of a braided wire about 25 feet long encased in clear vinyl tubing.
I sealed one end with 3M5200 and brought out about 2 feet of #8 wire on the other end which is also sealed with 5200 and terminated with a soldered ring terminal.
That goes on the ground end of the antenna tuner, and the whole mess is routed in the bottom of the port ama from bow to aft locker where the antenna tuner is located.
I'm driving the port cap shroud directly at the chainplate with an insulator up at the 33 foot mark.
Coax and tuner control wiring is fed via aka to the radio.
I tried it out on 80 meters this AM and figured if it worked ok on 80 it should work even better on 40 or 20.
I got a great signal report from a HAM operator near Mount Hood in Oregon.
Not a huge distance, but he said excellent readibility and power at S 8.
I haven't yet had a chance to try other bands or read SWR, power output etc, but will report back when I do.

Total cost for the above "fake KISS", about $7.

[SoonerSailor]

Make some more but use opaque tubing. Calculate the sum total of the lengths of all the fine wire that composes the braid. Market it as having so many hundred feet of wire radials built into it. Undercut the competition and sell it for only $100. I think you could have a great business model here.

[senormechanico]

BTW, the copper braid was purchased at a scrap yard for $5.
No length was more than 5 feet, with most being about 3.
I just soldered them together with a propane torch.
The tubing was about $2 at the hardware store as a remnant.
I probably used $2 worth of 3M5200, so I'd better put my actual cost at $9.
It's got decent capacitance to the salt water, and the copper will never get wet.
The ama bilge is dry, but if it ever does get wet, the counterpoise will work even better.

[SimonV]

I have done the research the best I could, and given the best price I could find for copper foil to replacing my old green and brittle counterpoise (ground) is $155. The Kiss-ssb seems to win price wise, and given that no one has stated it wont/does not work, and a lot of folks who have and use it, say it works great for them. I have ordered it and it will be in Brisbane when I get there from my travels. How it works I still don't know, Hey the bumble bee shouldn't fly but it does. I will let you know how it goes.