Receiving, but no one can hear me

[KN4TWV]

HELP!!!!!
3rd floor apartment, No Balcony. No attic access either. Only access is out the window.
Seems like I'm not getting out. I can hear just fine, but no one comes back to me. 
SWR = 1.3:1    (that's what radio is saying)
40 Meter Ham Stick out the window in a man made mount launching at 45 degrees.
I have tried to trouble shoot it, but without any success.  
Fresh eyes would be great.
Help!!! 

KN4TWV   
(book smart not mechanically inclined yet.)

[K3MRI]

Hi Danny,

Forgive me if I start with asking you the most obvious questions, they are not meant to be insulting, but sometimes the simplest errors are the easiest to miss. Also, please note that in apartments, it's usually the opposite. Often you can get out, but not receive.

1. Have you checked your power? If you're trying to get out of an apartment, even if you are on the outside, with e.g. 5W, you'll have no luck.
2. Your antenna is at 45 degrees, which means that you are transmitting into the ground, literally. The wave leaves the antenna at 90-degrees. So one side of the antenna is transmitting back into the window and the building, and the other side is having to quite literally, bounce off the ground. The sides are probably doing a little better, but not much. I know that this is how they sell the bracket, with a 45-degree angle, but that's fine if you have otherwise perfect conditions, notably a ground with extremely high conductivity.
   1. For this, I would try either a vertical or horizontal placement.
3. What band are you at 1.3? And what band are you trying to send on? I know it's a 40M haystack, but at that length it is extremely inefficient. What is your SWR on 20M and have you tried getting out on 20M?
4. Then there is grounding.  Even with no obvious ground, your antenna system should have an RF ground, if only a "counterpoise". A counterpoise can be any conductive object which is connected to the ground side of your antenna system and left to 'float' or lay on the surface (it doesn't need to make electrical contact with the Earth). For a 40-meter band, this might be a wire of about 10 meters length. I know you're not on the ground floor (from the image) so this might be a problem.
5. As far as building interference, even though your antenna is outside, it's possible that the building materials are blocking or weakening your signal. Common construction materials such as concrete, metal, and brick can significantly weaken radio signals. Also, electrical equipment in and around your building can cause interference. Consider checking if there is any significant source of electrical noise near you that may be interfering with your signal.

My personal next step with your setup would likely be to try a vertical bracket, maybe try extending it beyond the building by a foot, and try to fashion a fake, albeit short, ground plane.

Final question that will decide whether I change any of the recommendations above... is your building a wood-frame building or a steel and cement structure.

73

Jim

[K3MRI]

Just received a reply from Danny via message. He says he'll try some additional tweaks and revert.

Jim