Jay, there is no absolutely 100% perfect answer to your question. A
perfect Beverage will have the same characteristics as a transmission
line...perfectly flat response and no reactive component when terminated
in/at its proper impedance. Hard to do in the real world. You have to
marry your antenna to the ground below it over the full length to be
"perfect".
The 2 wire Beverage, just by its nature, is a reactive antenna.....
period, whether you use the reflection transformer version or the
terminated and open version. With lots and lots of time, and test
equipment you should be able to find the perfect solution for a very
particular installation. Will it hold over multiple bands (most 160M nuts
DO operate other bands) and under all WX condx?? No way Jose. The best
F/B I could ever obtain at 2 very different QTH's is ~10-15dB over 1.8 to
7Mhz. This was after many, many hours of testing with commercial test
equipment.
A single wire terminated Beverage, by comparison, yields ~25-40dB F/B
with almost no attention to details.
The single wire, non terminated, version is even worse in F/B and "gain"
since it depends upon reflections (read VSWR) to obtain bi-directivity.
Even Misek admitted that the "return" signal levels will be down 6dB or
so compared to the primary direction.
Your "if it aint broke don't fix it" comment has been my attitude for 40+
years in my general approach to life. Can you benefit by changing the
setup..........Damned if I know. Too many variables for this old man to
predict!
I live about 2 miles from Misek and go past his home at least twice a
day. It is not what you would expect judging from his books. A
postage-stamp lot with only one 2 wire Beverage drooping thru some trees.
I have attempted, for about 10 years, to engage him in a serious
discussion. The slightest mention of a "question" and he acts like I was
trying to question his parentage. Definitely hyper! I gave up years ago
and just trust my own and others real world measurements and results.
73........ Carl 258 on 160 and 38 Zones; 307 0n 80 and 40 Zones
(Still the only station in the 3 Northern NE states to have CONFIRMED
5BWAZ) Ya gotta hear them first! 6 Beverages including Slinkys
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