This year the elevated radials (two per vertical) on my 4-square
vertical array were removed and replaced with 60 radials for
each vertical, laid directly on the ground. Each is 120 feet long,
except at the center of the array where they would otherwise
cross over.
I thought the e-mail below from K1HTV, one of the W3LPL 160
meter operators, would be of great interest to the group.
As W8JI said earlier, P L E A S E don't replace your elevated
radials with ground radials. We don't need the competition...
73!
Frank
W3LPL
---- Original message ----
>Date: Mon, 28 Nov 2005 14:18:22 -0500 (EST)
>From: Richard Zwirko <dz@VOA.GOV>
>Subject: Re: 4 square
>To: bernie@dailydx.com
>Cc: W3LPL Frank Donovan <donovanf@erols.com>,
dick_chambers@amecom.com, k1htv@verizon.net
>
>Tnx for the report Bernie. The 4-Square sure played well in all
>directions. Dick, after you left Sunday morning, ZL3IX
answered my CQ. He
>was the only station heard in the Pacific. No JAs were heard.
W4ZV put
>out VK3ZL on two different freqs but I couldn't hear Bob on
any of the
>antennas. It was great to hear, but unfortunately not work,
8Q7DV on the
>Maldives. He was in for over 10 minutes right after our
Sunday sunset,
>QSX 2KHz up. Jack, VE1ZZ was able to break the huge
European pileup
>on 1812.5 KHz. He was the only NA station to work him.
>
>On Sunday evening in the last hour, 4U60UN was country #91,
a new 160M
>country high mark for W3LPL in a CQWW CW test. The 70
countries that we
>worked in the CQWW Phone test was also our highest ever. It
was great to
>be the first Stateside station to work Chris, A45XR.
>
>As best as I can remember, the only countries heard but not
worked during
>the contest were 8Q7, LU and 9K. 9K2MU showed up at
23:59Z Sunday with a
>great signal but the clock ran out before I could snag him. I
heard LR2F
>briefly the first night calling another station, then he
disappeared.
>OA4/DL5YWM was heard Friday evening before the contest
started calling CQs
>with a nice signal, but could not hear any of the throng of U.S.
stations
>that were calling him, including many big signal stations.
Looks like they
>didn't work 160M or 80M in the contest. We should have been
able to work
>active SV and TK stations, but we never hear them after
responding to a
>number of Packet Cluster putouts. The Cluser, BTW, was
another valuable
>aid.
>
>In the 160M reflector, there was mention from a station in the
central
>part of the U.S.about signals arriving at high angles. It will be
good
>to have a low 160M dipole in our bag of tricks for those future
times
>when signals are better than with the low angle verticals.
>
>As in the CQWW Phone contest, the 4-Square (NW) once
again proved to be
>better to KL7 than the West vertical and even better on
receive than the
>NW beverage. During the ZL QSO the 4-Square (SW) was
better than the
>south and the west verticals, and better than the S, SW or W
Beverages.
>When working ZD8, the SW 4-Square was better on receive
than the NE, E,
>or SE beverages. The quiet night sure helped. During the
reception
>of 8Q7DV at our Sunday sunset, I heard him best at first on
the NE
>4-Square, then after a few minutes the NNE Beverage proved
to be the
>better receive antenna. The 60 radials have done wonders to
make the
>W3LPL 4-Square into a great Topband antenna. Thanks Frank
& Bernie for
>installing all of that copper. It was great to work again with
Dick,
>AI3M at the 160M position. We've worked well together since I
joined the
>W3LPL team over 10 years ago.
>
>73 de Rich - K1HTV
>
>= = =
>
>On Mon, 28 Nov 2005, Bernie McClenny, W3UR wrote:
>
>>
>> 10:57:52
>>
>> W4ZV Bill
>>
>> Bernie last night G3ZES said LPL was the strongest USA so
that should make Frank feel good!
>>
>> Bernie McClenny, W3UR
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