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Re: Topband: What antenna would you build?

To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: What antenna would you build?
From: Jim Brown <jim@audiosystemsgroup.com>
Reply-to: jim@audiosystemsgroup.com
Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2022 12:53:57 -0700
List-post: <mailto:topband@contesting.com>
On 3/25/2022 11:43 AM, Charlie wrote:
Sorry folks, I don't totally agree.  Granted, this may be a bit of semantics.  
But, for the last  3 or 4 years we've used what's  known as a Double L on 160 
at PJ4K.  The top's about 130 feet with the vertical section running down to 30 
feet.  The feed points at about 85 feet which is a bit of a PITA for making 
measurements.  Is half of this bent 1/2-wave dipole the great ground system?  
You guys can argue the point.

Hi Charlie,

No, half of your antenna is not a ground system -- they're only needed for end-fed antennas. You're describing a very different antenna from the end-fed vertical that 99% of topbanders use -- it's center-fed, with top and bottom loading. The best commercial all-band verticals are loaded center-fed; W6GJB and I have built center-fed 80M verticals that are top and bottom loaded for Field Day and portable CQP and 7QP county expeditions.

Another point. The importance of radial systems is obvious for TX efficiency, but where it matters much more is for producing pattern nulls. Nulls are produced by deep cancellation between arrivals at the various elements, which in turn depends strongly on symmetry between the elements, as well as their phase and geometric relationships.

73, Jim K9YC

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