While its nice to say the solution to a small lot is to move, there are other
considerations!! Like the time to operate wouldn't be there if you were stuck
in traffic commuting...
I live in centre of Toronto on a 15.5 x 120' lot in an attached row house.
Have used a roof mounted beam (F12 C3S which replaced a TA33jr) with a 12' boom
which is carefully parked to stay parallel to my
roof line. When rotated, it "sweeps" over both neighbours. Always run
barefoot, and since acquiring a Mark-V, do most work at 10 watts to reduce
inevitable RFI to every cheap phone, stereo, and computer
that's closer to the antenna than it is to me. Also have a 30-40-80 trap
dipole slung over the roof and back to a tree. I use double shielded Ethernet
cable for low loss and noise pick-up reduction.
I'm now buying and learning about line filters and ferrites for my neighbours
as I used to just go off the air when I bothered them.
Ideal? Hardly.
Competitive? Usually - I don't crack EVERY pile-up, but as an example just got
D68C cards for 10-12-15-17-20 ssb and cw and 40 cw QSOs, so it does work OK.
DXCC is at 323 confirmed, but they're getting
tougher.
Bottom line - put up the best you can afford and fit for antennas - maximize it
to get as much out of it as you can, drive it with a good rig, and use it well
- become a better, smarter operator and you
can match or beat all but the super stations. Besides - what do you do when
you've worked them all? HI 73, George VE3YV / K8HI
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