Yes, for horizontal polarization at low angles (i.e., near the horizon). No, for vertical polarization at low angles. So-so for any polarization at higher angles. Unless you're using EZNEC-4 (based o
I counted the turns and measured my Amidon W2FMI 1:1 balun, then matched it against Fair-Rite's spec sheets. Most likely your 4:1 balun uses two toroids of the same type as the one in my 1:1 balun. I
In my mercifully limited experience with buying their products and then trying to get what they'd advertised and I'd paid for, I've never been entirely successful. -Chuck W1HIS
Which reminds me about the guy who jumped from the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building. As he passed the 50th floor a woman called out to him, "How's it going?" He replied "So far, so good."
Not at all. You need a balun at the feedpoint; you should route the coax horizontally away from the antenna as far as you can; and even with these two measures you should put a couple of good ferrite
Yes. I've been getting duplicate messages from Towertalk for many weeks, or months. Sometimes the second message arrives on the heels of the first; and sometimes it comes days later, as you've experi
Awww. :-( Thinking of HAL and Col. Kurtz was so comforting. Why'd you have to pop my balloon? You're not going to tell us next that there's no Santa Claus -- I hope. I have my heart set on a new towe
An obvious _possibility_ is that all parts of all elements of a quad are grounded for DC, whereas one-half of the driven element of a Yagi (the half connected to the center conductor of a coaxial fee
I've never heard of it, but I wonder about a so far unmentioned consequence of bad joint conduction in a tower: the so-called rusty-bolt effect. Within a couple of miles of my house (which is near th
Yes -- IF the explanation that I suggested as a _possibility_ is, in fact, the (chief) explanation. However, I think that the suggestion of Michael Tope <W4EF@dellroy.com> regarding the vertically po
The elevation angle, with respect to the horizon, of the direction of maximum radiation depends much more on the antenna's height above ground than on the antenna itself, for an antenna of this size
Here in northern New England the ground is full of rocks. I've had _great_ difficulty driving ground rods. I need to drive more of them. What should I do? An impact device _much_ more potent than a m
I've been asked to summarize the replies I've received, which seems like a particularly good thing to do when most replies have been off-list. I received suggestions to rent an air compressor and "a
Related to the recent thread on ground rod drivers is the question of what to do when you _can't_ drive them because you have rock near the surface. The following answers are from Reginald (Reggie) D
For my 3/8-in. Dacron rope halyards I use marine/sailboat pulleys. They're all stainless steel, with ball bearings. Mine have been up for a few years; they still work fine and have never fouled. Get
Thanks to all the Towertalkers, including K7LXC , N4KG, N6IN/2, K1MK, N8KU, W5FL, AD3F, AA1K, K8LX, W4EF, and W9RMA, who so generously shared their knowledge of this topic with me, off-list as well a
This doesn't answer your question, but I hope it's helpful and/or will provoke others to comment helpfully: 1. In an antenna, stranded wire lasts longer than solid wire of the same gauge. Solid tend
I should have said explicitly that stranded *copper* wire lasts longer than solid *copper* wire of the same gauge. Copper work-hardens to the point of getting brittle and finally cracking due to fati