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Re: Topband: Seeking advice for TO5M

To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Seeking advice for TO5M
From: Grant Saviers <grants2@pacbell.net>
Date: Sat, 29 Jun 2019 17:34:44 -0700
List-post: <mailto:topband@contesting.com>
You don't mention how high you will be above sea level. Too high and the "L" gain & angle won't improve as much as within 1/2 WL and a few meters above sea level. So the 160L is ok at 80m from the tide line but the 80m ought to be closer if you can manage that. More than a wavelength from salt water and a vertical is pretty much a normal over dirt vertical.

I'm a believer in elevated radials for expeditions. Two resonant ones work within a fraction of a db of 4 or more elevated. Only one and its less than 1.5db such as the steppIR crankIR. It still takes a lot of "on the ground" radials to minimize the ground losses, even close to salt water (perhaps unless there is salt water intrusion just below ground level).

Rudy Severns has done a lot of research and modeling. antennasbyn6lf.com. Relative to more compact elevated radials, check his article "Short Radials for Ground-Plane Antennas" in the ARRL antenna Compendium vol 6. A single inductor and two elevated radials as short as 1/8 wl are within a fraction of a db from 1/4 wl. My plan for my next DXpedition.

I've used DHDL's which have RDF much better than BOG's, which really don't work over salt water infused soil/sand/coral. It's easy to make DHDL's switchable 180 deg, which might be useful EU vs US. If you are on granite then the usual 200' BOG length advice seems ok, but I've not tried them. But most any Rx only antenna will help, especially if you have diversity synchronous radios (e.g. K3 with 2 receivers for CW or SSB integration in your head). Sometimes the noise rejection worked on bands not expected (eg 15m Rx on an 80m DHDL). Experienced but not modeled.

No experience with VP2E's.

Good luck, have fun and I hope to work you!

Grant KZ1W

On 6/29/2019 4:21 PM, Martin wrote:
Topbanders,
Operators from VO and DL teamed up to go to Ile aux Marins, a small abandoned island just a few 100 meters from St.Pierre , FP . We are right now planning our antennas.

There is daily tourism on the island , so the antenna farm can not be big. The location is about 80m from the sea, so we hope for good take off angles.

For RX, we plan to use BOGs. How long should we make them?  Do you think this may work?

For TX on 160m and 80m we plan to install inV L's with radials on the ground. What number do you suggest minimum near salt water?

40m vertical , 30m vertical: Will we be better off with VP2E's or with verticals and radial field? What do you think? Any hint welcome.

Other bands: Hexbeam.

Please visit www.fp2019.net

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