Thanks for all the good suggestions, I'm still digesting all the
information. It looks like some sort of really good sighting compass
would work if I stay away from the barbed wire fences.
What I need to do is first lay out long wide-spaced antennas.
Typical antennas are 800 feet long in a straight line, and 400 feet
apart broadside. I have to get the endfire stagger and length within
a few dozen feet to prevent pattern degradation, and that is tougher
than it seems when the ground is a little hilly and the view is
obstructed. The exact direction is less important than making an
accurate rectangle.
Using a regular cheap small sighting-type compass (from K-Mart
sports) to make a rectangle only gets me within maybe 70 feet and
it is very difficult to do that well. Right now it takes me hours to get
the layout close, mostly because I have obstructions from trees
that block the view so I have to rely on the compass. It takes
longer to lay an array out than to install and connect it!
As a secondary use, I thought I could define my property lines
between survey posts that have very large separations. That way I
can be sure my antennas don't run into hostile territory, since the
old wire fences are off by hundreds of feet!
73, Tom W8JI
W8JI@contesting.com
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