Those who have found that putting a vertical/low angle antenna on 160m
improves their DX performance and think that this is the answer to
everything/everybody should take heed from old campaigners like Yuri
K3BU/VE3BMU, Jeff K1ZM and Bob NM7M.
Unfortunately, vertical polarised antennas don't work too well in some
places - like in the Perth area of VK6, for example. Mike VK6HD and I both
use dipoles - myself an inverted-U at 66 - 45' high, while Mike has an
inverted-V at 90'. Both of us have tried a range of vertical antennas on
160m - from inverted-Ls to top loaded verticals to shunt fed towers, but
horizontals work better.
In the other places we have lived, both of us used verticals for LF band
DXing - and would never dream that a low horizontal antenna could ever work
better. For the vast majority of my twenty seven years as a radio amateur,
I have only used verticals...
To give you an idea how poorly verticals perform here on 160m, my friend
VK6IM has a 70' top loaded vertical (no inductor, just a large capacity hat)
for 160m with an earth mat of 40-plus full size quarter wave radials under
it. In most geographical locations, this would leave a low dipole for dead
on DX - but not here - I work DX easily VK6IM can barely hear/work...
On rare occasions, on one very distinct path/time, a vertical occasionally
will outperform my low dipole - to the eastern seaboard of the USA (K1, VE1)
just after my sunset.
For 90 per cent of the time here on 160m, an efficient high angle radiator
is better than a reasonably efficient low angle radiator. On 80m, for a
vertical to marginally beat a low dipole at long distances, I needed 50
quarter wave-ish radials, with a perimeter wire... Now, if I could put up a
4-square with loads of radials for 160m, I'm sure that would beat my low
dipole - for some of the time...
As the old hands have said many times, you need as many kinds of radiators
and receiving antennas as you possibly can, to cover all the bases. The
only reason I am still interested in verticals from my small QTH is that for
maybe 10% of the time, a vertical might just get me that rare DX QSO that my
horizontal won't...
Vy 73,
Steve, VK6VZ
Vy 73,
Steve, VK6VZ
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