The Aug 1998 issue of CQ Magazine has an article
about balloon supported TopBand antennas "A Balloon-
Lifted Full Wave Antenna for 160 Meters" on p 38.
It describes using two balloons to support a full
wave antenna in an Inverted L configuration. Using
two balloons to support the antenna in this manner
keeps the maximum altitude under 250 feet for a full
wave on 160M. Sources for balloons and helium, antenna
design and tether line rigging, applicable FAA Regs
re. moored balloons and a tuner to match their
antenna's high impedance are presented. The authors
- K9ES and AD4ES - report a 2:1 SWR bandwidth from
1800 to 1870 kHz.
>> Some good information about how to set up a balloon
supported antenna system. The two balloon full wave antenna
looks like an effective system - but more complicated to deploy
than a 1/4 wave single balloon vertical. This may be a gain
antenna for DXpeditions to consider for 160M. - N0JK
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