Ok - N5AU and 20m.
5 element Telrex 46' boom yagi at 200' - Rotary
This was dubbed the "Siberian Express" - it was the best antenna
over the pole. It also was by far the best antenna on the long path.
This antenna was also often the BEST antenna for the west during
sweepstakes - and I would often switch between it and the 100'
high antenna for the west choice on the switch - depending on
how the band was at that part of the day.
This was one of the last additions made to N5AU. We had put up a
200' 25g tower for our 160m sloper system and decided that we had
to put an antenna on top - we had a 204BA on the gound and put
that on top. We didn't expect the 204BA to work that high.
We were wrong - N5AU was so impressed that he decided that we
needed to put up a NEW 200' 45g tower and put a BIG antenna
on it.
5 element Telrex 46' boom yagi at 100' - Rotary
This was a great antenna. This antenna was put up when the station
was built in 1980. This antenna was a great all around proformer.
It worked great for DX and was usually used as the WEST antenna
during the sweepstakes contests.
We added a lower antenna at 50' and this stack of the 5 element
Telrex yagis was a great european antenna. After it was up
for about a year - the sidemount broke leaving the (BIG) antenna
hanging by the feedline and on the guy wire of the tower.
This was not fun - and as a result we never did get it
back up as a stack and the lower 5 element got used for
the 200' antenna.
4 element QUAD on a 36' boom (I think) at 80' - Rotary
This was a great antenna. During the day it was sometimes a better
antenna for europe than the 100' 5 element. It was always the
best antenna for the states. This was the "northeast" sweepstakes
antenna.
Hygain 204BA at 70' - Rotary
Good antenna - it did not have the gain of the bigger antennas
but it was used mainly for other directions or sometimes on the
mult station - although often on 20m the mult station got this
antenna and the QUAD. This was sometimes used as the west
antenna in the sweepstakes.
Hygain 204BA stack at 140'/70' - fixed on europe.
This antenna was my choice. It was ok. It was not a good proformer
but it was ok - often the 100' high 5 element was a better antenna
for europe - but it was useful to have a good antenna fixed on
europe to switch to. This was on 200' tower with the 5 ele.
Hygain/Chushcraft/RoyLee(N5TR) 4 element special at 50' fixed on South America.
This antenna was built one night by N5TR - after deciding that we needed a
south american antenna. He dug around in the junk pile and found enough
parts (with a few splices) to build an antenna. Two of the elements
were Hygain and two were Cushcraft. It used 204BA dimensions. This
Antenna proved to be ok. Nothing special but it was good for switching
to for working that PY that was calling you.
As on 15m the antenna switch would allow for feeding any two antennas.
20m is a very tough band and one that you can not put up enough
antenna to keep up with the east coast during the DX contests.
During sweepstakes - 20m was THE band from N5AU.. I usually made over half of
my QSOs on 20m.
At the W5KFT-Ranch station we have three 204BA
yagis at 50'/105'/158'. Just like on 15m the lower
two are fixed towards europe and always fed in phase and
the top antenna rotates. As on 15m I do simple upper/lower/both
switching. I find that during the day or when the band is
really open to europe that the lower two antennas are
as good or often better than all three. The top antenna
seems to work well on the long path as I would expect.
One comment on the 15m post - once we had a 15m yagi at 100'.
This was a BAD antenna. In looking at the computer
models you will notice that at 100' a 15m yagi has a null
at 10 degrees. This is the same arrival angle that
japan comes in at about 90% of the time. Anyway - this
antenna came down.
Ok what band next?
--
George Fremin III
Austin, Texas C.K.U. "It is hard to be in one place at the same time."
K5TR -- Overheard at the TR-Log booth
512/416-7010 at the Dayton Hamvention
geoiii@bga.com
--
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