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Re: [TowerTalk] t type antenna

To: "towertalk@contesting.com" <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] t type antenna
From: n1bkb--- via TowerTalk <towertalk@contesting.com>
Reply-to: n1bkb@aol.com
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2022 17:51:20 +0000 (UTC)
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
 Different kind of antenna....
Many, many ears ago when I was the signal officer for an army air traffic unit, 
we operated a low frequency, non-directional beacon.  Our authorization was for 
399 kHz at Indiantown Gap Military Reservation, PA.  The antenna we used with 
the beacon was called a capacitive loaded top-hat antenna.  We erected three 
60' tall masts, 200' apart.  The radiating element of the antenna was a 60' 
vertical piece of wire that went from the transmitter to the top of the center 
mast.  As a solid "T" connection, 200' of wire was run from that center 
connection in each direction to the remaining masts ... creating a 400' long 
top-hat for the 60' radiator.  My most memorable use of that antenna in the 
military was when I accompanied one of our pilots on a training flight from 
Indiantown Gap to Annapolis, MD, where we stopped for dinner.  When we lifted 
off at dusk from Annapolis to return to Indiantown Gap about 150 miles away, 
the BZZ Morse signal from my beacon was a SOLID (!) 5-9-9 on the ADF receiver 
in the helicopter.

Fast forward .... Nearly 30-years ago when I was a member of the Fullerton (CA) 
Radio Club, we set up that same style antenna at a Field Day exercise for use 
on 160m and 80m.  We were constantly getting 5-9 signal reports up and down the 
coast running 100W SSB on 160m.  Of course it needs an antenna tuner but it 
really does work as an omni-directional ham band antenna!

Steve - N1BKB


--Original Message-----
From: john@kk9a.com
To: towertalk@contesting.com
Sent: Mon, Dec 19, 2022 9:01 am
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] t type antenna

I was also trying to understand the 300 foot top hat. I have never seen that 
even on top band.  It would be easy to model to see where it's resonant.

John KK9A


Stan Stockton K5GO wrote:

350 feet is about 5 quarter wavelengths at 3.8 MHz.  Quarter wavelength is 
about 65 feet or so.  If that thing is really 350 feet long you should see 
resonance at about 700 kHz, in addition to every odd multiple of a quarter 
wavelength.  Was there a typo or is this really an inverted L that is 350 feet 
long?

Stan, K5GO

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 19, 2022, at 2:57 AM, w5jmw at towerfarm.net wrote:
> 
> Hello all.I have a t antenna.50ft vertical and roughly 300 ft ntip to tip 
> horizontal.I get a nice drop and resonance at abt 3.8 mhz.Is this weird 
> resonant point normal??I would think it would be lower.I have another at abt 
> 2.2 but almost a 3-1 swr..Normal ? I have used an inverted l before and 
> resonant was abt right with a 1/4 wave length..thanks..john

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