Patrick,
I want to take a moment to relate a story that might give you some ideas
what to do.
When I was a new ham back in the late 60s and early 70s, there was
another ham in the city where I grew up (Livonia); his name was Mark
Dabish and his call was WA8JUN. (We used to tease him about his call,
because when he would sign a "K" at the end of his transmissions on CW,
his call came out WA8JUNK :-)...but I digress) Livonia had a 70' height
limit for towers, so Mark had two: one with a big TH6DXX tribander, the
other with a Hygain shortened 40M beam. Mark was very active on the HF
bands; chasing DX and contesting.
In the late 70s, the FCC had a short-lived program where extra class
licensee that had been licensed a particular length of time could pick
their choice of a 1x2 callsign. That's when I became K8CC and Mark
became K8MD (his initials).
Not long after that, Mark moved to Farmington Hills, which at that time
had a 25' height limit for towers (perhaps they still do?). Such a
limitation would render his big HF beams pretty ineffective, so he
abandoned HF and took up VHF/UHF DXing and contesting with a vengance
from his new Farmington Hills location. I never was able to visit his
QTH, but he told me that he was limited to roof mounted tripods on a
single-story ranch house. I don't know what his exact antenna
configuration was but I believe that he had at least 50 thru 1296 (and
perhaps a couple more bands).
I don't know how good or poor his location was, but knowing the typical
geography of Farmington Hills it was probably pretty mediocre. But it
never seemed to stop K8MD - it seemed that he could always be heard on
one VHF/UHF band or another, and while he might not have had the biggest
signal on the band, it sure seemed that he worked his share of good
VHF/UHF DX.
Some years later, K8MD moved out to Milford, so to be closer to his job
at the GM Proving Grounds. He found a place near there where he could
put up his 70' towers, but even then he filled the towers with
VHF/UHF/microwave antennas up to 10 GHz. Yes, he was louder from
Milford than from Farmington Hills, but IMHO his enthusiasm for the high
frequencies was the same from either location.
Unfortunately, you won't hear Mark on the bands these days. A couple
years ago, he suffered a heart attack while at work and passed away.
And with his death, SE Michigan lost one of its most active VHF/UHF
operators.
I tell this story because I see parallels between your situation and
K8MD's while he was in Farmington Hills. My advice is to do what Mark
did: put up the best antenna setup you can, get on the air and see what
you can work despite the limitations of your QTH. You might be surprised...
I've seen many 40' Rohn 25G towers with a house bracket fastened at the
peak of the house roof support full-sized HE tribanders successfully for
many years. I would not hesitate to erect such a tower with a 10' mast
sticking out with moderate-sized beams for 50 thru 432. Regarding Rohn
25G vs. 45G, I have both sizes up here at K8CC, and 45G is easier to
climb, but its 2X to 3X the cost of 25G. And as one other responder
noted, crank up towers are probably 10X to 20X and have lots of hidden
costs, like transportation and significant base construction expense.
So don't let yourself get psyched out. While you might not be the
loudest signal on the band, an antenna at 40' will be lots better than
an antenna at 15'. And while using the 40' antenna, you may gain
understanding of what further improvements would be worthwhile and/or
feasible.
Don't assume you know everything from reading stuff online. Every QTH is
different and what works or doesn't work may be different. You might be
surprised at your success.
Good luck!
73, Dave/K8CC
On 7/21/2016 8:32 PM, Patrick Thomas wrote:
Speaking of VHF contesting, and my ongoing poor results with my
below-roof-mounted 2m beam at the home QTH, I figured I would ask the experts
here for some advice.
Operating under the knowledge that more height is better, I am already at a
disadvantage being about 15-20' below average terrain. Additionally I am
surrounded by extremely dense trees covering all heights up to about 50'. The
city has an ordinance limiting antennas to 42', although there is provision for
a variance.
Assuming I come across $5-10k, I believe I could legally get away with putting
in a freestanding 70' crank-up tower, but so far I have other financial
priorities, and I haven't yet won the lottery.
So here's the punchline: Is it worth getting a small tower or roof-mount quadpod (total
height 25-40 ft), knowing the antenna will still being surrounded by trees? Or will I be
happier in the long run saving my pennies and concrete, and just roving until I can
afford something taller? Due to my lot configuration, guying is not an option, but are
there any other permanent-mounted, great-lakes-weather-resistant, tall options out there
I should consider? I expect to operate up to 23cm, as possible, but would expect most
"serious" work would be only up to 2m.
Thanks for any advice,
Patrick / KB8DGC
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