At 05:03 PM 9/6/96 -0500, you wrote:
>Hello All
>I'm new to 160 so please forgive the "dumb" questions.....
>I have been reading all the comments about 160 early in the
.... What kind of antenna
>do you recommend?
>
>Thanks,
>Kevin, WB5RUE
>
>
Hi Kevin...
Most of the guys serious about DXing on 160 are using separate receiving
antennas that have a better signal-to-noise ratio than the transmitting
antenna (such as a dipole or vertical or sloper). The most popular, and most
effective, is the Beverage antenna (nothing to do with drinking, just named
after the late H.H. Beverage, who developed it back in the 1920s).
The Beverage is a long, low wire. Typically 6 to 10 feet high, 540 ft (one
wavelength) to 2,000 or 3,000 feet long. Shorter ones do work but not as
well -- I've used Beverages as short as 1/4 wave and as low as a foot off
the ground with some success. A beverage has a distinct directional pattern.
An unterminated beverage is bidirectional -- receiving almost the same off
both ends and nulling signals off the sides of the antenna. A terminated
beverage is unidirectional -- maximum signal strength is in the direction of
the terminated end. The termination is a nonconductive resistor close to the
characteristic impedence of the Beverage wire, connected to ground. 500 ohms
is typical for a height of 10 feet. The other end is fed with coax, through
a small matching transformer, that leads to the receiver.
Signals frequently will be heard on the Beverage that are inaudible on a
vertical, sloper or dipole transmitting antenna. It's cheap to build, but
does require a bit of real estate. If space is a problem, you might consider
a small receiving loop (just a few feet in diameter) or a Ewe antenna
(described in a couple of QST articles over the past few years).
ON4UN's book Tips and Techniques for Low Band DXing gives a good description
of Beverages and small loops. The ARRL Antenna Handbook also has info on those.
73/Jon AA1K in Delaware
AA1K jon.zaimes@dol.net
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