ZL3IX wrote:
>but there were a couple of negative comments last month. These were mainly
>to the effect that they (slopers) act more like low dipoles.
Greg, 1/4 wave slopers do work but they are very dependent on the
individual installation. K0RF has used these for years very effectively
and I assure you they work much better than low dipoles! I believe the
current thinking is that they act like an inverted Ground Plane so they MUST
have some sort of top-loading (usually one or more Yagi's) for them to work
properly. If you can put one below a Yagi near the top of your tower, by
all means give it a try. I recall from the ones I used on 80 meters that
you should begin with a length much longer (10-15%) than predicted by the
usual 234/f formula. If you don't have a Yagi on your tower yet, don't
waste your time trying a sloper.
Don't be a victim of analysis paralysis...put one up and see for
yourself if it will work for you. Any antenna is better than no antenna!
73, Bill W4ZV
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