I have been on 160 since 1988. It has never been a strong presence
because I was never really able to hear well on my long and narrow, 1
acre city lot. Last year I went to a shunt feed on my 100 foot 45G
tower. It is festooned with monobanders from 80 to 10 meters. The match
is an Omega match with 2000 pfd in series and 1000 pfd to ground (both
vacuum variables of course). I have 32 radials at the base & all
soldered to a solid copper bus of #04 wire that is clamped to the tower
using stainless hardware. It works very well. The 2000 pfd was necessary
as the shunt wire cage is only 30 feet in height due to monobanders down
to 30 feet. It gets out quite well.
Last year I went to the Hi-Z antennas Triangle array (3 phased
verticals) and I began to hear like I've never heard before. My previous
Ewe's, low dipoles, short beverages, K9AY loops, etc. really did not
hear that well by comparison. I had to have the land cleared down the
hill beyond the creek so I would be over 100 feet away from the shunt
fed tower. One falling tree smoked one of the verticals and a huge March
lightening strike smoked all of the electronics.
During August I upgraded to a Hi-Z 4-square array (after more brush
clearing, etc.). I tried to use the old RG-6/U feed but it had been
smoked by lightening, too!!
Now the 4-square is up es running and I have arrived at the promised
land relative to low band receiving. I can hear stuff I NEVER could here
before. The RDF on this antenna is equivalent to 1000 foot beverages,
and it is electrically steerable in 4 directions.....
73,
John, W4NU
K4JAG, 1959 to 1998
_______________________________________________
UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
|