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Topband: Compromise vertical loading questions

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Subject: Topband: Compromise vertical loading questions
From: Björn SM0MDG <bjorn@sm0mdg.com>
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 2014 12:47:36 +0500
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
Here are some question for anyone with more tech skills than me;

My compromise vertical at 8Q7BM is made of thin wire attached to a DX-Wire 15 
meter glass fibre pole. The vertical wire goes all the way up, but as the 
pole’s top sections are very thin/weak the three top loading spokes (each 12 
meter long) are attached at about 13 meter.  The antenna has a 1/4 elevate 
radial towards the water at 2-3 meter height. The whole structure is within 1/4 
wave of the water line.

The antenna is self resonant at 2.2 MHz and I use a coil wound on a water 
bottle to bring it down to 1.8. The coil appears to be about 8-10 uH according 
to online calculators.

My questions are;

How much I can improve by moving the coil up. What improvement should I expect 
if center loading at about 7 meter? How about moving the coil all the way up to 
the top loading spokes? Is it worth the effort? (the pole won’t support much up 
there).

My top loading spokes are sloping more than the recommended angle. According to 
the ON4UN Low Band book I got the impression that the difference should be 
minimal when close to salt water. I have tried to slope them less, but easily 
get in trouble with the weak pole in the wind. And there are pats to the beach 
every where so options are few.

Which one of the two above actions would be the most beneficial? Move the 
loading coil higher up or rearrange the top loading spokes for a better angle?


73 de Björn,
SM0MDG
8Q7BM
SE0X









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