----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Christensen" <w9ac@arrl.net>
To: <w2id@optonline.net>; <Towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 02, 2006 7:45 AM
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] SteppIR MonstIR Modeling
>> I'm confused: If the height is not negotiable, what is the use of
>> modeling it?
>>
>> Would a prediction of poor performance cause you to abandon the project
>> or
>> seek a different location?
>
> Yes, due to the cost of tower rent. I don't mind paying the rental amount
> due to the excellent location on the ocean, but if I'm going to be stuck
> with mediocre performance on the upper bands to anything short of half-way
> around the globe, then the install costs + ongoing rent may not be worth
> it.
>
> But as Dennis points out, at some time, on some bands, to some locations,.
> the performance will range from average to excellent -- it's just that I
> won't be able to control the elevation profile without stacks or with
> adjustable tower height.
>
> Thanks to all who have replied!
>
> 73,
>
> Paul, W9AC
>
Paul,
I am fortunate to have occasional access to a Cushcraft 402CD
stacked 10' over a TH7DX on a 60' tower that sets very close
to the edge of a 400' drop off. The 402CD works incredibly
well on very long hauls in the direction of the drop off, but it
also work suprisingly well on shorter haul stuff. In the directions
of the drop off, I am very suprised if it takes more than one or
two calls to work anything I can hear on 40 meters. The other
neat thing is there have been a number of occasions that I have
worked VU/4S7 longpath on 40 (at 140 degrees AZ), spotted
them, and no one else calls them, which makes me wonder if
anyone else could hear them. Even now that the antenna appears
to be screwed up (no front-to-back), I still don't have any
problems hearing or working anything. The story is pretty much
the same with the TH7DX, except that there is a lot of line noise
on 20 meters and up, so its a little harder to hear stuff on that
antenna.
This experience is echoed by a friend of mine who built a 13
element fixed 20 meter yagi on a 400' mesa near Anza, Ca
a number of years ago. He says that he was always amazed
by how much he could hear that nobody else could. N6NB
relates similar stories of working stuff nobody else could hear
from his mountaintop QTH at 7000' ASL near Tehachipi, Ca.
If you interest is DXing, I would go for it, especially if you get it
up before the next round of sunspots. One thing I notice here in
Southern California is that when the high bands are barely open
(low solar flux), the guys who live on hilltops get a lot of high
band openings that others don't. My feeling is you won't have to
compete with the lower antennas when the band is wide open
because you will catch the DX before anyone else hears it.
You'll be long gone by the time the band opens enough for guys
like me with crummy home QTHs to get through the pileup.
For contesting, I concurr with K4XS. You'll be too high to be
competitive when the bands are wide open to Europe. You will
probably have a very high multiplier total (especially zones in
CQ WW), but your QSO counts will probably suffer relative
to those who have lower antennas stacks who can take advantage
of the peak of the openings.
73, Mike W4EF/6
nr Los Angeles, Ca
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