James,
I'd suggest you evaluate a few more alternatives before deciding:
1. Retain your existing antennas until you install something more permanent.
Compared to your existing antennas, you'll be disappointed in the performance
of any of the alternatives you listed on 20 thru 10 meters. If you need
something for DXing on 160, 80 and 40 meters, the HyGain HyTower with at least
30 (preferably 60) long radials is a good choice, complemented by your existing
antennas on 20 thro 10 meters.
2. Accelerate your tower installation.
Its not obvious why a tower installation must take 6 months. Have you
cansidered alternatives to accellerate this job to 60 days or less? What are
the major components of your installation schedule that you could accelerate?
Which ones do you perceive as being impossible to accelerate? This is the
option that will give you the really big performance improvement, if you choose
the right antenna...
73
Frank
W3LPL
---- Original message ----
>Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:15:06 -0400
>From: Richards <jruing@ameritech.net>
>Subject: [TowerTalk] (no subject) Vertical Antenna Instead of Tower
>Decision....
>To: Tower Talk <TowerTalk@contesting.com>
>
>Good Day Tower Talkians --
>
>I am trying to select an antenna to install before the winter arrives.
>I live in Michigan, and have a smallish, 100' (N-S) x 55' (E-W)
>suburban backyard that has a bit of a hill in the back, and a
>trough towards the house and back deck. Cost is not a limiting
>factor. Wife says a tower is OK - and would rather have a tower
>than have holes in the roof. City says tower based antenna can
>be 55 feet tall with no need for permits, or inspections, carte blanche,
>but higher will entail fighting City Hall. Wife would like to avoid large
>radial ground wire field, but understands it might be necessary.
>
>A couple of photos of my location/situation RF can be seen here:
>
>http://picasaweb.google.com/MINIRichards/MyBackyard?authkey=Xq6wDhnEoXY#
>
>I have considered a tower, but that is not going to happen this
>year. That is a 6 month project, and I am not far enough along for
>that. So, in the mean time I am considering putting up a vertical
>antenna of some sort. I will augment that with whatever wires I can
>also hang to give me multiple options and something to measure
>against.
>
>I now have a 40 M half wave dipole, and an Alpha Delta DX-EE
>multi band, trapped dipole covering 40-20-15-10- etc.
>
>What I am considering most are:
>
>* DX Engineering 43 foot vertical / Force-12 43 foot Vertical
>* Hustler 6BTV / or Butternut HF9V
>* HyGain Hi-Tower ACV 18
>* HyGain AV-640
>
>I am favorably inclined to try a Big SteppIR vertical but they are 5 to
>seven months out on delivery, so that cannot happen before winter.
>
>(Note: A combination of multiple antennas is OK for good reasons.)
>
>
>1) DX-Engineering 43 foot vertical mono pole
>
> Pros = moderately expensive, wide band solution, handles
> all bands, fairly easy to install, can tune 160 m
> through 10 m with a outboard tuner - fairly easy
> to assemble
>
> Cons = not resonant on any band, requires outboard tuner,
> questionable inefficiency based on lack of
> resonance on any band, requires substantial
> radial field - may need guy ropes
>
> Total Cost installed = $500
>
>2) Hustler 6BTV trapped a vertical antenna
>
> Pros = relatively inexpensive, essentially resonant on each
> of the major bands using traps and element length,
> fairly easy to install, does 80 m through 10 m - should
> not need guy ropes or wires - really easy to assemble
>
> Cons = shortened elements, possible loss in traps, uses traps
> to create electrical length rather than physical length,
> narrow bandwidth on 80 m, requires substantial radial
> field - does not cover 160 meters
>
> Total Cost installed = $450
>
>
>3) Hy-Gain Hi-tower
>
> Pros = big, substantial, resonant on each of the major bands,
> 80 through 10 m and 160 M with additional loading coil
> and wire kit - fully self-supporting with no guy wires
>
> Cons = substantially more expensive, does not include WARC
> bands, requires concrete base, narrow bandwidth on
> 80 M, and 160 M requires substantial radial field
> - very involved assembly
>
> Total Cost installed = $1,300
>
>
>4) HyGain -AV-640 ground independent vertical
>
> Pros = moderately expensive, does not require ground radials,
> covers 40 m through 10 m, some credible independent
> tests show it works as well as the Hustler or Butternut
> models, easier to install (no radial field) and easier
> to
> locate on lot - - may not need guy ropes
>
> Cons = does not cover 80 m or 160 m bands, some “experts"
> claim it cannot work well without radials...
> notwithstanding
> independent testing results says it has equal
> performance
> to Hustler and Butternut models - moderately complicated
> to assemble
>
> Total Cost installed = $450 -500
>
>
>5) Butternut HF6V
>
> Pros covers 80 through 10 m, essentially resonant on each
> major band through loading coils and element length, fairly
> easy to install - may not need guy ropes - fairly easy to
> assemble
>
> Cons = shortened elements, possible loss in loading coils,
> uses loading coils instead of traps to create electrical length
> rather than physical length, requires substantial radial field
> does not cover 160 meters
>
> Total Cost installed = $550
>
>6. Hy-Gain Hi-Tower Junior
>
> Pros = less expensive, fully quarter wavelength on 40-20-15-10
> Meter bands, resonant on each of the major bands, 80 through
> 10 m
>
> Cons = does not include WARC bands, requires concrete base,
> narrow bandwidth on 80 M, requires substantial radial field,
> needs guy ropes/wires, does not cover 160 meters -moderately
> complicated to assemble
>
> Total Cost installed = $500 - 550
>
>So.... any ideas? Have I missed any reasons to consider one more than
>another? Have I missed any pros or cons for any of them? I know I might
>just as well put up a SteppiR Big Vertical, but that costs $800 - $1000
>fully installed, and you must wait 5 to 7 months to get one, and I want
>something up NOW before the snow flies. If I put one of the models that
>require a field of ground radials, then I can substitute a Big StepplR
>for it at a later date, maybe next summer and use the same radial plate
>and the wires can work for whatever I mount to it.
>
>So... can you guys help me make up my mind? Jim at Burghardt Amateur
>says I would be most pleased with the HyGain HyTower, as the other
>options are so much of a compromise and it is really big and if I can get
>a base poured for it, then it can go up fairly quickly this Fall yet.
>
>But I just have no objective way to tell if that is really better
>than the other options. The vertical mono-pole sounds easy
>and tunes down to all bands... but it does not seem better or
>worse than, say, the Hustler or Butternut or the HyGain AV-640
>-- according to the test report I received from the tower guys this
>summer - and the one without radials sounds good, and performed
>about as well as the others in the testing (actually a Cushcraft R8 - but
>pretty darned close in design to the HyGain AV-640) and it does
>not need any radials. The test report compared a number of these
>multi band verticals to a mono pole vertical - and they were all either
>a bit above or below that in performance, making the mono pole
>pretty much average - but the results were so close that it did not
>really favor any other antenna more than the mono pole - they were
>all pretty close, some up some below it.
>
>But... how to know for sure? I mean objective, reliable comparisons
>that are not just subjective comments from one or two guys who
>tried one, but not the others...
>
>What's a mother to do? ;-)
>
>THANK YOU for any detailed help you can give me.
>
>============ James - K8JHR ====================
>
>
>
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