snake antenna

[Gary Sutcliffe]

> The Snake is basically a length of coax (1/2 to 1 wavelength) laid out
> on the ground.  Sometimes it is terminated to match the Z of the coax,
> somtimes not.  From what I've heard, it is supposed to be the "poor
> man's beverage".
 
> Has anyone actually used one of these things?  I'm looking for comments,
> good and bad.
 
I have never used just coax to make a short beverage, but at my last
QTH I just laid wire of similar lengths on the ground during the winter
for a "poor man's beverage".  I had a ground rod at the point it was
connected to the coax.  No impedance matching was attempted, but a cheap
Heathkit preamp was used.
 
I had one running south and another to the NE.  About 75% of the time
it was better than either the dipole at 35' or my shunt fed tower that
was normally used for transmitting when working DX.
 
Has anyone tried one of the Steerable Wave Antennas mentioned in W1WCR's
Beverage Antenna Handbook?  Looks like just the thing when some loud
clown decides to park 1 KHz away on 80M during SS.
 
 
-- 
 Gary Sutcliffe  - W9XT             Unified Microsystems (414) 644-9036
 ppvvpp at MIXCOM.COM                  PO Box 133, Slinger WI 53086