Phased Beverages (Sluggos)

[RMoore at doc.gov]

It must be that we are coming into a contesting and dx season at the sunspot 
minimum, since there has been alot of talk recently on beverages on both 
AA6TT's 160 meter reflector, and on this reflector.  Amongst other 
conclusions there , the most important was to not use steel wire.  The reason 
is, because of its high resistance - especially  at radio frequencies, and 
for permiability factors, it destroys directive possibilities that can be 
achieved by low loss wire - preferably copper of reasonable diameter. 

At N2RM during the past contest season, a highly effective system of european 
phased beverages were put up by WM2H and KZ2S.  Sal, WM2H (our 75 meter 
operator) insisted that John, KZ2S (alias, Sluggo) make numerous modeling 
efforts to design a system  with optimum length and spacing for two beverages 
to be used on 75 and 80 meters.  The particular emphasis was to reduce high 
angle lobes towards Europe.  Because of John's design efforts, the antennas 
are referred to as: 

			PHASED SLUGGOS  

With Transit in hand, and steel poles with fiberglass rods attached in hand 
to be used where trees were unavailable, a pair of 500 foot long straight 
beverages were put up.  They are spaced 200 feet apart and aim at the heart 
of Europe - 45 degrees.   No. 10 copper wire was used as to not compromise 
the pattern, and as W3LPL commented in his earlier message, both the feed 
point and termination end were sloped gently towards the ground to make for 
the best pattern.  The length and spacing of the beverages is probably 
different from Franks design because the emphasis was to try to minimize the 
higher angle lobes off the front of the antenna.    

Sal did talk to W3LPL about the idea before putting up the antennas up, and 
got some encouraging words from him, but I don't think Frank put his up until 
he heard how well they worked at N2RM.  

In a few words, they are quiet, and really seem to work, on both 80 and 160 
meters.

If anyone wants to e-mail Sal, WM2H about this project, he can be reached at: 
                               
			SAA8618 at AOL.COM 

         		73, Bob, N2RM      rmoore at doc.gov