K6STI's Low Noise Loops

K8DO at aol.com K8DO at aol.com
Thu Aug 31 13:54:52 EDT 1995


I Suspect that the lack of discussion is the lack of experience to
espouse.... I will have one or two for contest season to try....Then I will
have an opinion...

Denny

>From Rich L. Boyd" <rlboyd at CapAccess.org  Thu Aug 31 18:44:14 1995
From: Rich L. Boyd" <rlboyd at CapAccess.org (Rich L. Boyd)
Date: Thu, 31 Aug 1995 13:44:14 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: high vs. low 20M beams
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91-FP.950831133815.17258K-100000 at cap1.capaccess.org>


I think it was CQWW phone last fall, I dabbled, using packet for
about 350 QSOs.  Heard a W6/4X on 14165 with lots of nearby QRM.
Hadn't seen it spotted on packet, did a DX database search, sure
enough, not spotted, nor any other 4X on 20.  He was pretty weak but 
copyable.  Called him for a while, while he ran EU.  Finally figured,
"What the heck..." and went ahead and put him on packet.  W3LPL
showed up quickly and got him in a few calls.  I could tell by 4X's
reaction that he was somewhat surprised to hear a U.S. station.  He said 
something "Oh...just a minute!" and I could hear his signal increase as 
he apparently turned his beam.  By then other U.S. stations were arriving 
on freq. in response to the packet spot, like N2RM and others.  I was the 
second or third station to get through, W3LPL being first.  Not too much 
trouble being heard once he turned the beam.

The difference, as I see it, was my 6-el 20 monobander being at 120' and 
W3LPL's 5-el 20 (comparable boom length -- his is 48', mine is 46') being
at 190'.  There are other differences, his site probably having a better 
slope to it, etc., and his beam is a modern computer optimized design and 
mine is the old-fashioned Telrex design, but I'm guessing it was the
antenna height difference.  Frank likes to say the lower 20M antenna will 
be better 95% of the time, but I think that other 5% can give you 
memorable pleasurable contesting experiences or memorable contesting 
frustrations.  hi.  73

Rich Boyd KE3Q




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