Contest Antenna Questions

[RFPWR at aol.com]

Thanks to W3LPL, K3WW, WB5VZL, W2UP,W3ZZ,KY3N, KM9P
N7IXG, WB5CRG for the responses re: antenna farm questions. 

All who voiced an opinion believe that my tall tower should be optimized for
20 and 40 meters, with a 40-2CD at 110' and stacked 205CA's at 100' and
50/60'. Given the low sunspots, I am convinced this is the way to go, and
have scrapped my original plan to put the TH7 on the tall tower. 

It is obvious that I don't have a second tower (yet) which is tall enough to
truly optimize 15 meters for DX work. The 155CA does work extremely well for
stateside at the current height (I had a 188 QSO first hour in the 1994 phone
SS while testing it). 

Having decided what to do with the 100' tower, I am considering options for
the other three (including growing one to 90/100'). 

Again, thanks to all who responded and I will surely advise you as to the
eventual antenna layout. 

By the way, the present 80M antenna is a quarter wave vertical. It works
extremely well here with the good ground conductivity. I am working on a 4
square, which hopefully will be done before the fall season. Last year the
160 antenna was a dipole off the 100' tower. This year I will have the same
or will shunt feed one of the towers. 

73, Chas N8RR    rfpwr at aol.com

>From Steve Sacco <0006901972 at mcimail.com>  Tue Jul  4 19:41:00 1995
From: Steve Sacco <0006901972 at mcimail.com> (Steve Sacco)
Date: Tue, 4 Jul 95 13:41 EST
Subject: "Static"
Message-ID: <43950704184134/0006901972DC1EM at MCIMAIL.COM>


> >I have occasionally observed a static tic-tic-tic at the end of a coax
at
> >my place, with no lightning seemingly around.

*ALSO* 

> I regularly observe (from my office on the 27th floor of a building) high
> voltage "static" travelling down the ground wires on the sides of nearby
> buildings from the lightning rods at the top of the building to the
ground
> connection of 20  story buildings across the street from where I work.
> 
> This usually happens when there is a thunder storm in the area, however,
> the building on which I can observe this "static" is not actually "hit"
by
> lightning

I, too, have occasionally noted small arcing sounds coming from my towers
when there's lightning several miles away.  It must be cool to actually SEE
the charge flowing down to ground!

I believe this, and the two observations cited above it, are just graphic
examples of simple inductive coupling between the lightning and the ground
system of the building or tower.  

Nothing magic going on here...

One of you EE's out there - this correct, is it not?

I will now resume work on my CONTEST antennas.

73,
Steve KC2X
Narcoosee, Florida
ssacco at mcimail.com

>From Robert <w5robert at blkbox.COM>  Tue Jul  4 21:56:47 1995
From: Robert <w5robert at blkbox.COM> (Robert)
Date: Tue, 4 Jul 1995 15:56:47 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: FD & 10 meters
Message-ID: <9507041556.aa07409 at blkbox.COM>

Operated with a TH3 @ 50 ft from home.
525 Q's on 10
  3 Q's on 15
217 Q's on 20
212 Q's on 40  - 40-2CD
10 meters was open from the start, with last Q on 10 at 0434 Z.
Had opening on 10 a few days earlier to GI0KOW around 0400Z.  
CO was the farthest west Q on 10 meters.  Sure made it fun working
the new guys on 10.  Maybe work will allow a campout site next year.
-- 
73 Robert  WB5CRG  w5robert at blkbox.com