[SECC] Antenna improvements (Was: NAQP)

[Bill Coleman]

On Aug 22, 2007, at 11:22 AM, Dennis McAlpine wrote:

> In this QTH, I currently have just a Butternut vertical mounted  
> five feet above ground.  As soon as the snakes go to sleep for the  
> winter, I will raise it to 10' and do a better job with the  
> placement of the tuned radials.

Why do you want to raise the vertical? on 80m / 160m, the five feet  
likely won't make much difference. The key to verticals seems to be  
the radial field. If you can put down a bunch of ground-mounted  
radials, they should work better than a few elevated radials.

I've had good success with a shunt-fed 15m tall tower with 29 ground- 
mounted radials. On 160m, it isn't even 1/10 wave-length tall. And  
the matching network can't handle more than 100 watts. It works  
better than the 80m dipole at 10m high. On 80m, it's more of a wash.  
The dipole usually works better just after sunset and sunrise, the  
vertical much better during the darker part of the night.

> That brings me to power.  With my current inefficient vertical, it  
> makes a big difference if I run a kw or 100 watts.  I am actually  
> reasonably loud with a kw but many will not hear me barefoot and  
> when it comes to keeping  a run freq, forget it.

Efficiency is the key. Regardless of power, a more efficient antenna  
will work better than an inefficient one.

>  So, if you hear a weak K2 calling you in NAQP or SS, don't turn  
> you big 3 element SteppIR up north; look towards SC.  And,  
> remember, I need SC as a mult too.

 From where I sit, SC and NY are pretty much the same direction. I  
would welcome SC on 20-10m, though. I need those band-states for 5BWAS.

Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
             -- Wilbur Wright, 1901