TopBand: Part 2: Array vs Summary

[Jay E Ostrem]

Part 2

I've been surprised at how well my 80 m dipole, fed with open wire
feeders and an ATU, works on receive, pulling stuff out on occasion that
the other 3 receive antennas (the vertical used for tx, the tuned loop,
and the EWE) can't. SInce the loop, the EWE and the TX antenna are
essentially vertically polarised, and low angle signals are likely to be
so, is the high angle stuff possibly mainly horizontally polarised? The
dipole is at 60 feet.

I suppose it's possible.........................

73
Peter G3RZP

---------------------------------

I have a simple 2-el inverted-L array on 160 meters and it is the most
amazing receive antenna I have ever had! I put it up for transmit reasons,
and now I always use it for receive in the directions I can switch it too!

73, Brian N3OC

-----------------------------------

Be aware that the "other Topband verticals" on Frank's antenna farm, if
resonant and within, say 270' (1/2-wave) of the 4-square, will distort
the pattern of the 4-square array to some extent, therefore comparison
results may well be distorted also.

In my own comparison of Beverages vs. my 2-el vertical array (spaced
1/4-wave), a 550' Beverage hears about equal to the xmit array's
unidirectional pattern, but is better than the array's bidirectional
pattern.  An 1100' Beverage hears better in the array's unidirectional
pattern.
73, de Earl, K6SE

-------------------------------------

K3LR uses exactly this antenna, and he has NO beverages. And you know he
does really well on all bands, as an "almost" East coast contest station.
Ask Tim.

BTW Beverages also mainly receive vertically polarized signals (provided
they are not too, high, say not higher than 12 ft  - for 160 m- ).

Good luck.


73

John, ON4UN

-------------------------------------

I have a 4 sq on 80 mtrs.  It's an array of vertical bent dipoles (the
bottom of the dipole is pulled in toward the tower, ala K8UR).  It works
extremely well.  9X0A is running on 3507 as we speak.  I needed 9X as a
new band country on 80.  Got him first call with 800 watts.  

As for receive, it works very well.  I live in the country and am
blessed with a quiet qth. . . very little, if any, manmade noise
(utilities are all underground).  I do have 580' beverages, one pointing
Northeast and one West.  They are both very quiet and also work very
well.  Occasionally, I use the beverage on 80 but not very often.  80 or
90% of the time, the 80 mtr 4 sq will out hear the beverages.  

On 160 mtrs I have a quarter wave vertical with elevated feed.  It works
very well (although not as well as a 4 sq would).  The beverage will out
hear the single element on 160 about 90% of the time on dx signals.  

I am a believer in 4 squares.  I have contemplated an 80 mtr beam year
(maybe the M2) but the 4 sq works so well that I don't believe it's
worth the hassle.  At our local contest station, N0NI, we have two 4
squares on 80 and one on 160.  We also have 880' beverages in 4
different directions.  We do use the beverages quite a bit on 160, but
rarely on 80.  

Hope maybe this helps.  

73,

Dave,
W0FLS

--------------------------------------------------

At VE1ZZ's place Beverages almost always outplay 4 Square Ls. Jack's 4sq. is
not very symetrical or leveled, but it exhibits directivity (NE, S, SW, NW)
NE Beverage is "terminated" by stainless steel hubcap in the salt water. Euros
are being heard around 3 p.m. CQing in my face until about 6:30 p.m.
And yes Tom, high angle radiator - Inv Vee beat the 4 square by about 1.5
hours. So it is higher angle, I did not have chart recorders nor white coat,
but bunch of  premature Euros in the log. Just too bad that second night Euro
shop was closed (wiped out) by Aurora, so I came a bit short. Now I have some
ideas for the next generation radiator.
I highly recommend having full size low inverted Vee in the arsenal, it can
open the band, contrary to "conventional wisdom". 
My compliments to the father of Inverted Vee - Ken Glanzer, K7GCO who has not
been given credit for this most popular and very effective antenna!
Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to all 160 noise lovers!

Yuri Blanarovich, K3BU, VE3BMV, P40A

-------------------------------------------------

I have a new-for-the-season  5 el phased 80 M array  which equates to 3 
in line crossed and 3 X 580' beverages unterminated along side.  My 
experience so far is that the two are equal in rx most of the time.  The 
noteable exception is in severe QRN situations, the beverages are much 
quieter.

We don't quite have the current distribution properly done yet with our 
matching networks - so the 5 el array may turn out to be a bit better 
than now.  But the F/B is nearly 28 db so we doubt there is much more to 
be had, hi.

I've heard Jeff, K1ZM often remark that his 4 square on top band outdoes 
his beverages (not sure of their length) EVERY time.  As mentioned, I 
can't support that here so far.

Hope u summarize all the comments.  Will be interesting.

73  George  W8UVZ

---------------------------------------
    Sorry, beverages never worked well for me. With 9 towers in the yard, I 
think there is too much re-radiation of noise.
    I have built a similiar antenna to what John has in his book. When I 
was building the antenna I opted for Inverted "L" parasitic's instead of 
the "T" parasitic's ON4UN called out in his article.
    ON4UN visited me last spring and suggested I look at the "T" 
parasitics again. Which I have and I'll be changing the "L"'s out
for "T"'s. John was right, the "T" should work much better.
I have an omni mode (float all parasitics) in mine, so I can see the 
gain. The array really works, but it takes lots of radials (45,000 feet). 
 I see 30 dB of F/B and about 5 dB of gain on DX sigs. The F/B isn't as 
good on close in stuff, but it will improve with the new "T" parasitics.

Good Luck and let me know how it works,
73,
Tim K3LR

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                            73

			    Jay W7CW in Gillette, Wyoming

                            On the 1AB Ranch in Campbell County

                            

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