TopBand: Vertical vs horizontal

Mon, 20 Oct 1997 12:25:57 -0400

     Yes, it was 73 magazine that used to sponsor those single band 
     contests on 160M, 80M, 40M...  I think it was SSB only.  It was my 
     first experience working a 160M contest in the early 1980's.  To add 
     my 2 cents worth,  I have had little luck with verticals over poor 
     ground in Northern Virginia... make that little luck with working DX.  
     I was successful getting a few new hams interested in DXing, after 
     watching me struggle with aluminum pipes, and radial wire.  I'm sure 
     it was amusing. 
                                       73 Denis, W4DC / VP2MFM  

______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: TopBand: Vertical vs horizontal
Author:  <g3xtt@lineone.net> at internet
Date:    10/20/97 10:10 AM

Have been watching the discussion with interest. I suspect it's not so much 
vertical vs. horizontal antennas, but high-angle vs. low-angle radiation. 
As such, to be a "big gun" on 160 you really need to be able to cater for 
both, as conditions can vary so much from path to path and from day to day. 
I always recall a particular topband contest some years back (I think it 
was one of those sponsored by 73 Magazine, which used to run 160, 80 and 40 
metre contests). I put up a high inverted-L for DX working, and a low (30ft 
at the centre!) inverted-vee to work the UK and Europe. On night one I 
couldn't raise any W/VE stations on the inverted-L, but almost all of them 
responded first call on the low inverted-vee! On the second night 
everything was back to normal - the inverted-vee worked only for close-in 
stuff, whereas the inverted-L did the trick for DX. I wish now that I had 
noted the solar data for the two nights - it might have been possible to 
draw some conclusions.

Don G3XTT

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