Topband: Beverage above fenceline?

[Jon Zaimes AA1K]

Hello Brad,

I have had Beverages run over chain link, field-wire and 3-strand barbed
wire fences at two previous locations. They worked great.

Years ago Barry W9UCW wrote an article on Beverages in QST where he
described using the middle wire of a fence as the Beverage.
>
> I have some lengths of 1/2" and 3/4" rigid steel conduit which I would
lash to
>the fence posts and would use them to support the wire. I would also have to
>trim a lot of tree branches. The fenceline probably runs about 1200' in
length
>in an east - west direction.
I used similar posts and they were very convenient; insulate the wire from
the top of the post, of course. Usually I just ran the wire over tree
branches where available rather than trying to trim them. I used a height
of about 10 feet for the Beverage wire.

Since your fence line runs East-West, you might consider running a feedline
to the middle of it and running two Beverages -- one East, one West -- and
terminating them. This will give you two directions. You can piggy back
voltage on the feedline to control a relay to switch between the two.

For other desired directions, consider running short Beverages within your
lot. Even a 130-foot terminated wire in the desired direction will receive
better than the full size Beverage in the wrong direction.  There are other
alternatives too -- the Ewe or K9AY loops for example. ON4UN's Low-Band
DXing book has many ideas on these and Beverages; also check www.w8ji.com,
and the archives for this reflector at www.contesting.com.

73/Jon AA1K