Topband: Tophat? Does it have to be at the top?

[Earl W Cunningham]

Bill, K4XS wrote:

"I have several 200-foot towers with lots of HF stacks.  I asked that
question about a year ago when I was considering using them as verticals.
 Almost unanimously, the replies were that it would not be an effective
way to go.  The general consensus was that the first big antenna the
tower saw, "would be the end of the line" as far as loading went."
==========
I also once thought that the bottom beam of a stack was the only one that
was effective in top loading a shunt-fed tower.  I changed my opinion
after modeling numerous shunt-fed towers and found that all beams in the
stack make a significant difference in the amount of top loading effect,
not just the lowest one.

73, de Earl, K6SE