Topband: Hillside Beverage Antenna

[David Gilbert]

I'm a relative newbie to 160m and I'd like to know whether a beverage antenna running up a steep slope would have better or worse performance compared to one on flat ground.  The slope in question is fairly consistent at about 40 degrees and in the clear for well over 1000 feet up the side of a mountain.  The face of the slope is northeast toward Europe from my southern Arizona QTH, and the surrounding terrain continues downward at 10 to 15 degrees slope for roughly a mile in that same direction.  An EZNEC model of a typical 550 foot beverage shows such a broad vertical lobe that I suspect there isn't much difference except for very high incident angles.  Any comments are appreciated.