Topband: Another beverage success story

[Tree]

Until recently, I have mostly used my TX antenna for receiving.  I live in
the country with a pretty quiet location and have been able to get away
with this.  

A year ago, I put up my first real beverage - and was very pleased with
how it works.  It is straight - on level ground - about 750 feet long.

Last weekend, I put up a second beverage - but not in as good of a place.  
My goal was to improve my listening ability to Japan - where a large 
number of points are available for me in the 160 contests.

My best location for the beverage starts near one end of the existing 
beverage, but then sloping down the side of a ravine.  The beverage ended 
up being 180 meters long (measured with a MFJ-259) and slopes down about 
30 meters over its length.  It ends up 30 meters below average terrain - 
in the middle of a ravine that is probably about 100 meters wide.  It 
wasn't clear to me that this would work.

The ravine runs mostly north/south.  The beverage is on the east side of 
the ravine.  

This AM, I woke up early enough to catch a few JAs before they went to bed - 
and the performance of the beverage was stunning.  One station could not be
copied on the TX antenna, but was 449 on the beverage.

Needless to say, I am happy with it.  

I write this as inspiration to those of you who might be holding back from 
trying a beverage because you don't have an optimum place to put it.  I 
sure wish I would have done this 15 years ago!  I am going to put up a
similar one on the other side of the ravine that will be pointing over
the north pole.

73 Tree N6TR/7
tree at kkn.net