Topband: Re: Need antenna help on 160 and 80 meters ( new Dxer )

[Tom McAlee]

> The question I have is what is the best antenna I can use for DX on
> 160 meters and 80 meters with only a height of 25 - 30 feet and a
> restricted area of 200 by 100 foot yard ?? What do you think of the
> HV-2 vertical??

I've never heard of an HV-2, but perhaps you meant HF2-V?  I used an HF2-V a
while back and with an extensive radial system it worked fairly well on 40
and 80.  I layed out about 150 radials, 1/2-wave each for 80m.  At 1/2-wave
long each, I now know I gained little going above 120 of them.  But anyway,
as many people will tell you, getting decent bandwidth out of a shortened
vertical usually isn't a good sign.  Getting a lower bandwidth from a short
vertical means it is operating more efficiently.

With the radials I had down, the 2:1 bandwidth on 80m was 15KHz at best.
That was fine for DXing on an average day when most stations are between
3.500 and 3.515 anyway.  I'd have to run outside to adjust the coil in the
rare event I wanted to work a SSB station.

During a contest the 15KHz bandwidth was a real problem since the stations
are spread out from 3.500 to 3.570 or more.  If I ventured outside my narrow
bandwidth, I caused a variety of RFI problems.

For its size, the HF2V did work well on 80 with many radials; its the
bandwidth that I had the biggest problem with during contests.  I read an
article in one of the ARRL antenna books where someone rigged up a relay to
short out portions of the coil to change band segments.  Perhaps a few of
them could be used to not only change between CW/SSB, but between
frequencies in the same segment?

I tried the 160m coil as well.  But, that didn't last long.  On 160m my 2:1
SWR bandwidth was less than 5KHz and only the big guns could hear me.  It
was pretty useless there.  So, I just removed it because it had a small
negative effect on the 80m operating (you have to find a compromise position
in the hairpin coil that gives the best possible match on 160 and 80)

I should add that I did not try the available top loading kit which may have
helped the bandwidth some.

Tom, NI1N