Topband: RX Antenna nul discovered

[Rick Karlquist]

Herbert Schoenbohm said:
> Bob, VE3OSZ wrote:
>
>
>  "..... for the past several years I have had real problems trying to work
> Herb, KV4FZ. I call and call without success. Eventually Herb may hear  me
> but with obvious difficulty at his end. I had the same experience in the
> CQ
> 160 with KP2ZZ at Herb's station. I finally worked him but it took many
> many calls....". I have come to the conclusion that Herb's Beverages have
> a
> null in my direction..."    Well Bob is absolutely right!.....and...
>

I have found that my Beverages also have severe nulls.  My east
beverage, which receives Herb with armchair copy, is completely
deaf to Seattle; I can't even hear big guns with it.  My JA beverage
also can't hear Seattle at all.  All my
beverages are reversible using the brute force technique of running
coax to both ends.  What I do is have a 6 way beverage selection switch
and a 2 way switch that selects between a 40 meter inverted vee and
whichever beverage is currently selected by the 6 way switch.  I flip
the 2 way switch back and forth to see if someone in a null might be
calling.  Occasionally I might have to change the beverage setting to
get good enough copy on the station.  Usually, if I have copy on the
beverage, the station is at least audible (not necessarily copiable)
on the inverted vee.  If I don't come back to you on the first call,
try again; I have a lot of antennas to select :-)

I am planning to go to a setup where the beverage goes to one RX and
the inverted vee to a 2nd RX, with the RX's going to the left and right
earphones respectively.

Rick N6RK