Topband: Inverted L questions

[Peter Dougherty]

At 09:43 AM 12/10/2006, George Taft wrote:

>Hello Peter
>
>You mention that the V "blows it outta the water.  But with 
>whom?  If we're talking stateside reports, that wouldn't surprise me.

Yes, it was stateside, because the EU stations that I was able to 
copy (very weakly) on my Vee simply weren't there on the L, not even 
through the QRN.

I know that the L is a transmit antenna, for sure, but I'd figured 
that the vee being so low to the ground, and so deaf generally, that 
the L would hear a little better, if noisier.


>The fact that the radials aren't in the same direction as the 
>horizontal component isn't terribly important.  But when u do add 
>more radials, symmetry is suggested, even if they can't be as long 
>as the others.

I will continue to put wire out. I can put about 15 to 20 sixty-six 
footers out in a 90 degree arc (west through north), but in other 
directions it will be a compromise, as I mentioned in my original 
description of the layout a couple of weeks ago (driveway, house and 
garage  north through east, property line south-through west).

In total, I can probably get about 60 radials of varying lengths down 
over the next few months. Since I transmit legal-limit most of the 
time on 160, does wire gauge make a difference? I'm using $50-a-roll 
THHN 14 AWG from Home Despot at the moment; I haven't found a local 
source for long lengths of thinner single-conductor wire at 
reasonable prices (I'm in NJ, about 25 miles west of NYC). If I can 
get the same performance with #20 or 22, that would certainly allow 
me to get more down sooner.

I'm fanning these out so that the ends are about 3 or 4 feet apart.


>Finally, you have hit upon the key for top band 
>operating.  RX.  Work on rx antennas, and keep them as far away from 
>the tx antennas as u can to reduce noise pickup.

One is somewhat limited in that respect on a 1/3-acre lot, but a K9AY 
system will be going up once Array Solutions starts shipping them 
(they say sometime this month). I know I'm not going to be a 
world-beater with what I'm putting up here, but if it can get me my 
160 DXCC this season (I'm stuck at 81 worked, 69 cfm), and maybe 150 
or so overall, I'll be a happy camper. Best DX on my vee was 5A7A and 
Marquesas last March or April. Never heard VK/ZL or JA on topband :-(.

Another question: Once the K9AY goes up, do you think an MFJ-1025 
would be a good accessory to have after it? If not, would the 1025 be 
worthwhile for those times I use the vee or the L for RX?



Cheers,

Peter,
W2IRT