Topband: Feeding vertical

[Herb Schoenbohm]

> The tower is possibly too tall to be good on 160 (you didn't say the 
> height), but maybe not.. Anything taller than half wave is going to have 
> high angle lobes...


If the tower is to tall for 160 I strongly recommend and insulated cage 
around the tower 1/4 lamda or slightly more.  The tower itself should 
probably float but you can experiment grounding it directly to the radial 
system or at least have a choke to ground to deal with static charge 
potentials.  Thje cage if constructed properly will shield a good portion of 
the inner (to tall) tower form the outside world, if that is the case. 
Perhaps you ran into a case where the towers are very short for AM and if 
that is the case a direct feed with a anti-reactance tuning cap is all you 
will need.

It is also possible to detune (or electrically shorten) the structure with 
the cage closer to the top but that can be a much more complicated and/or 
difficult process to get working.  So try the simple and easy things first. 
And do consider, if the spacing is adequate a corner fed delta loop.  I had 
one on 80 meters suspended from a 300 footer in the early 80's and it was 
unbeatable especially on receiving in a location over a big radials system 
and surronded by salt water where Beverages could not work.

73,

Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ