Topband: 1/4, 1/2, 5/8 wire verticals

[jon jones]

>Hello to all,
>I am going to fly a Wire Vertical for 160 meters. The wire will be held up 
>with
>the use of a Balloon.  - AA2MF

Rich:

I have flown balloon verticals for 160M since 1992. I have tried 1/4, 1/2 
and 5/8 lengths - and now settled on the 1/4 wave. 1/4 wave is a reasonable 
length to fly a balloon, the  antenna SWR is low when fed directly with 50 
ohm coax (this confirms everything is working OK - the SWR changes as the 
balloon blows around) and with 16 or more radials is an effective radiator. 
1/2 wave offers potential gain and independence from the ground system. The 
downside is you have to match the high impedance of the 1/2 wave vertical - 
and can lose significant power in the matching system or your feedline. I 
use my 1/4 wave 160M b.v. on 75M as a 1/2 wave, and it is a challenge to 
match it efficiently. A 5/8 wire vertical is getting pretty long - and 
static buildup can occur. I sometimes get a static shock from the 1/4 wave 
wire vertical on dry cold nights. A 3/8 wave offers gain over 1/4 and would 
be easier to match and fly.

- Jon N0JK