Topband: CQ 160M Contest and a question about shunt feeding

[Stan Stockton]

In the upcoming 160M contest the plan is my son, Kevin (N5DX) will operate from our station using his callsign and I will travel about 100 miles away to the station of N5ECT/WD5R and operate using K5GO.  It will be the great Arkansas shootout.  Doug is very interested in any observations that might be made regarding the relative signal strengths, etc.  I'm particularly interested in not getting beat TOO badly by this young whippersnapper, even if he is my son  ;-)

Now, for the question regarding the shunt feed on a tower.  Doug has a full sized, quarter wave 25G tower that he is shunt feeding.  There probably would be no noticeable difference (only in my confidence level) but I would like to spend the time to make a cage of wires and re-do the matching system.  

Currently it is fed with a series vacuum variable capacitor through a galvanized TV pushup mast with the tap about 40 or 45 feet above ground.  There are 60 quarter wavelength radials under the tower.  I thought that perhaps a couple of #12 copper wires spaced about 8-10 inches apart might be better.  

It has yet to be done so I am open for suggestions from anyone who has about a 130 foot 25G tower with no top loading as to how they are feeding it to achieve 50 ohms and no reactance.  Another question is whether anyone thinks it would be of any value to add some top loading to that tower while we are at it.  I just need about 1.5 dB on him and I think I can get him.....

Stan