Topband: Beverages vs 4SQ

[Tom McAlee]

>  I have never built either type of antenna  ...  I plan on buying all the 
> components from DX Engineering.

If you can put up both, go for it.

I have 3 of the DX Engineering reversible beverages (each 580', covering NE, 
E, SE, SW, W, NW) and one of the DXE 4 squares (98'/side per their 80/160 
compromise dimensions).

They all work very well.  Either can be better at a given time.  The 
Beverage antennas are better more often, but there are times when the 4 
square is better.  And, even during the times when a Beverage is better, if 
there is local QRM the 4 square's vastly better rejection of high angle 
signals makes it the better copy.

An example of that was CN2R on 160 tonight.  He was working simplex and had 
a decent pileup of USA stations.  While I heard him better on the Beverage, 
the USA guys were burying him.  On the 4 square, the S/N wasn't quite as 
good but the USA guys were way down.  I called and worked him on the first 
call.  Had I been listening on the Beverage, I probably would have had to 
wait for the pileup to shut up before I was able to tell he was calling me.

If I had to pick one or the other, I'd choose the beverages because the S/N 
is better there more often than the reverse.  But, having both is even 
better.

73,
Tom, NI1N