Topband: What do you use as a "Run" antenna?

[EP Swynar]

 > ...what others use as their first choice for listening when "running" before switching to a better RX antenna? 

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My station & my operating habits are HARDLY "...de rigueur" when it comes to contests...!

However, my mainstay transmitting AND receiving antenna is a 135-degree / 3-element phased inverted "L" array, in a triangular configuration (1/4-wave spacing between "L"s). I can manually switch it to favour any one of 6 different positions, by way of a pair of HD ceramic rotary switches beside the operating position.

I've incorporated a SEVENTH switch position, which bypasses all of my phasing / delay lines: this essentially gives me the option of feeding all  the three elements "in parallel" (or "in phase". I s'pose), with no directional effects. In general "CQ Test" calls for domestic contests I'll leave the switching network in this "bypass" position, until such time as I might strike gold with a "run" of callers from a certain specific direction...only then will I select the switch direction that best favours stations from that geographic area.

If conditions warrant it, I also have at my disposal a pair of K9AY loops mounted perpendicular to each other, & switchable in four different directions (VERY effective during a recent opening to "JA"), or an unterminated N/S 1300' Beverage (very FB for copying S.A., albeit with more atmospheric noise than that from the K9AY loop favouring that part of the world).

The old adage of, "...THE MORE ANTENNAS AT YOU DISPOSAL ON 160, THE BETTER," is no bunk!

~73~ Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ