Topband: Base linear load vertical .. halp needed

[Tom McAlee]

I do something similar here.  I load one of the verticals from my 80m array
on 160 with a base loading coil.

It's pretty simple... it's a coil about 5" in diameter made of 1/4" copper
tubing.  The feedpoint impedance is rather low, so I use a hairpin matching
coil across the feedpoint to make it a perfect 1:1 match.

I've considered a full-size radiator, but it hasn't become a high priority
because the short vertical seems to work well enough.  Running 1500w, I can
work anything I can hear and I listen on 600' Beverage antennas that border
1.8 million acres (~0.73 million ha) of national forest.

In other words, I think I hear pretty well and I can already work everything
I hear.  Until I can hear like W4ZV I don't see much point in improving the
radiator.

It's worth mentioning that the vertical sits over a pretty large radial
field (about 40,000' of wire under the two 80m verticals).  Some say the
radials become even more important for short radiators; perhaps part of my
results is because of that.

73,
Tom, NI1N