Topband: Sunset / Sunrise and low dipole question

[Gilles RENUCCI]

Good day all,

Now that my beverages and vertical are working correctly, I am planning to install a low dipole for sunset/sunrise. But before, I need to understand the real interest of that installation.

Different authors are saying that a low dipole (id 30 to 60 feet high) on 160m can in certain circumstances be better than a vertical during the short period of sunset/sun rise ducted propagation.

If I compare on NEC2 the patterns of those antennas (a 80 feet T vertical/32 radials and a full size 60 feet high dipole on average ground) , the low dipole starts to have a significant gain over the vertical (more than 3dB) above 60 degrees and a total supremacy (more than 10dB) above 70 degrees.

Does it mean than for this type of propagation the signal can get out of the duct nearly vertically ?

This question is for the choice of the orientation of the dipole, because it is a matter of fact that over 60 degrees the dipole have no more directivity and it can be interesting to install it in a direction minimizing the 0 degree neighbors qrm or very local broadcast station.

Gilles, VE2TZT