Topband: 160 Antenna Struggles

[Herb Schoenbohm]

Rip Smith K3XO wrote:
> This year I decided I wanted to improve on it so I assembled an inverted 
> L out of some old beam parts. The vertical section is 49 feet and the 
> loading wire was adjusted for best SWR. The loading wire slopes down to about 15 feet above the ground. For radials........Now for the struggle. I have had an difficult time working anything out 
> of North America. I hear Europeans pretty well at times but they are not 
> hearing me even when I am the only station calling. I call and call they 
> call CQ again.

Rip......If you convert you inverted L to a Marconi "T" I would bet 
things on 160 will improve dramatically for you. The "L" has most of its 
radiation warming the clouds.  With a horizontal wire, lets say 100 feet 
long and fed with a 50 foot or more drop exactly at the center (50' for 
the end) more radiation will be concentrated into a much lower takeoff 
angle.  Even with a single 50-60 foot center support...you can slope the 
top portion down but put the supports as far away as you can to lower 
the cancellation effect of the slope....a greater slope than 45 degrees 
is to be avoided.  It is better to have three or four shorter wires on 
the top like an upside down crows foot  top loading used for some  VLF  
antennas to improve efficiency.

Good Luck and see you in the Stew Perry contest.

Herb Schoenbohm, KV4FZ