Topband: 160 Meter Propagation

[K9AY]

>...I have  consistently operated 160 using two primary antennas, a vertical 
>and a  horizontal.
>... the loops dominated the verticals, for both  receive signal strength 
>and transmit signal reports for DX contacts in general.  >
> Barry, W9UCW
________________

Barry and all,

Your post reminded me of several past accounts of similar behavior with 
horizontal loops and dipoles. My personal theory is that efficiency and 
ground reflection are the factors at work here.

A "pretty good" vertical system will still have some losses, while a loop or 
dipole has low ground loss, and with ground reflection will launch more 
total power, albeit at high angles. The difference in ERP (neglecting 
takeoff angle) can be 6 to 8 dB, depending on the configuration of each 
antenna and local ground parameters. With that much difference, no one 
should be amazed that a loop or dipole works well.

73, Gary
K9AY