Topband: Sloping Beverages

[Garry Shapiro]

When I first got on topband in the early 1990's, I was encouraged by 
Bob, KN6J, who held one of the earlier topband DXCC's in California. I 
could see no logic in putting in a big effort on 160, given my 
canyon-side QTH. Bob showed me his Beverages, which ran down steep 
ravines that were held in common in his community and which were 
essentially below ground level. His response to all of my demurrals--my 
land is too steep, too forested, too far down in the canyon, the 
antennas will be too short--were met with the same reply--"any Beverage 
is better than no Beverage." He was right. The comments offered here 
about sloping Beverages also appear to bear that out.

My two two-wire Beverages are relatively short, undulate over the 
terrain and the Europe unit drops almost 200' in less than 400'. My 
average "horizon" is 15 degrees.

Garry, NI6T