Topband: Low Alpha Delta DX-A twin sloper BEST antenna here - howcan that be? A TEST
Mike & Coreen Smith
ve9aa at nbnet.nb.ca
Sat Nov 7 08:30:55 PST 2009
OK, on a lark, I am going to try something. I just unhooked my A-D twin
drooper, err, I mean sloper from the
switchbox, then took a chunk of wire and shorted it out @ the PL-259 end at
the base of the tower.
The SWR on my T-vertical changed dramatically. (for the better). There must
have been a lot of interaction, either through the switchbox itself, or just
proximity??
I'll leave it unhooked for a day or two and see how I make out with no
reference antenna at all.
I'll be the 30/S9 signal on the band tonight.......(hee hee)
Thanks for all the emails. If this fails or produces mixed results, I may
modify the antenna swaitch back to original if I can remember what I did to
begin with(?) or put a new remote switch in there........or do as a couple
suggested and mount an inverted VEE up near the top of my tower (44'),
however that's really a last resort....I don't want a cloud burner.
Another option I guess , is to lay out 100 more radials. Do-able, but
wouldn't look forward to it ;-)
Mike VE9AA
Mike, Coreen & Corey Smith
699 Rte 616 Keswick Ridge
NB
Canada
E6L 1T1
----- Original Message -----
From: Kenneth D. Grimm, K4XL
To: Wes Attaway (N5WA)
Cc: 'Mike & Coreen Smith' ; topband at contesting.com
Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2009 11:49 AM
Subject: Re: Topband: Low Alpha Delta DX-A twin sloper BEST antenna here -
howcan that be?
Mike,
The procedure described by Wes below is exactly the approach I would
take. If you do this, I'm betting that you are left with #1 below,
since you said you previously had your antennas over "soggy ground."
Rocky and soggy are significantly different.
Good luck with your gremlin chasing.
73,
Ken - K4XL
Wes Attaway (N5WA) wrote:
> Mike:
>
> 1. Maybe the type of rocky ground is the reason.
> 2. Take down all the other wires and check the L (or T) by itself, still
> using switchbox.
> 3. Take out the switchbox and just feed the antenna directly (still by
> itself, no other wires)
> 4. If things are still bad then the problem probably has something to do
> with your location.
>
>
> ------------------ Wes Attaway (N5WA) ------------------
> 1138 Waters Edge Circle - Shreveport, LA 71106
> 318-797-4972 (office) - 318-393-3289 (cell)
> Computer Consulting and Forensics
> -------------- EnCase Certified Examiner ---------------
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: topband-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:topband-bounces at contesting.com]
> On Behalf Of Mike & Coreen Smith
> Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2009 6:44 AM
> To: topband at contesting.com
> Subject: Topband: Low Alpha Delta DX-A twin sloper BEST antenna here -
> howcan that be?
>
> Sorry for the long and rambling post. . . .
>
> OK gang, I know antennas "fairly" well, but this has me stumped...really
> REALLY stumped. I've beat myself up over this for 2 yrs. straight. I
just
> can't get it. I am (almost) ready to rip everything down and start from
> scratch)
>
> I posed a ~similar~ question last year and have tried some different
things,
>
> but I'm losing my patience with the wire here (hi)
>
> BACKGROUND:
> At my old QTH, I ran an inverted L...5/16thWL and fed with a 800pF cap
in
> series. A dozen to two dozen 1/4wl radials(depending on how many got
broken
>
> in the summer)over soggy ground. It meandered up 50-ish or so feet with
the
>
> remaining 117' up/down/over/under trees --even the tip sloped back
towards
> the ground 20' or more.....and it ROCKED....I mean, I wasn't any VE1ZZ
or
> anything but I felt I was upper middle crust of the W1/VE1 pileup. I
also
> had the exact same tower and exact same Alpha Delta DX-A twin sloper up
(for
>
> reference) and it s*cked...really bad. Easily several S units below
> anything else on 40-80-160m
>
> NOWADAYS:
> Fast forward to new QTH...same 48' DElhi self supporting tower set in
> concrete....same 2 long 6m yagis on tower (48/64')....same lil' sloper
> mounted @ 24' off side of tower....
> I have tried 2 iterations of a plain inverted L.....currently it's a "T"
> antenna. Sloping 55' or so up and 2 T's @ 55' or so each sloping @ aprox
45º
>
> to the ground....loads nicely with a few uH @ the base. Seems quieter
than
> the A-D twin.
> I have tried shunt -and- series feeding my 48' tower (no problem to do).
> They have all loaded well and I got a good SWR match with a usually
narrow
> window 50Kcs maybe of 2.1:1 SWR of which to operate in. I have 25 or so
> 1/8wl to 1/4wl radials - 1" below the grass. Ground is rocky shale?
sort of
>
> stuff. My QTH is on a nice high ridge and I do quite well on VHF and
other
> HF bands.
>
> My signal is pitiful on **all** the 160m antennas I've tried....with the
> exception of the 1/4WL Dx-A twin sloper @ 24' !!! (it's best but it
barely
> works)
>
> The little/low twin sloper off the side of the towe is ALWAYS the
loudest on
>
> the band....by usually 6dB or more........I know this can't be right.
>
> How can this be? I am using a 4-1 antenna switchbox (Ameritron I think)
@
> the base of the tower which the antennas all share. Many years back I
> modified it so all antennas "floated" (instead of being grounded) when
not
> selected as I was using this as a K8UR sloper system switchbox at one
time.
> I am pretty sure (but not 100%) that I even ran a separate chunk of coax
> right out to an inverted L last fall in desperation. I do lots of
antenna
> experimenting, so it's sometimes hard to remember the 45th iteration of
a
> trial I had a couple years ago, hi.
>
> I *DO* notice significant SWR curve changes on the lil' wee sloper if I
make
>
> any mods to any of the other "REAL" 160m antennas.
>
> I either have interactions in the switchbox, or proximity between
antennas
> or something that I am totally missing. All 160m antennas are quite
close
> (less than 20-30' away).
>
> Logic tells me there is no way in heck the very low Alpha-Delta DX-A
twin
> sloper can __always__ be the best antenna to transmit and receive on.
YET
> is is !!? From what I see on the cluster, web and hear on the air, I
can
> hear quite well, but DX stations normally have to be 559-579 before I
even
> get a QRZ.....I am currently running ~750W.........
>
> I'm cracking up.....too much listening to QRN.......sorry for the long
post.
>
> Thanks for any insight. I am ready to put a Webster Bandspanner on my
> mobile and go sit out in the yard and DX.
> <hi>
>
> VE9AA Mike
>
> Mike, Coreen & Corey Smith
> 699 Rte 616 Keswick Ridge
> NB
> Canada
> E6L 1T1
> _______________________________________________
> 160 meters is a serious band, it should be treated with respect. - TF4M
>
> _______________________________________________
> 160 meters is a serious band, it should be treated with respect. - TF4M
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--
Ken K4XL
k4xl at arrl.net
*** BoatAnchor Manual Archive ***
On the web at http://bama.sbc.edu and http://bama.edebris.com
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_______________________________________________
160 meters is a serious band, it should be treated with respect. - TF4M
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