Topband: Low Alpha Delta DX-A twin sloper BEST antenna here - howcan that be? A TEST

[Guy Olinger K2AV]

Where is your T bottom with respect to the tower, how many and kind of
radials do you have below the T, is there a direct connection to the tower,
and does the tower base have radials?

Guy.

On Sat, Nov 7, 2009 at 11:30 AM, Mike & Coreen Smith <ve9aa at nbnet.nb.ca>wrote:

> 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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> _______________________________________________
> 160 meters is a serious band, it should be treated with respect. - TF4M
>