Topband: RX antennas and small vertical arrays

[Jarda OK1RD]

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	Message: 1
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	From: Larry Molitor <w7iuv at yahoo.com>
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	Subject: Topband: RX antennas and small vertical arrays
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	To: topband at contesting.com
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	Message-ID: <451143.72976.qm at web30605.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
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	Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
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*	Hello TopBanders

In spite of damping down my activity on the Topband recently ( there is
almost nothing to do for me, except working relatively rare DXpeditons for
fun / for example now FT5GA /). I am all the time reading the Topband
Digest. Larry`s article took me up because of evaluation RX antennas based
on his own experiences. First of all his 50 years of experimenting with RX
antennas for 160m band warmed the heart of mine. As I went this way also but
45 years ago " only " I found I would no be a stranger only one on the way.
But let me submit a slightly different conclusion from my point a view of
course. So there are just two categories of RX antennas at first those one
which are working and second one those which do not work well. Further there
is a basic condition that each and any of the RX antenna (TX too ) must be
well located and mainly must have enough free space around. In case of
fulfilment the condition above, every antenna for 160m band works and then
depends on the type of antenna only. The antennas type of Flags,K9AY, EWE
Magnetic loops, and I tested all of them,should be considered as child toys
compare to long enough Beverages and properly phased " small " verticals. I
came into this idea almost 20 years ago and I bought 50ha of space to allow
me start up a serious work on the TopBand. Let me use Larry`s citation "
there is no magic, there is no free lunch ". My personal experience is that
at the current time of my knowledge there are only two types of RX antennas
for serious DXing on the TopBand: I am meaning 400m long Beverages towards
all direction and 8 Circle properly phased small verticals antenna. Frankly
I cannot say now, after 4 years of using both RXing systems, which antenna
is better, the 8Circle mostly better or on the same Beverages level or
sometime Beverage during opening time can be better or even TXing 4SQR could
be the best, doesn't spoken about the low dipole. I don't want to make
anybody dreary from my notice, we all are talking about hobby only and there
could not be space for sorrow...Personal: I am going to start activity on 6m
EME in November when TV 1st channel could be switched off ( www.ok1rd.com )
but I don't know if JT65 will intrigue me as well as the TopBand has done
for me last 45 years. Good luck to all the Topbanders mainly !

73 Jarda,OK1RD,OK7XX