Topband: Beverage supports - Thinking of Deer...

[Guy Olinger K2AV]

If the actual signal is more on the beverage, but the signal to noise
is better on your K9AY, and that difference is making the K9AY harder
to use, then simply add a good preamp after the K9AY.

Beverages don't work as well over salt water, or very highly
conductive earth, and that's just physics, not poor construction.

73, Guy.

On Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 4:04 PM, Gary Smith <Gary at ka1j.com> wrote:
> First of all I want to thank those of you who took the time to answer
> my questions regarding beverages and finally, to the people who
> responded regarding supports.
>
> I ended up getting the two direction system designed by KD9SV and
> sold by radioware/rafiobooks:
> http://www.radiobooks.com/products/sv2bevsys.htm
>
> I chose the one designed to work with the military telephone wire
> WD1A which is available inexpensively as surplus. I had originally
> thought I'd like to use the bi-directional one designed by W8JI &
> sold by DXEngineering but it was twice the price and requires
> purchasing very long lengths of 450 ohm window wire which between
> buying two units and 1100 feet of ribbon wire would have been cost
> prohibitive.
>
> Had there been a revealed way to make two separate wires held apart
> by a PVC parrot stand with the wires at each end be rated at 450
> ohms, I would have tried that as the unit designed by W8JI came with
> high recommendations.
>
> This said, I did go for the cheaper route which does seem to work
> well enough but I am not truly satisfied with the results. I suspect
> the reason for this is the two edged sword I am faced with: The good
> side... I have the wonderful luxury of being right on the ocean with
> a beautiful salt marsh for my radials. Because of this, I apparently
> have a particularly loud signal as I've been told by many DX stations
> I was the loudest stateside signal they are hearing.
> The bad edge: According to ON4UN 4th edition Chapt 7-50 : And I quote
> "The Beverage does not work at all over sea water. Its output is down
> 15 dB compared to the same antenna over poor ground and the main
> elevation angle is 45 degrees.{He goes on to say} - The beverages at
> VK0IR erected over a salt water marsh never worked either (as I told
> them would happen).
>
> As it is they do work somewhat. The one going farthest from the salt
> water does hear better than the one leading to it. My K9AY remains
> the quietest and offers the best quality of S/N. I do hear a greater
> signal with the beverages but there is a significant pickup of local
> RFI with the beverages in the evening when people are running their
> digital equipment. The K9ay does a better job removing the RFI.
> Again, to be fair, it appears I have my beverages in exactly the
> wrong spot to give them a real test of value. I'm convinced they
> would be just fine if I could have them away from the salt marsh but
> that unfortunately is the only direction I can run beverages into.
>
> They still are an asset so they will remain in use, I did work a JA
> in the last contest on 160 but was not able to hear him well enough
> on the K9AY.
>
> I someday will relocate from here and will choose a place where I can
> run beverages and I'll bring along my 60 some 130' radials I'm
> currently using on the salt marsh.
>
> I need to experiment with other Rx antennas that might be better
> closer to the ocean. They will have to be fixed, the trees close to
> the house prohibit anything large and rotatable.
>
> Thank you all again for your truly kind and lengthy suggestions, they
> were of great assistance to me.
>
> 73,
>
> Gary
> KA1J
>
>> I was looking at using PVC & thinking of getting
>> 1/2" or 3/4" PVC and spreading them out every 40
>> feet or so.
>>
>> I ventured out today to where these are going to be
>> laid out in a NW & NE direction & mostly there's the
>> 10' tall Phragmites, those marsh reeds that look
>> like they have a bushy squirrel tail on the ends.
>> But there's some open areas the wire will be
>> traveling through as well as some small ponds it
>> will be going over and it's definitely a great place
>> for deer. I see the signs of rutting & quite a few
>> trails in the marsh with both deer & coyote tracks
>> in abundance in the snow & ice.
>>
>> I'm sure the deer are being chased by coyotes & will
>> be capable of jumping into my wire no matter how
>> high I put it. I know any support I'll be putting
>> out will be down in a moment if a buck decides to
>> "debark" it with his antlers.
>>
>> That said, where deer are present, what's a
>> realistic "good height" to put the beverage supports
>> at?
>>
>> Thanks
>>
>> Gary
>> KA1J
>> _______________________________________________
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>
>
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