Topband: Beverages

[Richard (Rick) Karlquist]

Mike Waters W0BTU wrote:
>> From: Charlie Young <weeksmgr at hotmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: Topband: Beverages
>> To: jcclark at myfairpoint.net, topband at contesting.com
>> Date: Friday, July 9, 2010, 7:25 PM
>>
>>
>> I don't think it can be stressed enough.  Any beverage wire, even one much > shorter than the recommended length, is better than no beverage wire.
>> [snip]
> 
> You said it, Charlie. 
> 
> It has been said that "Beverages just want to work". How true. Almost any Beverage will hear better than the vertical transmitting antenna.
> 
> 73,
> Mike Waters
> W0BTU

I will note that at my QTH (ymmv:-), almost any antenna of any kind 
except another vertical will hear better than my vertical transmitting
antenna.  In evaluating a beverage, I always compare it to a low
dipole.  It is not unusual for my short (400 ft) beverages to have 
little or no advantage over the dipole.  As I have posted many times, I
would get no advantage from making them longer due to current
attenuation from my high ground conductivity.  On 80m and 40m (and even
30m), where the beverages aren't so "short", they are much more
effective.

Rick N6RK