Topband: Newbie Antenna Question (long)

[Jim Bennett]

Hi folks - I'm new to this list and fairly new to 160 meters and I've got a couple questions. I've been licensed since '64 and have spent the majority of my hamming on CW, 80-10 meters. A couple years ago I built a "shortened, half sloper" for 160 meters. It worked "OK", but certainly wasn't the kind of antenna one will get DXCC on 160 with. I made perhaps 50-100 QSOs with it doing occasional operating on 160, and none any further than Texas. But I digress...

I recently moved to this QTH (Folsom, CA) and have a very nice, 21 year old home that, unfortunately, came with CC&R and HOA. Not a huge deal, as the HOA really has no teeth. But just the same, I don't want to be bombarded with nasty notes from the HOA, so I've tried to go "stealthy" with my antennas. I was able to put up an 88 ft long doublet, hidden in the trees, fed with 80 ft of 600-ohm ladder line. It works very, very well on every band from 80 through 6 meters. Alas, the tuner in my Elecraft K3 isn't up to the task of making this doublet work on 160. And, I do want to get up some sort of antenna to at least make a lot of stateside QSOs. DX would be nice, but being realistic, I'll probably not be able to erect much of a competitive, DX-worthy antenna on this property.

We have several 50 ft high redwood trees across the back of the property, and another one right out by the street in front. One side of the house is lined with some 40 ft high liquid amber trees, and one of them serves as the support for one end of my 80-6 doublet. I ran across an article by K6MM about a helically-wound, 30 ft tall vertical for 160 meters. I was going to build one and give it a try when another fellow mentioned that I ought to first try putting up an Inverted L antenna, given that I have a bunch of redwoods on the property. So, I'm about half way into the Inverted L project and had a couple questions. I got the vertical part of the antenna installed this afternoon. The best I could do was to get it straight up to a height of 35 ft. Now I'm ready to feed out the remainder of the wire in the horizontal plane. After reading (and attempting to comprehend!) the ARRL Handbook, The ARRL Antenna Book, and ON4UN's Low Band DX'ing book, I accept the fact that a vertical antenna is the best bet (for transmitting, anyway) 160 meters, AND that the Inverted L is basically a vertical antenna. If that is the case, does this mean that it radiates just like any other vertical, primarily omnidirectional? If it is omnidirectional, does it matter in which direction the horizontal portion of an Inverted L is aimed? I can run mine in either of two different directions; one higher, but not too stealthy, the other direction a tad lower, but more hidden from the HOA Nazis.

Oh, and yes, I am planning on installing several looooong radials. It would be great if I could plop down 50-100 of 'em, but that isn't realistic, either! I've already got two strung out along the fence perimeter, and I might be able to get one or two more put down, providing the XYL doesn't go ballistic with all the wire strung out around the house. At least she's also a ham, so she "might" cut me some slack on that part of the project!

I do have a licensed copy of EZNEC and I've downloaded the free cocoaNEC program for Mac (provided by W7AY). Unfortunately, I just don't seem to be able to get my brain working properly to use either of these programs to model this Inverted L. I suppose if I were proficient with either one, this posting would not be happening!

So, can anyone enlighten me on the subject of that horizontal wire component of the Inverted L antenna?

Thanks, Jim / W6JHB