Topband: Effect of current max not at base of vertical

[Pete W2PM]

I onvce did a observational study like this with W2JPW who lives 3 miles from my QTH.  We did the test on all bands from 160 to 2 meters using zero gain omni directional antennas. On 160, with 1500W he was S5.  On 80 S9 plus,  On 40 S4, and moderately strong on higher bands except for 17meters where he was very weak.  All the time we were in QSO on a 2 meter 1.5W portable in each of our basements with rubber antennas. Full quieting each way.  By the way on the weak bands he had no issues with QSO success on them so there wasnt anything inherently bad about his system.


Pete W2PM



-----Original Message-----
From: W9UCW <W9UCW at aol.com>
To: topband <topband at contesting.com>
Sent: Sat, Sep 24, 2011 11:35 pm
Subject: Re: Topband: Effect of current max not at base of vertical


This may or may not be significant to the  discussion. In the 1970's I was 
sing a 120 foot insulated base vertical as my  main transmit antenna. I had 
2,000 feet of #12 copper radials from 90 to 200  feet in length buried 
bout 3 inches in the ground surrounding the antenna. It  was located near 
inooka, Illinois in a wooded rural area.

s an experiment, I asked several friends who  were located from one to 
welve miles away to record my signal strength at  their location each day for 
ne month at a specific power of 100 watts of  carrier. Then I had my tower 
limbing buddy, Jack, W9YF (SK) put a resonator  tuned to 1850 on top of the 
ertical. 

 had to modify the base matching system. It had  been a shunt coil to 
round. It now required a parallel resonant circuit from  the base of the tower 
o ground with the coax from the rig tapped onto the  coil.

hen my friends reported the signal strength  they now recorded, it was 
rom a half to a full "S" unit more than their  original readings. Now that's 
ertainly not very scientific, but their comments,  assuming all groundwave  
eadings, were sure interesting to  me.

3, CU on TopBand, Barry,  W9UCW
______________________________________________
R RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK