Topband: Signal attenuation from foliage near 160m antenna

[Jim Monahan]

I live on several acres that is a watershed area with a relatively high fresh water
table.

Almost all of the land is densely populated with trees and some ranging up to
a 100' or more.

For transmit antennas on 160, I have an inverted L that goes up to 85' with
30 elevated radials. And, I also have a horizontal center fed Zepp at 65'.

The nearest tree to the vertical section is about 40 ft.

The foliage, from May to November, is so dense that it appears as a wall of green
from my house.

When screwing in standoffs into the trees, often, especially during the foliage season,
water usually drips out of the openings.

The difference in performance from the winter to the summer between the two antennas
is significant.

Out to 500 miles or so, in the winter, the two antennas are approximately equal as a point
of comparison.

In the summer, the horizontal antenna at approximately the same 500 mile distance is
about 8 to 10 dB better.

While this is clearly subjective, the results seem to coincide pretty much with the
reports from others.

Jim, K1PX

K1PX at msn.com