Topband: Steady Carrier on 80 CW -BTW

[Tom W8JI]

> My resolution is not as good as some people here, either. But where 
> there's
> a will, there's often a way.  :-)

Many of the headings are misleading. Having been through this before several 
times, much of the data is always grossly overstated.It is common to 
exaggerate ability to determine direction.

It's almost impossible to obtain several degree direction accuracy without 
either a rotatable loop with GOOD common mode rejection (some popular loop 
antennas can have a ~20 degree or more skew between what are supposed to be 
180 degree apart nulls, because they have poor feed designs) or an 
interferometer of normal receiving antennas.

An 8-circle array in a very clear location with proper hardware design and 
good element spacing can get within about 20 degrees.

Single long Beverages in an array of 8 antennas maybe within 30-35 degrees.

Broadside Beverages with wide spacing (~5/8th or wider) within about 20 
degrees.

A three direction array only within about 60 degrees or so, if in a clear 
spot and properly constructed.

An interferometer with a few wavelengths spacing within a few degrees.

A calibrated rotatable small loop without common mode skewing and in the 
clear, which is actually a pretty rare case, can be within a few degrees.

My eight direction 350 ft diameter 8 circle, located out in a field 1500 
feet or so from any re-radiators, can only resolve within +-22 degrees with 
good reliability. When I use it as part of a calibrated interferometer 
against Beverage arrays spaced ~1000 feet away, I can resolve the 
directional difference between two signals 50 miles apart in New England.

When you draw the lines, be sure to allow for resolution of the antennas, 
and not the absolute numbers.