Topband: Still in search of resonance - Detailed Observations and Calculations

Sat Feb 15 15:13:59 EST 2014

Charlie

FYI. I'm using 60' to 70' of LMR400 from my panel at the base of the needle to the shack. No long runs here.

Carl AG6X

Sent from my iPhone

On Feb 15, 2014, at 9:14 AM, "Charlie Cunningham" <charlie-cunningham at nc.rr.com<mailto:charlie-cunningham at nc.rr.com>> wrote:

Well, here it is with the re-built loss table, Carl

73,
Charlie, K4OTV

From: Charlie Cunningham [mailto:charlie-cunningham at nc.rr.com]
Sent: Saturday, February 15, 2014 11:35 AM
To: 'Carl Braun'; '160'
Subject: RE: Topband: Still in search of resonance - Detailed Observations and Calculations

Hi, Carl

I did a bit of further investigation and work on your problem.

I think you are done, as follows:

1.0          Just tap the Skyneedle at 90' and tune out the series inductive reactance with a variable capacitor, leaving you with 68 ohms real at the bottom of your         drop wire. Great match! VSWR on 50 ohm feed cable of 1.4:1.

2.0          Now, let's  assume you have 250 feet of Belden 8237 (RG-8) feeding the bottom of the drop wire. Losses are as follows:

                Line/Load

                Line type:            Belden 8237 RG8

                Line length          250’

                Frequency          1.8 MHz

                Load SWR            1.4:1

                Power In              100W

                Results:

                Matched Loss:   0.577 dB

                SWR Loss             0.029 dB

                Total Loss            0.606 dB

                Power Out          86.982 W

Note that the excess loss due to the SWR on the cable is 0.029 dB, out of a total loss in 250’ of RG-8 of 0.606 dB

Note the “flat-loss” or “matched loss” of the cable (at 1:1 VSWR) is 0.577 dB.  So there’s no real point in struggling to get to exactly 50 ohms real at the bottom of your drop-wire to recover 0.029 dB of loss in 250’ of cable!  Your 68 ohms is just fine! Just match tle line at the transmitter end and accept the modest 1.4:1 VSWR at the load end.

As you observed, when tapped at 90’ the tower “heard” very well and you made some contacts with your FT-1000D barefoot.

So, it surely appears that you have a very good, well-matched antenna when you “tap” at 90’ and tune out the series inductance of the gamma match in the normal way using a series capacitor. Just tune for X=0 at th bottom of the drop wire, connect the feedline and match the feedline at the transmitter and enjoy!!

Of course, with a tower that tall, you probably want a “spark gap” and/or a gas-tube at the feed-point and sopme sortof static bleed to defend agains static charge and lightning!

GL!

Have fun!

73.

Charlie, K4OTV

-----Original Message-----
From: Topband [mailto:topband-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Carl Braun
Sent: Friday, February 14, 2014 6:15 PM
To: '160'
Subject: Topband: Still in search of resonance

List

Some of you may have followed my efforts in trying to shunt feed my 90' Tri-Ex Skyneedle with 20 meter yagi at 93'.  I'm still unable to find any sort of resonance point on the tower.  To refresh everyone's memory here are the specifics:

90' Skyneedle that is 12" round at the base and 4" round at the top

13' of mast out the top

5 element Telrex 20M monobander mounted at the 93' level.  No other antennas on the tower

1 ½" copper pipe as a radial ring that surrounds the concrete base that measures 4' x 8' rectangle.  Three  8' ground rods are connected to the radial ring via 1" copper strap that is .125 thick.

Currently I have 27 14AWG insulated wire radials.  Most of the radials are 20' to 50' long with three at 90 to 120' long and four of them connected to my 40M vertical array which have 100 count radials 50' to 100' each.

The tower is grounded to each ground rod via 1" copper strap .125" thick and, as mentioned above, the ground rods are connected to the radial ring with the same strap with copper clad stainless screws.

When I bolted the gamma arm to the tower at the 90' height I dropped a single 14AWG wire to the ground where my FLUKE meter read ZERO ohms between the radial ring and the end of the gamma wire with no fluctuations so I'm confident that I have good continuity throughout the tower.

Here are the readings that I saw on the MFJ analyzer with the gamma arm mounted at the (4) points on the tower that are available...

With the gamma arm mounted at 90' and 36" spacing I saw 425 ohms at the end of the drop wire on the MFJ

With the gamma arm mounted at 67' and 36" spacing I saw 380 ohms at the end of the drop wire on the MFJ

With the gamma arm mounted at 46' and 36" spacing I saw 240 ohms at the end of the drop wire on the MFJ

With the gamma arm mounted at 28' and 36" spacing I saw 120 ohms at the end of the drop wire on the MFJ

At all of these points I was able to knock down the R with my honkin' 1050pf cap to some resonance sort of resonance at 1.825 MHz but, as most everyone has indicated, I should be able to find a 50 ohm tap somewhere on the tower.  I can't find it.

When I had the gamma arm mounted at the 90' level. I was able to put my baby variable 160pf inline to bring the 425 ohm impedance down to about 60 ohms and the antenna heard very well; especially on the 1700 KHz broadcast band, with a 2.4:1 Vswr.  Similar results could be seen at the other levels too as long as I brought the R down with a variable cap.  Yesterday, with the gamma arm at the 46' level (and 240 ohms on the MFJ) I was able to put the big variable inline to bring the reading to 24 ohms with a TRUE X=0.  With a 22 ohm to 50 ohm UNUN, I saw 1.3:1 Vswr on the output of the UNUN.  I worked a W2 in NJ and a W4 in Florida with just the 1000D.  BUT...again...I'm bringing the R down with the capacitor...not finding 50 ohms anywhere on the tower.

Is my radial field so poor that I'm seeing these goofy readings?

Is the single 14AWG too thin causing goofy readings?

I'm back to scratching my head.

Comments from the list?

Carl AG6X

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