Topband: Using 80m 1/4 vertical on 160

[Merv Schweigert]

My current antenna is somewhat what you ask about Mike,
its 70 ft vertical with two top hat wires to resonate at 1830.
the top hat wires slope down to perhaps 20 ft high.

For 80 meters I switch in a matching network of a coil to ground
and a vacuum cap in series with the feed line.  SWR tunes
easy to 1 to 1 on 80.  Modeling the antenna shows a small
improvement over an 80 meter quarter wave, and has proved
to be so in operation.
Caution, there is very high voltage on the feedpoint on 80 meters
and it takes a good vacuum relay to switch the antenna from
160 to the 80 network,  I found a large vacuum relay for very
high voltage on ebay for 5 bucks,  no one else wanted it I guess.

73 Merv K9FD/KH6

> Hello Mike,
>
> There are a couple of guys in IL that have 80M zero-five verticals 
> with a vacuum relay at the top.  The relay switches in a top loading 
> wire to make an inverted L/T antenna for 160M.  They run the control 
> wires down the inside of the tubing.
>
>
> On 6/2/2014 10:09 PM, W0MU Mike Fatchett wrote:
>> Thanks all for the comments.
>>
>> I am putting up a single DXE 80m 1/4 vertical.  I can put out the 
>> proper radials.  I will have to add some longer ones for 160.
>>
>> Now to figure out switching in and out 160 and the matching.
>>
>> Mike W0MU
>>
>> On 6/1/2014 10:49 PM, W0MU Mike Fatchett wrote:
>>> Is this worth trying?
>>>
>>
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>