Topband: 160M EWE Problems

[Wes Attaway (N5WA)]

It sounds like you have a problem with either the terminating resistor 
or the matching transformer.  Or, there could be a problem with your 
switching if you have more than one EWE.  There is no reason why a EWE 
would behave the way you describe unless it is simply acting as a 
shortened U-shaped length of wire that is possibly coupling to your main 
TX antenna.

On 2015-12-07 16:39, Mark K3MSB wrote:
> Greetings fellow Top Band enthusiasts!
> 
> 
> I'm Mark K3MSB, and I live south of York PA.  This is my first time 
> posting
> to this list.
> 
> 
> I’ve been licensed for 43 years and got on 160M in November 2014, so 
> this
> is the start of my second year.   Why I didn’t get on TB sooner is a
> question I keep asking myself!   I’ve enjoyed the challenge of 80M 
> DXing
> for years, and I find 160M to be an even more challenging band!
> 
> 
> Last year I used an Inverted-L for TX and RX.  The vertical part was 30
> feet high and I used about a dozen ground radials.   I was very pleased
> with its performance and was delighted to be able to work stations in
> Europe.    This year I changed the Inverted-L;  the vertical section is 
> now
> up 50 feet and I’m using about 16 ground radials.
> 
> 
> This year I also decided to put up a separate RX antenna.   I put up an 
> EWE
> oriented towards Europe.  Each leg is 10 feet tall, and the length is 
> 50
> feet.    The terminating resistor should be 1.2K, so I used a 2K
> potentiometer set for the correct resistance.   The preamp is the
> P1-30/20VD from Advance Receiver Research.
> 
> 
> After attempting to use the EWE for a few weeks, I’m convinced the EWE
> doesn’t work.  Obviously, since a lot of people use the EWE,  the 
> antenna
> design must work,  so it’s an installation or usage problem on my end
> that’s the issue.     I hope some of you seasoned 160M men can help me 
> out.
> 
> 
> I have the terminating end supported by a fiberglass mast about 2 feet 
> from
> the end of my house (vinyl siding).  The transformer end is supported 
> by a
> rope to a tree, and the drop to ground on that end is vertical.    The
> terminating end goes to a 4 foot ground rod.   The transformer end goes 
> to
> a 2 foot ground rod (septic line concerns prevent me from going 
> deeper).
> 
> 
> When I turn on the preamp, the noise level rises to the same level as 
> that
> heard with my Inverted-L.  Stations in Europe are sometimes at the same
> signal level, but a lot of times much lower, so that I can hear them 
> better
> on the Inverted-L and not on the EWE.   Stations off the back of the 
> EWE
> sometimes are attenuated, but not all the time.
> 
> 
> I tried adjusting the potentiometer, and that has no effect at all.   I 
> did
> this by running a long patch cable from the headphones jack on the
> transceiver to the area of the terminating resistor.  I tuned in a
> moderately strong station (off the back of the EWE) whose signal level 
> was
> fairly constant, and adjusted the pot while listening to the audio.  No
> change at all.    Granted, the ear is not the best way to do this.
> 
> 
> I have a noise issue here, and I think it’s man-made, but from reports 
> of
> 160M hams in the area, I’m not sure it’s local.   The bandscope on the
> radio shows a ragged saw tooth waveform .  When I switch from the
> Inverted-L to the EWE, the ragged waveform goes away, but I do not see 
> a
> decrease in background noise as I expected.
> 
> 
> My expectation of the EWE is that both signal and noise would go down
> (relative to the Inverted-L), but the preamp would boost the signal 
> higher
> relative to the noise (although the signal level itself on the EWE 
> would be
> less than the Inverted-L).   As mentioned above, the noise level is
> unchanged, and the signal is much more difficult to copy with the EWE.
> 
> 
> It was suggested that I connect the two ground rods with a wire.  I did
> this and it had no effect.
> 
> 
> So, I’m open to any and all suggestions.
> 
> 
> 73 Mark K3MSB
> _________________
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