Topband: Low band antenna project questions

[Gary Smith]

Gary,

Though our conditions are different, I also have a top height of 
somewhere around 50-60'. I don't know exactly, I run a sloper over 
the top of the tallest tree I can find from my radial plate. I'm at 
the edge of a marsh and every hurricane takes down trees and I need 
to get them up over what is left. The only tuner I have is in the k3 
and I pretty much use that only to make the radio happy with the 
input of the amplifier. Half my radials are on the marsh and the 
other 1/2 are in the woods.

Unlike your situation, I have a lot of excessively long radials about 
130' each. I also have a 350' run of coax to the remote switchbox. I 
have the 129' long 160M sloper, an 80M Inv-L, 40M vert wire, 30M Vert 
wire and a butternut in the middle of the radial plate that I use for 
20 only. Right before the radial plate is the distal end of an 
Ameritron RC5-8V coax switch.

I don't need any tuner to have a good match on all of the HF bands 
with this:

160M = Sloper
80M = 80M vert
40M = 40M vert
30M = 30M vert
20M - Butternut
17M = 80M vert
15M = 40M vert
12M = 80M vert & 160 Sloper
10M = 160M Sloper

You've gotten some great advice on specifically what to do from 
others, I am including this less specific info to try to demonstrate 
how it's worth experimenting with the info you've been given and you 
will surely find something that works well with your 50' height 
limit.

73,

Gary
KA1J