Topband: RDF for Transmit 4 Square vs 8 Circle Array

[Dennis]

Chuck

Having used both at a number of stations, I can speak with some 
experience here.

The biggest virtue I have found of an 8 Circle array is the ability to 
put a bothersome
station or noise in a null.  Most of the time, you can hear a station in 
the 4-square beamed
direction as well on the 4-square as on the 8 Circle.  You might even be 
able to put
a bothersome station or noise in a null with the 4-square, but now he 
doesn't hear you either.
The 8 Circle allows you to steer the null and maybe find a spot where 
the SNR is better,
and I've found both as valuable as the direction of maximum gain.

So, yes, you can hear things on an 8 Circle that you might not hear on a 
4-square, but to
me its more a question of nulls (of both other signals and noise) rather 
than a stronger
signal.

Dennis W1UE

On 10/16/2017 2:26 PM, Chuck Dietz wrote:
> I was always told that, if one had a 4 square, there would be no need for a
> receive array. I am finding this to be untrue when looking at the list of
> RDFs. (Receive Directivity Factor) I have snooped through the archives
> reading about RDF.
> Can anyone verify this from actual experience?  Can you actually hear stuff
> on an 8 Circle that can't be heard on the transmit 4 square? I would think
> the difference might be more than marginal with the difference in RDFs of
> 2.48 db.  I'm not sure of the difference in takeoff angles. That could be
> important too.
> As a practical matter, the 8 Circle  is huge and expensive for a single
> band antenna...
>
> Chuck W5PR
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