Topband: experiments with a short beverage

[Greg Chartrand]

  *  250 feet of insulated wire strung out in 030 degrees direction toward EU, pretty straight, varying in height from 4 to 6 feet, running through thick brush with no metal objects or artificial elements along the run.

This is a bit high for a beverage.
  *  9:1 transformer at feed point with ground rod

The transformer is critical. a binocular transformer with the primary and secondary insulated from each other is really important. Also the ground for the coax side should not share the same ground as the wire ground, the primary must stay independent with only the transformer coupling to the beverage.
  *  300 feet of coax, mix of RG-8, MMR-400 to get to the edge of the woods from the house

OK
  *  No terminating resistor
Absolutely a no-no.  Your "beverage" is actually working as a 1/2 wave end fed wire, particularly up as high as you have it.  Terminate, terminate, terminate!!! -----------You might be better off dropping the wire to the ground as a bog, 250' is close to optimum for it; something to try....?
Greg---------------------Greg Chartrand - W7MYRichland, WA.