Topband: 160 meter 1/8 wave

[Jim Brown]

On 4/1/2021 6:40 PM, List Mail wrote:
> An inverted-L should give you some better local station performance, which some like to have for Contesting, as well as useful low-angle performance.

This is one of those urban myths with a grain of truth. The greatest 
radiation is from the part of the antenna carrying the greatest current, 
which for the inv-L is at the base. The grain of truth is that if it 
isn't very tall (as a fraction of a quarter-wave), there will be more 
current in more horizontal wire, increasing the high angle radiation.

In general,for ground-mounted vertical with a low feedpoint impedance, 
efficiency is directly related to the ratio of the radiation resistance 
to the effective resistance of the counterpoise, usually radials. And 
radiation resistance is a function of vertical height.

The thing about antennas is that we're all limited by skyhooks, real 
estate, sometimes other constraints like rules of a homeowner's ass'n. I 
have many very tall trees and I can afford to hire climbers to rig 
anything I want, so I have a Tee, about 100 ft.

73, Jim K9YC