Topband: Comparison of Vertical Arrays for Low Band Receiving

[Jim Brown]

On 1/23/2025 1:43 AM, w5znjoel at gmail.com wrote:
> I don’t want to suggest this is a summary dismissal to using a preamp for a Beverage as there may be times when it could be beneficial, as you note below. I believe we all agree every person’s installation will vary and a preamp may add some benefit, but adding one just because a person “thinks” they need one isn’t a valid reason!!  😊

This is clearly the operative issue, Joel. If we're lucky enough to be 
in a very quiet location, a preamp at the feedpoint of a Beverage, 
especially a short one, could matter. But in my part of the real world, 
with far too many noise sources, it's dancing on the head of a pin. 15 
years ago, I made good use of RX antennas. I could work EU on CW. That's 
ancient history. I had a goal of QRP WAS on Topband, and am down to 
needing WV, SC and VT, all CW. That was ten years ago. Worked WV on 
JT65. Sked with a great station in VT was a bust. The noise has made a 
huge dent in weak signal work. During the last solar minima, I picked up 
a bunch of EU countries on FT8. In the last eight years, I've copied 7 
CW signals from EU, and 2 stations have heard me. With the same antennas 
I had in 2006.

Now, only the full wave Beverages pointing to SA and VK/ZL are useful, 
and they're one solar system away from useless.

73, Jim K9YC