[TowerTalk] Flagpoles as a Stealth Antenna

[K7GCO@aol.com]

In a message dated 12/21/00 3:47:02 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
alsopb@gloryroad.net writes:

<< OK so one succeeds in not making the neighbors suspicious in erecting
 the vertical radiator portion.
 
 Now how does one explain the process of putting down all those wire
 radials? It never occurred to me that you also need stealth radials --
 or at least put them down stealthfully.  2AM with miner's cap?
 
 Don't forget radials have to be part of the solution.
 
 73 de Brian/K3KO

He covered up #26 wire with tar.  In one installation I know of there was a 
tin metal roof covered with tar.  Another used a metal housing vent of some 
kind that went below the roof.  Another ran an insulated wire that matched 
the color of the building wall to the copper pipe lawn watering system.  He 
was a Mt Climber and went down the side of the wall on ropes securing and 
hiding the wire--with a Miner Cap.  Another used a rain gutter.  After a 
certain length a vertical's ground doesn't have to be resonant.  Non-resonant 
ground affects can be compensated for in a trap vertical on each band.  When 
you mount a 1/4 wave on the ground or a flat roof you need radials in all 
directions for 360 degree coverage.  However the higher you get a vertical 
and the possibility of vertical or near vertical radials, the fewer you need 
and only 1 is needed for resonance.  It approaches a vertical center fed 
antenna.  If you can run the feedline mostly horizontal for at least 1/4 wave 
only 1 radial is needed/band and it works great.  Chimney mounts are great.  
Big TV antennas make great top loading--use your imagination.  There have 
been some great vertical installations on roofs with no Stealth needed.  Some 
buildings already have flag poles slightly altered--some kind of a funny 
looking Gamma.  Someone could do a whole book on these installations.  A 
Mobile Screw Driver antenna is a great roof/chiminey antenna.  Would you 
believe that the ripple of Old Glory in the wind made a signal sound somewhat 
like DX? K7GCO
 
 K7GCO@aol.com wrote:
 > 
 > I In a message dated Wed, 20 Dec 2000 10:25:18 AM Eastern Standard Time,
 >  Richard Throne <rthorne@tcac.net> writes:
 >   << Hello Group:
 >  A friend mentioned and idea for a stealth antenna that got me to
 >  thinking.
 > 
 >  Anyone out there using a flagpole as a vertical?  If so is it
 >  metal/fiberglass?  How do you feed it.
 > 
 >  Looking for multi band ideas, say 10 through 40.
 > 
 >  Thanks in advance.
 >  73,
 >   Richard Thorne
 >  ARS N5ZC (ex KA2DSY, N2BHP, WB5M)
 >  Remote Control Airplanes:  AMA# 657062
 >  http://www.tcac.net/~rthorne/
 >    >>
 > Flag pole verticals were a necessity at certain locations like on top of
 > Apartments with restrictions.  The Hy Gain trap verticals were stuck inside
 > of 2" PVC.  It kept it real clean also.  One guy over did his patriotic
 > actions too far with 3 in a triangle he could phase and it began to look
 > fishy.  I was looking at an unused 65' tapered flag pole back in Sioux 
Falls,
 > SD that was well built.  There are lots of these around.
 > 
 > In the book "The Death Of Lord Ha Ha", the Stealth vertical concept was 
used
 > during WWII in NY City for the German Short Wave Broadcaster equivalent of
 > Tokyo Rose.  The broadcast supposedly came from Germany.  It was a 1/4 wave
 > inside a wood flag pole installed in NY City Parks by German sympathizers
 > dressed as NY City workers.  The coax ran to a street parking area where a
 > Milk Truck would drop a hose to the pavement.  They were lucky the Health
 > Dept didn't see this.  As I recall they had a couple of these on different
 > frequencies along with some other antennas on the water front like a water
 > tower.
 > 
 > They would introduce static audio to make it sound like a normal SW
 > broadcast.  However monitoring stations in NY and England noticed signal
 > differences such that something was wrong with normal signal strengths and
 > their directions.  In NY the signal was "strong without QSB even with 
static
 > at times?"  He had access to certain information too quickly to be
 > broadcasting from Germany.  They finally wised up, started looking in 
NYCity
 > and found him.  It took awhile and "Bunny Hunt Techniques" in the SW Bands
 > hadn't been developed yet.  Reflections in NYCity were something.  It's 
time
 > to reread this book.  SW listening was really something in the 30's & 40's.
 > The power went off here last week and let me tell you the band noise was
 > really low on battery receivers.
 > 
 > Gamma matching a water tower is a great idea--what a buried ground system.
 > There is a "160M Water Tower" out in the country 1 mile from my new QTH in 
SD
 > and no power lines around.  I was thinking of running a 1 mile Beverage to 
it
 > and gamma match it for a 600 ohm +/- termination.  I think big and long, I
 > have it in Eznec and the Farmers are friendly  K7GCO
  >>

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