[TowerTalk] Beverage Questions (Revisited)

Chuck dietz@texas.net
Tue, 04 Jan 2000 07:48:12 -0600



1. I have a NE beverage which is about 14 ft high

Maurizio Panicara wrote: 
> Actually, 14 ft is too high not to lose a part of the beverage benfits due to the antenna response to other > unwanted modes. Lower the height, if possible. Best is between 4 to 8 ft.

Actually the beverage is 12 feet high.  I can go no lower... The cows
love to chew on the blue teflon coating on the wire.

I have used the AEA Analyzer on the beverage and observed that when it
is not terminated there are "dips" to low SWR at 1650 khz and 2330 khz
with the lower freq. being a sharper dip to a lower SWR.  Does this mean
I probably have an odd multiple of a 1/4 wavelength at those freqs?

 5/4 W @ 1650 = 745 ft
 7/4 W @ 2330 = 739 ft

 Perhaps I have about 740 feet out?

Maurizio Panicara wrote: 
> To estimate length, best way is to take advantages from lines properties
> that reproduces (or reverses)terminating impedance, independently by
> characteristic line impedance, at each half wavelength multiple (at each
> quarterwave and odds multiples).
> An open line leads to a certain degree of doubtful results as the infinite
> impedance load is difficult to replicate.
> The best is to short the far end, take away transformer, and measure where
> impedance is minimal or maximal.
> If the analyzer goes enough down in frequency, the first zero dip is half
> wavelenght, the maximum a quarter.
> If the analyzer doesn't go so down in frequency the first zero dip you
> measure will be one wavelenght, or one and a half, or two etc. etc. and same
> apply to maximums read impedances indicating the odd quarters.
> A bit of common sense will help you to say which multiple can be.

How do you short the end of a single wire?  If I short it to ground,
there will still be thousands of ohms of resistance through the ground.

2.  When terminated with about 800 ohms, the SWR comes down to about 1.8
to 1 in the 160 meter band.  Can I fine tune the resistance of the
termination and get this lower?  Does it matter when it is already below
2 to 1?

Maurizio Panicara wrote: 
> No, at this point SWR minimum doesn't matter and the correct procedure is
> not to lower SWR (your transformer could be a wrong ratio) but finding out a
> terminating resistor that flattens the SWR response along the widest
> frequency range.
> Found such terminating resistor, the SWR can be minimized (reasonably)
> changing the tap on the input transformer.
> In your case, since the used 14 ft wire height, hardly it's a 9:1 ratio.
> 

So, I should put the analyzer at the antenna and adjust the transformer
ratio first?  Or try to flatten response by varying the resistance?  The
SWR seems to be lower above and below the 160 meter band.


Thanks again,

Chuck, KZ5MM





I have room for a 300 ft SE beverage.  Would one so short work?

Maurizio Panicara wrote: 
> Not below 80 meters.
> One wavelenght long beverage somehow works and it's better than nothing.

> 73,
> Mauri I4JMY
> 
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Chuck, KZ5MM

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