[TowerTalk] Take-Off Angles: N6BV's Book "All the right Angles"

[Jeff Maass]

In the discussion of choosing optimum take-off angles, I didn't see 
anyone mention R. Dean Straw N6BV's book "All The Right 
Angles", which discusses the subject in *excruciating* detail.

It was published by LTA in 1993. It's in loose-leaf format with 
approximately 550 pages and a floppy containing data files.
As I recall from when I bought mine, it was pretty pricey, around 
$45 - $55 with the optional diskette. 

A quick search on the web didn't turn up any references to it, 
so it may be out of print now. 

In the introduction, Dean summarizes the objectives of the book:

1. What transmitting and receiving takeoff angles are needed
     to achieve coverage to the most populous DX locations, from 
     particular QTHs around the world?

2. How do the takeoff elevation angles change with the time of year, 
    and with the state of the Sunspot Cycle? Are different antennas
    needed during low sunspot periods as opposed to high sunspot 
    periods?

3. How should antennas be designed and constructed in order 
    to achieve the desired coverage of elevation angles?

4. Given a choice, what types of location is the best for amateur 
    radio DXing and Contesting?

5. How should one plan a contest or DX strategy? What band 
    should one be on, at what time?

Much of the book discusses the results of computer modeling and
propagation programs, correlated with actual, real-world contest
logs. Many, many charts and tables generated from IONCAP.

73,
Jeff Maass       jmaass@columbus.rr.com     Located near Columbus Ohio
         USPSA # L-1192       NROI/CRO    Amateur Radio K8ND
    Maass' IPSC Resources Page:  http://home.columbus.rr.com/jmaass


--
FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/FAQ/towertalk
Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-towertalk@contesting.com