[TowerTalk] WARC antennas

[George T. Daughters]

On 20 Jul 00, at 11:02, Tom Rauch wrote:

> I heard they used Windom antennas on some bands! 
> 
> If they did, why on earth did they use an antenna that was 
> frequency and location/installation critical for performance?
> 
> I would have thought they would have used a dipole at each station 
> rather than something that is hyper-sensitive to external influences!

The answer, I think, is that they wanted to work on 40 AND 80, and 
they wanted a "level playing field" so that the competitors would 
have equal hardware.  Remember, they set up 53 (yes, 53) essentially 
identical antenna setups (all mountain/ridge tops) in Slovenia so 
that the best OPERATORS would win, not the operators with the best 
antennas.  And if it were I who had to set up the antennas, I'd 
rather set up 53 Windoms than 106 dipoles.

It's interesting to note that the guys whos won in 1996 in the SF Bay 
Area (tribander plus dipole on 40... no 80) are the same guys who won 
in Slovenia!  

It's also interesting to note that the guys who were at my piddling 
station in 1996 and finished in the middle of the pack finished 7th 
in Slovenia.  That's a hint of how weak my antenna system was then.  
It's a bit better now, but I'm still radiator-challenged on 80!

73,

George T. Daughters, K6GT

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