[TowerTalk] Slopers, half slopers, (using the tower)

[Tower (K8RI)]

ChetMoore wrote:

>Could you expand a bit on what you mean by good results????  Low SWR???
>Worked well in to africa and Europe, VK and ZL?   If you are doing all of
>that you don't need any more advice.
>  
>
Working well... <:-))   Remember everything is relative.

Low SWR?  I use a line tuner (MFJ 889C), but it's within the range of 
the auto tuner of the Icom 756 Pro.
I can hit it with the full legal limit and the tuner doesn't arc over.
I was hearing a PY2 on CW around dusk and could barely make out an EI on 
SSB a bit later that stations on the East coast were working.  OTOH the 
noise level was close to S-9 yet I was in a QSO with NC, Montana,  and 
the New England area and the weakest station was over S-9.  The skip was 
long but the noise was strong

Now this is referenced to the best antenna (and only antenna) I ever 
used on 160 prior to this was a droopy dipole.  You certainly couldn't 
have called it an inverted V with the center at 40 feet and the ends at 
10.  It was also close to 25 years ago.

Yes, I am hearing *stuff* I never heard before two sunspot cycle lows 
back, but the band is basically a different bad as well.

Now the example in the "ARRL Antenna Handbook," using a bunch of slopers 
around a tower where the unused ones serve as parasitic reflectors looks 
really interesting, but those were center fed.  I'd think the same would 
work with half slopers, but I don't have the room to do that any way.  

Studying the radiation plots it looks like two  oriented on opposite 
sides of the tower should be sufficient and that will still let me use 
the 75 meter half wave slopers. 

I think tomorrow, or rather today now,  would be a good day to take some 
time off the antenna work, go out to the airport and play. for a couple 
hours.  Those who think car gas is expensive should try burning 14 to 15 
gallons of Av Gas per hour. <:-))

73

Roger Halstead (K8RI ARRL Life Member)
Worlds Oldest Debonair (N833R S# CD-2)
www.rogerhalstead.com