[TowerTalk] horizontally polarized antennas and salt water

[Alan Zack]

I'm not sure about the salt in the water.  Maybe it does help.
When I was based in Alaska I put a simple 4BTV vert with a 80M 
resonator on top (guess that made it a 5BTV) into the ground behind 
the Quesont hut I used for a ham shack.  Behind the quesont hut was a 
big area of what they call Muskeg.  Best way to describe it is a sub 
arctic swamp.  It was quite common in the Tongass Forest and they used 
wooden sidewalks to cross over it, like you see when you visit the 
area around Old Faithful in Yellowstone Nat Park.  I think I used only 
a 6 or 8 ft piece of pipe that easily went into the ground, no radials 
at all.  It really got out, much better than any dipole or inverted V 
I experimented with.  I wasn't there long enough (one year) to put up 
a tower and beam.  I held schedules with the Lower 48 plus with a CG 
Icebreaker in Antarctica no problem, plus won one ARRL DX Contest for 
best KL7 score.  Many EU stations said I was their first KL7 contact, 
so it did get out good.  That soft, mushy ground area was quite large, 
and I'm sure supplied a excellent ground plane for the simple 4BTV vert.

Stephen Reichlyn wrote:

> 
> Gentlemen and Ladies of Towertalk:
> 
> Anecdotal comments about antennas and their performance by the sea are 
> many and sundry. I wonder if
> those who have experience with this phenomena can comments on the 
> following points:
> 
> We have all read that vertical antennas work especially well on (or 
> near) the beach. I have first hand experience
> with this and certainly agree that this is the case. I often wondered 
> whether radials (even simple 2 wire systems)
> are really needed next to salt water.
> 
> 1.The ultimate question is 'what effect does the salt water have on 
> horizontally polarized HF antennas, if qny'?
> 
> 2. Do you think that tidal changes (for instance +/- 6 feet) in the near 
> field have an effect on angle of radiation
> of horizontally polarized antennas, such as yagis.
> 
> 3. How far away from the ocean (in miles) do you think the near field 
> salt water effect disappears?
> 
> 4. Or do you think that salt water near field has NO effect on 
> horizontally polarized antennas?
> 
> 73,
> Steve AA4V
> 
> Stephen Reichlyn
> Ryan Scientific, Inc.
> CALL toll-free in North America
> 888-884-4911
> 843-884-4911 ext 302
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> www.ryansci.com
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> 

-- 
__________________________________________________________________________ 

Alan Zack
Amateur Radio Station K7ACZ
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Quality Engineer, The Boeing Company, Retired
Aviation Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Coast Guard, Retired
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