[TowerTalk] hf vertical

[D. Scott MacKenzie]

I have one - and it works.  I like the antenna. It works; is low
maintenance; and I do not have any TVI/RFI issues.  It also hides behind the
house and I do not any complaints about people seeing the antenna from the
street.  My soil is essentially non-existent, being mostly rock, so I can't
run a REAL vertical, with 120 minimum radials.  I recently worked an XU7 on
20M running 600 Watts in a pile-up from the east coast.

My completely marginal station:
(1)Icom 756 Pro  - which some feel it is one of the worst rigs on the market
ever;
(2)AL-80A amplifier (It is not an Alpha - so I probably should keep it off
until I get a REAL amplifier);
(3)No perfect beverage antennas as I live in on a small suburban lot;
(4) RG-213 Coax (7/8" hardline should be the minimum that anyone should
tolerate); and
(5) my Gap Titan (previously stated to be little better than a piece of
aluminum foil on a wooden stick).

It may not be the best antenna - in fact several think it is the worst.  The
best band is 40M.  I have worked lots of DX on 40-10M.  80M is not the best.
It is power limited on that band to 400 watts.   It is a compromise antenna.
It is sensitive to coax length - although at the end of the pigtail the SWR
is as flat as advertised (but then so is a dummy load).  Does it work as
well as my TH6 on a 50ft tower when I had plenty of space? - NO.  Does it
work as well as stacked monobanders on a 100 foot tower - NO.  Does it
satisfy a realistic need for a low maintenance multi-band antenna over poor
soil - when I can not run radials - YES.

I am keeping my antenna, even though, according to the "experts", I should
throw my crappy antenna, rig and amplifier in the trash and get REAL
EQUIPMENT, or else get another hobby.....

Hope this helps.

Scott







-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com]On Behalf Of Merlin-7 KI4ILB
Sent: Tuesday, November 22, 2005 7:51 PM
To: TOWERTALK at contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] hf vertical


I am looking for a multi-band vertical

What do you all think of the TITAN DX?

any ideas of the best one?
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