[TowerTalk] 40m solutions

Peter Dougherty w2irt at comcast.net
Mon Sep 11 14:45:50 EDT 2006


Hi again.

Thanks to all who've replied off-list re my grounding questions.

Now, I have another situation that's providing me with more questions 
than answers. I need to correct a bad miscalculation that I made when 
planning my antenna system, and frankly money is now getting somewhat tight.

What's up now is an LM-470 tower with 10' of Aluminum mast. At about 
2' above the thrust bearing is a C31XR, then at the top is a WARC 
Yagi, (2-2-1 from Force 12, 7' boom). I figured that will give me 
everything I need for 10-30, and so far it's lived up to expectations.

However, I badly miscalculated on how critical a band 40 is. I have 
an Evans 40-80-160 wire configured as an Inverted Vee, apex at the 
65' mark off the tower. It plays OK on 80 but it's a black hole on 
40. With 1500W, I typically need 20 or 30 calls to get anything in 
eastern Europe, Russia, etc. Only way to work VK/ZL is to be there 
when nobody else is. I can't break any pile on 40, and I'm getting 
slaughtered every year in CQWW once the sun goes down, and until 80 
opens up. Not just that, but I kill everything in the house with RFI 
(even with ferrites!) on 40 - I'm clean everywhere else.

I need to get something done before CQWW, but frankly I don't know 
which way I should go. I was thinking a BigIR vertical, but I suspect 
QRN will be a problem. Wires just don't cut it from here, as the last 
year has proven conclusively. This is a 1/4 acre suburban lot, and 
the variance I have only allows one tower.

I have a budget of no more than $1500 including installation for 
this. Do I have any hope of a solution?



Cheers,

Peter,
W2IRT 




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