[TowerTalk] How close does a vertical have to be to

[W4ZW]

I'm oceanfront here on Casey Key Island in the Gulf of Mexico.  I'm
surrounded by water on three sides, the Gulf to the West, the Intracoastal
bay to the East, and the southern tip of then island to the South.  Often I
can be working JA's mobile and as I leave the island and get only 500-800
meters inland, they just almost disappear.  I can do a U-turn and as I come
back onto the island and near the beach they just pop up out of the murk.
Even when I run QRP, especially on 40m (2 elements at 100' ASL) I always get
great signal reports, and the vertical loop on 80M works better than I would
ever have expected.  Our club used to do QRP Field Day from my dock, and
everyone was always amazed at how well the antennas worked.

 

Unfortunately, my normally quiet QTH has experienced an increased noise
level from all those transformers  that got a good thrashing with the double
whammy of the hurricanes.

 

I call this ocean outside Mother Nature's amplifier.

 

 

Jon Hamlet,  W4ZW

 

Casey Key Island, Florida

"A little piece of paradise in the Gulf of Mexico"