[TowerTalk] 80 mts four square or yagi?

Jim Brown jim at audiosystemsgroup.com
Mon Mar 9 16:53:41 EDT 2015


On Mon,3/9/2015 12:28 PM, Stan Stockton wrote:
> As has been discussed a 4 Square is hard to beat for simplicity, maintenance and quick direction switching.

On the first day of this thread, I posted a link to a study I've done on 
the effects of ground quality and the effects of mounting height on 
vertical and horizontal antennas. I STRONGLY urge those saying that one 
or the other is always better to study it. Nothing could be farther from 
the truth.

http://k9yc.com/VertOrHorizontal-Slides.pdf

I've given this presentation to three ham clubs, and each time, I've 
gotten praise from those who know antennas. The performance of ANY 
vertical antenna is STRONGLY affected by ground quality AND its 
counterpoise/radial system, while the performance of a horizontal 
antenna is NOT. The primary determinants of the performance of a 
horizontal antenna are HEIGHT and TERRAIN.

There is no single answer to Jorge's question. Over poor ground, a high 
dipole will outperform a 4-square with a great ground system. Over a 
very good ground, the 4-square will be a winner.

My QTH has lousy ground, so the only band where verticals are better is 
160M, and that's because the highest I could put the dipole is 135 ft (a 
quarter wave, which is LOW for a dipole).

73, Jim K9YC




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