[TowerTalk] 80 meter wire 4 square suspended from a tower

[cqtestk4xs at aol.com]

A big thank you to all the guys who responded to my original post on this topic around two weeks ago.  This is my first foray into the  land of the 4 squares and the comments were especially helpful.


A BIG thank you also goes out to two antenna gurus who went beyond the ordinary in their assistance....Jim, WA3FET and Hank K7HP.  Both these guys spent a long time with me modelling and offering advice to me about the proposed setup.


My setup should work OK.  I can expect F/B to be degraded somewhat, down to around 17 or 18 dB F/B, but gain will be minimally impacted, down only .1 or .2 dB. 

These numbers are those I can live with.  The other thing to be considered is the lowering of the angle of radiation due to the extremely high drop off which should help performance.  Although this is hard to quantify, it will be a useful factor in signal strength since everything from KH6 is long haul...closest significant land is 2500 miles away.


In any case, a compromise antenna is better than no antenna.  Back to yard staples and wire.


FYI, I found a great deal on staples on ebay.   1000 for around $46 including shipping.  6 inches long and very thick gauge and I'm  100% happy with them.  The company is called sandbaggy.


Thanks for all the help.  Without a doubt the TT is the best reflector around!


Bill K4XS/KH7XS