[VHFcontesting] Attenuation from polarity mismatch (Re: C6AFP Six Meter Beacon

[Buddy Morgan]

 A few years ago, I heard this person, on 144.200. He sounded like a FM repeater type. Like the guy Mike worked, he was about 25 miles. He was running about 50 watts. I was running 100 watts, on my Omni eFactor horizontal loop. He was having trouble hearing me. So, I put my yagi on him and turned on my legal limit amp. He now could hear well enough to understand what I was saying. He was disappointed in SSB. FM worked a lot better. Seems that he was using a Japanese vertical, that had a 4:1 SWR, on 144.200. I told him that a horizontal antenna, that was resonant, at the low end of the band would make a huge difference. He didn't think it would make any difference. Further into the conversation, I found that he did not have the preamp, on his radio, turned on. He said that wouldn't make any difference, either. I told him, I had to go.

Buddy WB4OMG 
EL 98

 

 



Here's a non-scientific antidote to all this.  A local ham ~25 miles
away tried to tell me there was no way we could work each other on SSB
since his antenna was horizontal and all I had at the time was a GP-9
vertical.  I said ... try ... it was not a problem.   I even had him
turn his yagi the other direction ... he could still hear me.  not as
well of course but could hear me.  I think that he must have scratched
his head for a month over this.

he too had fallen prey to tales from the spin doctor crypt.

-- 
Mike Urich KA5CVH
http://ka5cvh.com
PIO Harris County ARES
STX: (A)PIC Dist 1 & 14

100 watts and a wire.

"If serving is below you
Leadership is beyond you"
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