>Hello to all,
>I am going to fly a Wire Vertical for 160 meters. The wire will be held up
>with
>the use of a Balloon. - AA2MF
Rich:
I have flown balloon verticals for 160M since 1992. I have tried 1/4, 1/2
and 5/8 lengths - and now settled on the 1/4 wave. 1/4 wave is a reasonable
length to fly a balloon, the antenna SWR is low when fed directly with 50
ohm coax (this confirms everything is working OK - the SWR changes as the
balloon blows around) and with 16 or more radials is an effective radiator.
1/2 wave offers potential gain and independence from the ground system. The
downside is you have to match the high impedance of the 1/2 wave vertical -
and can lose significant power in the matching system or your feedline. I
use my 1/4 wave 160M b.v. on 75M as a 1/2 wave, and it is a challenge to
match it efficiently. A 5/8 wire vertical is getting pretty long - and
static buildup can occur. I sometimes get a static shock from the 1/4 wave
wire vertical on dry cold nights. A 3/8 wave offers gain over 1/4 and would
be easier to match and fly.
- Jon N0JK
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