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Re: Topband: Low Alpha Delta DX-A twin sloper BEST antenna here - howcan

To: <topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: Low Alpha Delta DX-A twin sloper BEST antenna here - howcan that be? A TEST
From: "Mike & Coreen Smith" <ve9aa@nbnet.nb.ca>
Reply-to: Mike & Coreen Smith <ve9aa@nbnet.nb.ca>
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 2009 12:30:55 -0400
List-post: <topband@contesting.com">mailto:topband@contesting.com>
OK, on a lark, I am going to try something.  I just unhooked my A-D twin 
drooper, err, I mean sloper from the
switchbox, then took a chunk of wire and shorted it out @ the PL-259 end at 
the base of the tower.

The SWR on my T-vertical changed dramatically. (for the better).  There must 
have been a lot of interaction, either through the switchbox itself, or just 
proximity??

I'll leave it unhooked for a day or two and see how I make out with no 
reference antenna at all.

I'll be the 30/S9 signal on the band tonight.......(hee hee)

Thanks for all the emails.  If this fails or produces mixed results, I may 
modify the antenna swaitch back to original if I can remember what I did to 
begin with(?) or put a new remote switch in there........or do as a couple 
suggested and mount an inverted VEE up near the top of my tower (44'), 
however that's really a last resort....I don't want a cloud burner.

Another option I guess , is to lay out 100 more radials.  Do-able, but 
wouldn't look forward to it ;-)

Mike VE9AA

Mike, Coreen & Corey Smith
699 Rte 616 Keswick Ridge
NB
Canada
E6L 1T1
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Kenneth D. Grimm, K4XL
  To: Wes Attaway (N5WA)
  Cc: 'Mike & Coreen Smith' ; topband@contesting.com
  Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2009 11:49 AM
  Subject: Re: Topband: Low Alpha Delta DX-A twin sloper BEST antenna here - 
howcan that be?


  Mike,

  The procedure described by Wes below is exactly the approach I would
  take.  If you do this, I'm betting that you are left with #1 below,
  since you said you previously had your antennas over "soggy ground."
  Rocky and soggy are significantly different.
  Good luck with your gremlin chasing.

  73,
  Ken - K4XL

  Wes Attaway (N5WA) wrote:
  > Mike:
  >
  > 1. Maybe the type of rocky ground is the reason.
  > 2. Take down all the other wires and check the L (or T) by itself, still
  > using switchbox.
  > 3. Take out the switchbox and just feed the antenna directly (still by
  > itself, no other wires)
  > 4. If things are still bad then the problem probably has something to do
  > with your location.
  >
  >
  > ------------------ Wes Attaway (N5WA) ------------------
  > 1138 Waters Edge Circle - Shreveport, LA 71106
  >     318-797-4972 (office) - 318-393-3289 (cell)
  >         Computer Consulting and Forensics
  > -------------- EnCase Certified Examiner ---------------
  >
  >
  > -----Original Message-----
  > From: topband-bounces@contesting.com 
[mailto:topband-bounces@contesting.com]
  > On Behalf Of Mike & Coreen Smith
  > Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2009 6:44 AM
  > To: topband@contesting.com
  > Subject: Topband: Low Alpha Delta DX-A twin sloper BEST antenna here -
  > howcan that be?
  >
  > Sorry for the long and rambling post. . . .
  >
  > OK gang, I know antennas "fairly" well, but this has me stumped...really
  > REALLY stumped. I've beat myself up over this for 2 yrs. straight.  I 
just
  > can't get it.  I am (almost) ready to rip everything down and start from
  > scratch)
  >
  > I posed a ~similar~ question last year and have tried some different 
things,
  >
  > but I'm losing my patience with the wire here (hi)
  >
  > BACKGROUND:
  > At my old QTH, I ran an inverted L...5/16thWL and fed with a 800pF cap 
in
  > series.  A dozen to two dozen 1/4wl radials(depending on how many got 
broken
  >
  > in the summer)over soggy ground.  It meandered up 50-ish or so feet with 
the
  >
  > remaining 117' up/down/over/under trees --even the tip sloped back 
towards
  > the ground 20' or more.....and it ROCKED....I mean, I wasn't any VE1ZZ 
or
  > anything but I felt I was upper middle crust of the W1/VE1 pileup.  I 
also
  > had the exact same tower and exact same Alpha Delta DX-A twin sloper up 
(for
  >
  > reference) and it s*cked...really bad.  Easily several S units below
  > anything else on 40-80-160m
  >
  > NOWADAYS:
  > Fast forward to new QTH...same 48' DElhi self supporting tower set in
  > concrete....same 2 long 6m yagis on tower (48/64')....same lil' sloper
  > mounted @ 24' off side of tower....
  > I have tried 2 iterations of a plain inverted L.....currently it's a "T"
  > antenna. Sloping 55' or so up and 2 T's @ 55' or so each sloping @ aprox 
45º
  >
  > to the ground....loads nicely with a few uH @ the base.  Seems quieter 
than
  > the A-D twin.
  > I have tried shunt -and- series feeding my 48' tower (no problem to do).
  > They have all loaded well and I got a good SWR match with a usually 
narrow
  > window 50Kcs maybe of 2.1:1 SWR of which to operate in.  I have 25 or so
  > 1/8wl to 1/4wl radials - 1" below the grass.  Ground is rocky shale? 
sort of
  >
  > stuff.  My QTH is on a nice high ridge and I do quite well on VHF and 
other
  > HF bands.
  >
  > My signal is pitiful on **all** the 160m antennas I've tried....with the
  > exception of the 1/4WL Dx-A twin sloper @ 24' !!! (it's best but it 
barely
  > works)
  >
  > The little/low twin sloper off the side of the towe is ALWAYS the 
loudest on
  >
  > the band....by usually 6dB or more........I know this can't be right.
  >
  > How can this be?  I am using a 4-1 antenna switchbox (Ameritron I think) 
@
  > the base of the tower which the antennas all share.  Many years back I
  > modified it so all antennas "floated" (instead of being grounded) when 
not
  > selected as I was using this as a K8UR sloper system switchbox at one 
time.
  > I am pretty sure (but not 100%) that I even ran a separate chunk of coax
  > right out to an inverted L last fall in desperation.  I do lots of 
antenna
  > experimenting, so it's sometimes hard to remember the 45th iteration of 
a
  > trial I had a couple years ago, hi.
  >
  > I *DO* notice significant SWR curve changes on the lil' wee sloper if I 
make
  >
  > any mods to any of the other "REAL" 160m antennas.
  >
  > I either have interactions in the switchbox, or proximity between 
antennas
  > or something that I am totally missing.  All 160m antennas are quite 
close
  > (less than 20-30' away).
  >
  > Logic tells me there is no way in heck the very low Alpha-Delta DX-A 
twin
  > sloper can __always__ be the best antenna to transmit and receive on. 
YET
  > is is !!?  From what I see on the cluster, web and hear on the air, I 
can
  > hear quite well, but DX stations normally have to be 559-579 before I 
even
  > get a QRZ.....I am currently running ~750W.........
  >
  > I'm cracking up.....too much listening to QRN.......sorry for the long 
post.
  >
  > Thanks for any insight.  I am ready to put a Webster Bandspanner on my
  > mobile and go sit out in the yard and DX.
  > <hi>
  >
  > VE9AA Mike
  >
  > Mike, Coreen & Corey Smith
  > 699 Rte 616 Keswick Ridge
  > NB
  > Canada
  > E6L 1T1
  > _______________________________________________
  > 160 meters is a serious band, it should be treated with respect. - TF4M
  >
  > _______________________________________________
  > 160 meters is a serious band, it should be treated with respect. - TF4M
  > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  >
  >
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11/07/09 02:38:00
  >
  >


  -- 
  Ken K4XL
  k4xl@arrl.net

  *** BoatAnchor Manual Archive ***
  On the web at http://bama.sbc.edu and http://bama.edebris.com
  FTP site info: bama.sbc.edu login: anonymous p/w: youremailadr

  _______________________________________________
  160 meters is a serious band, it should be treated with respect. - TF4M


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_______________________________________________
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