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Re: Topband: Relocation to mountainous area

To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Relocation to mountainous area
From: Floyd Sense <floyd@k8ac.net>
Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2017 14:03:02 -0400
List-post: <mailto:topband@contesting.com>
Hi Mark.  I wonder where specifically you're relocating to.  Three years ago I moved from Harnett County, NC, up here to Ashe county, near West Jefferson.  The soil here is not at all what I expected.  Except for mountain tops, just about everything else is what I've seen described as "clay loam".  It's about the same red color as you're clay soil, but is not as dense and has some other finely crushed rock material in it.  In valleys and pasture areas, it can be many feet deep and it's very moist compared to the soil in the Piedmont area.  We get more rain, and the partial cloud cover means it doesn't get baked dry and hard.  So, I suspect that the conductivity may be higher than you're expecting.  Depending on where you'll be in the mountains, a bigger problem will be the proximity of mountains to the QTH.  I'm down in a hole here with 4,300 to 5,000 foot peaks in most directions limiting the take-off angle.

I just finished installing a Hi-Z three vertical array and thunderstorm QRN has prevented testing it on 160 and 80, but results are good on 40 meters.  I don't have a level spot on my 6 acres, so the array is on a hillside with one vertical 5 feet below the other two.  That may have some negative effect on the array, but it does seem to function as it should, at least on 40.

The arrangement of buildings and driveways here prevents me from erecting my old inverted L on 160, but my inverted vee dipole showed some promise late last season.

73, Floyd - K8AC

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Today's Topics:

    1. Relocation to mountainous area (Mark Lunday)
    2. Re: Relocation to mountainous area (Bob Kupps)


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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2017 02:48:20 +0000
From: Mark Lunday <wd4elg@outlook.com>
To: Topband <Topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Topband: Relocation to mountainous area
Message-ID:
        
<DM5PR06MB35316A4E27CD2375BA56E5CA95860@DM5PR06MB3531.namprd06.prod.outlook.com>
        
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

My current QTH in the Piedmont of Central NC, although not ideal for 
propagation, has some advantages.  I have a 1.4 wave inverted L on 160 plus a 
HiZ four-square receiving array.  These have served me well.  Although I am not 
a big-gun, it is quiet here and I have had my share of DX in the past 7 years.  
Soil is moist clay, terrain flat.

I am preparing to relocate to the western part of NC.  Mountains (well, hills 
compared to Western USA).  I understand the importance of propagation and 
terrain, and I have been following Rich/KY6R and his adventures.  I have also 
looked at HFTA for more info.

My question is this: the soil will be less conductive at my new QTH.  But what 
about the near field reflections and pseudo-brewster angle?  Sure, there's 
nothing I can do about that...just try to put down some radials to minimize 
near-field loss.  But what can I reasonably expect?  What have others 
experienced/attempted and achieved success with?  I am looking to save myself 
some time and frustration by avoiding those approaches which will produce 
less-than-optimum results.

I am thinking elevated radials for the inverted L, due to poor soil conditions. 
 Should I run those at two per band if I want to use the inverted L as 
multi-band?  How should I orient them?  How do I prevent common-mode coming 
back through the remote coupler?

Will the HiZ array be useful?  What if it's not located on perfectly flat 
terrain?

Thanks in advance.

Mark Lunday, WD4ELG
Greensboro, NC  FM06be
wd4elg@arrl.net
http://wd4elg.blogspot.com
SKCC #16439  FISTS #17972





------------------------------

Message: 2
Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2017 02:59:21 +0000 (UTC)
From: Bob Kupps <n6bk@yahoo.com>
To: Mark Lunday <wd4elg@outlook.com>, Topband <Topband@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: Topband: Relocation to mountainous area
Message-ID: <1556941296.1235503.1503197961612@mail.yahoo.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

Hi Mark
Put down as many non resonant ground or elevated radials as you can. You can do 
nothing about the far field pseudo Brewster angle. The Hi Z manual states the 
recommended deviation in element elevation but I suspect it will work OK. 73 ?GL

Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
On Sun, Aug 20, 2017 at 9:51, Mark Lunday<wd4elg@outlook.com> wrote: My current QTH in the Piedmont of Central NC, although not ideal for propagation, has some advantages.? I have a 1.4 wave inverted L on 160 plus a HiZ four-square receiving array.? These have served me well.? Although I am not a big-gun, it is quiet here and I have had my share of DX in the past 7 years.? Soil is moist clay, terrain flat.

I am preparing to relocate to the western part of NC.? Mountains (well, hills 
compared to Western USA).? I understand the importance of propagation and 
terrain, and I have been following Rich/KY6R and his adventures.? I have also 
looked at HFTA for more info.

My question is this: the soil will be less conductive at my new QTH.? But what 
about the near field reflections and pseudo-brewster angle?? Sure, there's 
nothing I can do about that...just try to put down some radials to minimize 
near-field loss.? But what can I reasonably expect?? What have others 
experienced/attempted and achieved success with?? I am looking to save myself 
some time and frustration by avoiding those approaches which will produce 
less-than-optimum results.

I am thinking elevated radials for the inverted L, due to poor soil 
conditions.? Should I run those at two per band if I want to use the inverted L 
as multi-band?? How should I orient them?? How do I prevent common-mode coming 
back through the remote coupler?

Will the HiZ array be useful?? What if it's not located on perfectly flat 
terrain?

Thanks in advance.

Mark Lunday, WD4ELG
Greensboro, NC? FM06be
wd4elg@arrl.net
http://wd4elg.blogspot.com
SKCC #16439? FISTS #17972



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