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Re: Topband: Some experiments with a short beverage, not succeeding very

To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Re: Topband: Some experiments with a short beverage, not succeeding very well
From: "John Harden, D.M.D." <jhdmd@bellsouth.net>
Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2020 16:05:56 -0400
List-post: <mailto:topband@contesting.com>
I have never had any luck with short beverages, EWE's, FLAGS, low dipoles, etc. Total waste of time.

In 2010 I went to the Hi-Z 3, then the Hi-Z 4, and finally the Hi-Z 8. I hear stuff I have never heard before..

Since then I added a Waller FLAG on a 34 ft boom at 95 feet...

Best moves I ever made..

73,

John, W4NU

On 6/30/2020 3:04 PM, Brad Rehm wrote:
Mark,

I didn't see any mention of a preamp.  Signals from a good Beverage are
typically 20-30 dB below what you'd hear from a dipole or a vertical.
Everything else you've done looks good.  Keep it up!

73,
Brad  KV5V
Salado, Texas

On Tue, Jun 30, 2020 at 1:57 PM Mark Lunday <wd4elg@outlook.com> wrote:

"Beverages just want to work" is what I have heard.

Not having much luck with that here.  I suspect operator/installation
error.

I did a lot of reading and I must be doing something wrong.



   *   250 feet of insulated wire strung out in 030 degrees direction
toward EU, pretty straight, varying in height from 4 to 6 feet, running
through thick brush with no metal objects or artificial elements along the
run.
   *   9:1 transformer at feed point with ground rod
   *   300 feet of coax, mix of RG-8, MMR-400 to get to the edge of the
woods from the house
   *   No terminating resistor

On bands 160-40, the signals are very weak. I am monitoring WSPR, FT8.   I
can hear signals on 160-40 but they are way down compared to dipoles and
inverted L on the same bands. Like 20-30 db down. From what I read, I
should NOT need an HF pre-amplifier, right?

Signals on 30 and 20 seem to be better and I can copy some DX from EU on
FT8.

I will try installing a new ground rod, the old one is 10 years old and
perhaps not making a good ground connection at the feedpoint.   The
transformer is brand new, so that's not an issue.  The coax has tested out
fine.  Soil is central North Carolina clay, a bit dry at this time.

I am guessing performance is poor on 160-40 because of the short length
and that it's bi-directional (no terminating resistor), which I am seeing
on 30 meters. But I did not think it would be THIS bad on 160-40....

Mark Lunday, WD4ELG
Greensboro, NC  FM06be
wd4elg@arrl.net<mailto:wd4elg@arrl.net>
http://wd4elg.blogspot.com
SKCC #16439  FISTS #17972  QRP ARCI #16497

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