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[TowerTalk] Low beam vs. higher dipoles?

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Subject: [TowerTalk] Low beam vs. higher dipoles?
From: aa4lr@radio.org (Bill Coleman AA4LR)
Date: Fri, 9 May 97 10:01:36 -0400
On 5/8/97 10:41 PM, Jeff Shelton at cshelton@pop.erols.com wrote:

>You see, I just moved to a new house, and my situation there will 
>allow me to put dipoles up in trees about 45-55 feet above ground.  I 
>can also put up a modest roof tower, but I will only be able to get a 
>beam up about 25 feet.  

At my last QTH, I had a similar situation. I had a doublet at 45-50 feet, 
and a beam at 35 feet, just 10 feet above my house. At first I had an 
HF4B, later an A3S.

My experience was that the beam was superior to the dipole. It would have 
been a lot better higher up, for sure. The beam's advantage was in the 
directivity. The front to side difference was helpful in knocking out 
interference, too.

At 25 feet, your takeoff angle is going to be high on 20m, but you should 
see some benefit from the beam.

I suggest you put up a multi-band doublet as high as you can (55 feet), 
then work on getting the beam in place. You can always try either 
antenna. With the spots coming, you'll get plenty of opportunity to use 
the beam on 20, 15 and 10 even at 25 feet.

Hey, right now I've worked 80m DX with only a 10 foot high doublet. It 
isn't easy, but it can be done.



Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr@radio.org
Quote: "Not in a thousand years will man ever fly!"
            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901


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