As I was looking through past issues of NCJ,I ran across an article
written by Bill Platano,KC5NWW.He had erected a 1/4 wave wire vertical
suspended by a helium balloon.He had a tripod that elevated the base of the
vertical about 20 ft off of the ground.From the base of the vertical he had 4
radials also a 1/4 wave long.From reading the article,the radials I believe
were terminated at the other end with stakes in the ground.He indicated that
there was no tuning network at the base of the vertical.
I am thinking about trying one of these antennas for upcoming contests
and would like to know other opinions on a couple of questions I have about
this setup.Can this antenna be tuned like one would tune a dipole?Do I need a
matching network to really get it to resonate on the frequency I wish to
operate?Does it need to be 20 feet off of the ground to be effective,or could
it be 10 feet off of the ground.Should the radials be taken to the ground as in
the article, or can they be at the same level as the base of the vertical and
suspended in some manner (i.e. hang from a tree).Does the height of the radials
affect the tuning of the antenna?Would I be able to run legal limit through
this setup? I am aware that this is a temporary antenna setup,but I would like
to get the most out of it for the short time that it will be in use.At present
I am using an Inv. L for 160 mtrs.It doesnt hear a whole lot of DX.Would this
vertical be more effective in this respect?Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bob-WT9Q
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