>I'm curious how many
>of the guys who have responded have ever built and/or used a 1/2 wave
>vertical,,, other than me.....
I did. I use it every time I'm on 40m.
> First of all a 1/2 wave vertical is a voltage fed
>antenna therefore it doesn't want/need or like a radial system.
If it had zero current flowing into the base, no power would be radiated :-)
I'll have to check again to make sure, but I'm pretty sure disconnecting the
ground wire on my 60 foot tall vertical on 40m doesn't change the SWR enough
to require retuning but does knock a noticeable amount off the signals.
I've tested it a number of times by accident because I can unplug my
matching networks from the ground system for easier mowing around the base.
It's just a little less signal coming in, but it is a reduction. The
antenna does not "dislike" a radial system at all.
>To 'sort-of' answer AA5JG's original question I will go heads up against
any
>2 ele 40 meter yagi against a 40 meter 1/2 vertical at the 100w power
level.
>It has been my '''on-the-air''' experience the 1/2 wave vertical will beat
>the 2 el yagi 90% of the time, working DX."
So you're saying that when you switch between your vertical and your two
element yagi, you more often get through the pileup on your vertical? Or
are you saying you're beating other guys who you know have two element
yagis? Because buying a two element yagi and putting on top of a tower
doesn't necessarily mean someone's a good DXer.
I like my half wave 40m vertical. I beat a lot of guys in pileups and I'm
sure some are running high power and beams. I got through to VU7RG on the
first day of their operation on 40m. I got the first contact, period, with
the VP6DX operation, also on 40m. 40m is one of my better bands for working
new or cool DX.
Doesn't mean my antenna holds a candle to a couple elements at a half wave
high or more. None of it means I'm the loudest guy on 40m from W3 by any
stretch of the imagination.
I'll go head to head with anyone too, because I like to work DX and I'm not
about to sit around and wait for everyone who can put up a yagi to get
through. But that doesn't mean I'd pick the vertical over the yagi on
purely technical grounds without some serious testing or good new
information from someone who did some serious testing, side by side, of a
good 2 element yagi with no serious deficiencies at a reasonable height and
a half wave vertical.
For many people, a vertical is a more reasonable, practical solution to
working DX on 40 than a yagi is. But decibels are decibels, and I want hard
data if I'm gonna believe any vertical over regular dirt out-radiates a high
yagi.
73
Dan
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