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Re: [TowerTalk] K9YC vertical dipole test....

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] K9YC vertical dipole test....
From: Jim Brown <jim@audiosystemsgroup.com>
Reply-to: jim@audiosystemsgroup.com
Date: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 05:02:12 -0800
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
On 11/15/2013 4:19 AM, Peter FORBES wrote:
My question related to just how effective measuring vertically polarised
signals at approximately zero elevation angle is with regard to DXing on
80mx and 40mx.

Given the choice, most would opt for an elevated vertical.  However on 80mx
and to a lesser extent on 40mx a ground mounted antenna on good ground can
be an effective DX antenna.

All of which is why I published the full vertical elevation plots for each modeled condition. :)

Note also that, taking wavelength into account, it's rather impractical for most of us to elevate a vertical antenna for 80 or 160 enough to develop nulls in the vertical pattern. The benefits of elevating radials for the lower bands is well known, so I'd make an educated guess that elevating antennas for 80 and 160 would produce good results if it could be done. Thanks to my trees, I could probably get an 80M vertical quarter wave and radials up in the air enough to improve performance over a ground-mounted vertical. But I've got horizontal dipoles for 80 and 40M up 110-120 ft at right angles, and they play awfully well. And I just added a reflector to one of them to help with EU.

As to measurements -- Dan correctly observes that our terrain is quite irregular, nowhere close to flat. But we were able to make these measurements ONLY because we had convenient supports from which we could hoist the test dipole -- a support rope strung between redwoods that also holds W6GJB's 80M dipole. And that support rope wasn't free -- Glen paid tree climbers to put the pulleys there, those guys cost > $600/day, and it took two days of work. I don't know anyone with the financial resources to make the helicopter measurements you've suggested. We're just a couple of retired old farts living on our savings.

73, Jim K9YC
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