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[VHFcontesting] 6m Take off angles?

To: vhfcontesting@contesting.com
Subject: [VHFcontesting] 6m Take off angles?
From: <k2kw-8@adelphia.net>
Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 13:06:07 -0700
List-post: <mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Hi All,

I just did some reading in the archives, though I couldn't find anything that 
addressed my question:

What are the important take off angles for Es, F2 etc?  

I am in the planning stage of putting up my 6m antenna.  It will likely be a 
single 50' boom antenna, and likely go at the 40-60' level.  I guess my main 
target will be DXing at the top of the cycle, though I will surely get on for 
the summer Es season.  If I have the ability, I would put up a 2nd small boom 
yagi on the other tower, but right now that's not likely.

I'm comfortable with how take off angles work in HF, but clueless on 6m take 
off angles.  I hear people talking about antennas for high and low angles, but 
I don't know what "high and low angles" are.  What's confusing in the archives, 
is that people use a 2 stack at the 20' & 40' levels for high angle, yet the 
stack eliminates the upper lobes, so you mainly get a single lobe.

I would like to put up a stack, but I don't think that's in the cards, or the 
bottom antenna would be fixed (might be useful when targeting EU for example)

In running HFTA, the difference that I'm looking at is where the first null 
hits, and is what is a useful take off angle?  The lower height has a broader 
first lobe, and a null in the ~13-14 deegree take off angle range based on my 
terrain.  The higher antenna has more gain at lower angles, but the first null 
is in the 7-9 degree take off range.

My assumption is to have a lower antenna with a broader take off angle, but I 
don't want to throw away low angle gain if I don't have to.

Any thoughts?

Many thanks, Kenny K2KW/8 (now living in SW Ohio)

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