[50mhz] Polarization

Thu, 4 Sep 2003 13:11:57 -0600

K2ZD/B is running 20 watts to a 5/8-wave antenna, according to the beacon
resource mentioned in my last post. Without anything stated to the contrary, I
would normally assume a 5/8-wave antenna on 6M is vertically polarized, which
fits your antenna observations pretty good.

After looking through this list, though, I'll have to modify my assertion that
"most" beacons operate into a vertically-polarized antenna. Looks like that
isn't true. The kinds of antennas used are all over the lot, with polarization
about 50-50 between vertical and horizontal.

Bill / W5WVO

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bill VanAlstyne" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: 04 September, 2003 1:01 PM
Subject: Re: [50mhz] Polarization

> I asked that same question of some local guys a few months back, as I have a
> Radio Schlock Discone also, which I painstakingly tweaked up to resonate at
> 50.125. It is vertically polarized. Thank heavens I now have a real antenna on
> this band! <g> But I did manage to work 85 grids with it, amazingly enough.
>
> Basically, this antenna is practically a dummy-load at 50 MHz (base-loaded
> radiator is less than 1/4 wavelength), so the fact that it outperforms the
halo
> on a beacon means either a) there is something wrong with the halo or its
> installation, or b) you are listening to the beacon via ground wave (rather
than
> atmospheric propagation) and you are cross-polarized with it when using the
> horizontally-polarized halo.
>
> Sporadic-E and other modes of atmospheric propagation twist polarization all
> over the place, so it's usually not a factor in these cases. But ground waves
> tend to maintain their polarization as long as they don't spend too much time
in
> proximity to things (the earth, mountains, buildings, etc.) that twist them
up.
> That's why polarization distortion on ground wave tends to increase with
> distance.
>
> Most 6M beacons use omnidirectional vertical antennas, though some do use
> horizontally polarized loops, dipoles, or even yagis.
>
> A good resource for 6M beacons is at http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/50.htm
> (G3USF's Worldwide List Of 50MHz Beacons). This resource will tell you, in
many
> cases, what kind of antenna the beacon is running and how much power.
>
> Bill / W5WVO
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Marvin L. Jones" <[email protected]>
> To: "RJ Mattson" <[email protected]>
> Cc: <[email protected]>
> Sent: 04 September, 2003 10:27 AM
> Subject: Re: [50mhz] Polarization
>
>
> > On Thu, 4 Sep 2003, RJ Mattson wrote:
> >
> > >I am comparing a Saturn 6 halo with a Radio Shack Discone
> > > antenna on a distant 6m beacon (K2ZD/B).
> > >The discone wins easily at the same height.
> > >Could this be because of polarization?
> > >Is a discone vertically polarized?
> >
> > For what values of "distant"?
> > Yep.
> > Yep.
> > Dunno about the beacon's polarization at this time.
> >
> > 73
> > Jonesy
> > Moderator: Ray Brown, KB0STN
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> Moderator: Ray Brown, KB0STN
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