[AMRadio] 160 meter antenna

[Bill Fizette]

Jim,

Have been reading the mail with much interest on your 160 M antenna question, and there are a lot of very good answers.  For what it is worth, and just for information, I will pass on my experience with the 160M antenna here.

I had the same problem of space, as well as inability to install a suitable ground system for a vertical, and was advised to put up a 200 ft dipole, fed with open wire and tuned with one of the widely available transmatches.  Works out to a 3/8 WL on 160.  I found, using an MFJ high-pass T-match, that it tuned up just fine, and I have no problem with making area contacts.  The antenna tunes the other bands as well, BTW, and I use it on 80 and 40 also.  I used an MFJ antenna analyzer to run through the bands and get the settings.

Mine is up about 35-40 ft. The ground slopes, and the thing goes up and down with ice loading and wind in the trees, and I'm not sure how high it is on a given day...but it works.

Good luck, and tell us what you did and how it works out.

73,  Bill  w2dgb
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jim Miller WB5OXQ in Waco 
  To: Discussion of AM Radio in the Amateur Service 
  Sent: Sunday, January 11, 2009 11:28 PM
  Subject: [AMRadio] 160 meter antenna


  I always wanted to try am on 160 but like most do not have enough room for a full size antenna, so,
  I am considering building a 160 meter antenna at our clubhouse because there is a 80' tower there and over an acre of land to spread out a 1/2 wave dipole.  Question is;
  1 Is a 1/2 wave wire dipole the best antenna for the band considering there is room for it.
  2 Is 80' high enough for the center of the inverted V?
  3 How high do the ends need to be off of the ground?
  4 Should I feed it with coax or ladder line to the 10' level (or other) then a balun to coax to the tuner (coax is the only acceptable line into the shack)?  The shack is a metal building 30X60' and directly below the tower.  There is no way to get ladder line to the operating position since all cables have to run through a 3" conduit for at least 30'.

  The tower is a free standing commercial tower made of 4 20' sections bolted together with a 2 meter and a 440mhz antenna at the top, all ham antennas.

  Thanks for any advice.  Jim wb5oxq


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