[Antennas] DO beverages have to be straight?

Thu, 3 Oct 2002 20:24:19 -0700

Actually, the answer from practical experience is:
No, it does not have to be straight. The majority of the length does have to be straight
but not perfect. We've been adding a J hook on the ends at times to gain a little more
signal off the MW stations in New Zealand.

Nor do you have to have 3 wavelengths. The typical Grayland DXpedition (MW and SW)
puts out about 1000 feet of wire in a NW beverage to Japan/India
700 feet of wire W to Papua New Guinea/E Indonesia
and 900 feet of wire SW to Australia.
All of these are limited by the ocean at one end, and neighbors at the other.
None of these lengths are even close to 1 wavelength at 550kHz-1600kHz, but they are
very effective for picking up 400 Watt stations down under (and several far less than this).
(when the stations fade in they can be S9+ even at 400 Watts at the transmitter, and the
beacons are far less)

Experience with beverages in the desert of Oregon yields similar results with 1000 feet of wire.

Best regards
Don Nelson
Oregon

My beverages are supported on green metal (plastic covered) garden stakes with the wire attached via wire ties. No the metal in the
stakes has no negative effects. Nor does crossing the wires within 4-6 inches.

----- Original Message -----
From: "FireBrick" <[email protected]>
To: "Antenna List" <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 4:42 AM
Subject: [Antennas] DO beverages have to be straight?

Purely an academic question as my lot is small and only have room for a 12'
beverage.
My question is do beverages HAVE to be straight? Could you run a wire from
the shack to the lot line and take a turn?
Would the direction of reception be determined by the heading of the wire
with the most length or would it be a combination of the various headings
the wire took?

-----------------------------------------------------
Have tree, will climb - just as all my ancestors did.
-----------------------------------------------------

Bill H. in Chicagoland
[email protected]
www.billnjudy.com
http://files.billnjudy.com

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