[Boatanchors] Valiant on 160, Antenna Opinion

[FRED - W4FJF]

Hi,
   Have you ever considered the "inverted L antenna"? a quarter wavelength wire at 160m, fed by coax (50 or 75 ohm, your choice), tree supported (or tower, if you are lucky to have one).  The vertical part is 6' away from the support, and the horizontal part is led out to another support wherever is convenient. You can direct feed the antenna with coax, or use a shunt loading coil at the base, and tap around until you have a match on the preferred frequency. The feedpoint has the center lead from the coax going to the antenna, with the shield going to an 8' ground rod driven directly below the vertical part of the antenna. IMPORTANT: A crow's foot counterpoise (three wire, uninsulated, any gauge) must be used directly underneath the horizontal component with the three wires spaced 3'apart, and bonded directly to the ground rod you bonded the shield of the coax to. If you choose not to shunt feed the antenna, just trim the horizontal part of the wire until you have the antenna resonant where you want it. This antenna usually has a SWR of 1.5:1 or less, depending on your ground conductance, and the presence of metal roofed structures within 100' of the antenna. To lower the antenna's "Q", use #10 wire, or use old scrap coax for the antenna. This will "broadband" the antenna so that you may have 75 to 100 khz of room between the 2:1 SWR points. NOTE: There is no predicting the radiation pattern with this antenna, as it will produce both the horizontal and vertical components of the electromagnetic and electrostatic fields. This antenna is not a dx antenna, usually. It may surprise you occasionally, when the band conditions are really good, but results are dependably good from 300 to 600 miles. This antenna is really useful for hams that do not have the room for a full sized dipole on 160m. You can use a scaled down version for 80/75m, too. A 60's or early 70's handbook will have a description of this antenna, or you may refer to Schrader's "Electronic Communications" handbook if you can find one at your local library. This antenna is easy to build, and takes little room on your property. You can also bend the horizontal part of the antenna around any obstacle, with little effects on the antenna's performance. Good Luck!