[CW] Re: Re: GB> CW Use on Bands - Results So Far

[Fred Adsit]

I really have to say, having lived in Florida (Colony Cove, on Manatee R.,
nr Ellenton & Jct. US301 & I-70), that using 80 and usually 40 is a
nightmare due to static. Worse, an aluminum 2M vertical would not even
last at our HQ building - lightning literally and repeatedly melted it
completely, and destroyed the ham station in that building, and ruined
mine in my manufactured home, several times. Great grounds. No matter.
Just a nightmare.

Low-slung antennas worked best and survived best for short-haul on 80, but
there was precious little activity. Trap dipoles strung about 20 ft off
the ground seemed to abound in the Ellenton/ Palmetto/ Bradenton /Sarasota
area. Some trap verticals with extensive ground planes would last for a
while, but got most of their use on 20 thru 10, not on 80 and 40 except on
very quiet days, and they worked just fine if things were quiet.

Debates about this are useless. Personal long-term experience is what
counts, and copying thru lightning static was just about impossible on a
typical day, from the experience of myself and other retirees living in
that region. We frankly had very few active operators - except for elderly
no-code techs who switched from CB to ham radio. Public service was
important and most of it was on 2M. Excellent facilities were available
and are even better now in that part of Florida. Enough said. If you want
to debate antennas, fine. Advantages of each are well known, and
importance of radials and lightning grounding systems are also well known.
But try operating on 80 there. Go ahead, be my guest. :-) I assume you
know about the origin of the cubical quad? (not an 80/40 ant.either). The
beam at Quito, Ecuador kept losing the ends of its elements. Thus began
the existence of cubical quads. Welcome to the tropics.

When I lived there, I was one of about 2 dozen hams in whole area with a
General Class or higher ticket - I ran a survey of that at the time. My
antennas were brought indoors when not in use, and I left the state for
good before I perfected a big HF vertical that could be hinged and lowered
to lie on the roof of my home when it was not in use, again, to prevent
antenna and eqpt destruction in the Lightning Capital of the US. I had no
room for a low-slung dipole. One guy had one, but he lived on the marina
and had it strung about 10 ft off the ground across several properties.
:-). He was also a loner and did almost no operating. My non-ham neighbor
was killed by lightning at the nearby golf course on a sunny afternoon -
no storm around that anyone knew of. I left. I won't return. They can have
the whole SE. Living up here, snow and all, is SO much easier and safer.
It was an interesting area, but for me, it wore out its welcome, ham
operator or not.

73
Fred Adsit, NY2V