[Elecraft] Any benefits to a Long "Long Wire"

[Stuart Rohre]

George,
Yes, any single wire is incomplete as an antenna without a counterpoise.
You need to make it look like a dipole, so the counterpoise does that.
As the wire gets longer, or the bands go up, the thing will be too
directional off one end, unless that is the ONLY direction you want to talk.
I had a 400 foot long wire in 9M2 land and it pointed the wrong way and I
hardly could work anyone, not knowing what I now know about single wires,
which I consider the least desirable antenna, barely up from a dummy load.

Yes, a single wire can work, with proper RF ground (counterpoise or
radials,) but you get more for that amount of wire making it into a square
loop, or a vee beam if you only wanted two directions.  A single wire is a
convenience antenna when you have not supports for anything better.  I would
actually try a sloper dipole over a single wire, for the advantage of being
independent of local RF earth character.

A 100 foot wire will actually radiate out to the sides better than the
longer wire which tends to concentrate the radiation.  (Look up the Beverage
antenna which functions in a similar manner).

Iron ore does not make a good RF ground, you need copper wire and best
performance is a resonant counterpoise on your lowest band of use.

A high Iron ore concentration area west of El Paso TX was known as an RF
dead spot when I lived out there.
72,
Stuart K5KVH