[Elecraft] non-Wire antennas

[Ron D' Eau Claire]

> I ... pulled up an 80 meter dipole (full size) to
> about 50 feet AGL.
>
> The antenna runs
> northeast-southwest, parallel to and about 30 feet from the
> northwest brow of the mountain. From there to the northwest, the
> mountain falls 1,400 feet in about a half mile. To the southeast,
> the mountain is mostly level or falling slowly (I can only see
> about 5 miles southeast).
>
> Two questions:
>
>  a) Do I say ANT IS 80M DIPOLE UP 50 FT or ANT IS 80M DIPOLE UP 1450 FT?
>
> and
>
>  b) What sort of pattern should I expect?
>
> Dan / WG4S / K2 #2456


Pattern you ask? The pattern is likely to be lots of good signal reports
from all over the place <G>.

Actually, a lot of mountaintop operators have reported excellent DX with a
LOW dipole over the edge of a steep escarpment. The ground reflection
produces a large and strong lobe in the opposite direction. For most of us
'flat land' dwellers, that means a lot of gain from a low dipole but it is
straight up! If the antenna can be positioned so the earth is behind it to
one side, that lobe now gets angled down toward the horizon and DX in that
direction.

The ideal height for such 'cloud warmers' (for us flatlanders) or for DX-ing
by the over-the-side cliff dwellers is about 0.2 wavelengths - the same as
the ideal distance in a two-element yagi for maximum 'forward' gain.

In your case, you have the ideal spacing from the earth for 80 meters (60
feet is about 0.25 wavelength) but the slope is a lot more gradual. You
don't have much of the mountain directly "behind" that open view to the
Northwest. Still you should get some benefit from the slope in that
direction.

Gee. Are you using that antenna only on 80? Sounds like it would do a
credible job on 160 and a GREAT job on 40, 30, 20 meters! It should work
VERY well on the higher bands too with lots of gain in certain directions.
Hang some open wire feedline on it, hook up the ATU and start exploring!

Ron AC7AC
K2 # 1289