[Elecraft] HF Verticals?

[Stuart Rohre]

Steve and the group, be careful in trying to compare ANY vertical to a
dipole.

They are really for differing applications.  The dipole at 30 feet high,
will work more close in stations locals, and short hop, say on 40m.   On the
bands 20m and up it will be good for DX in the two directions a dipole works
broadside to the wire.  It will be of limited utility at 30 feet for 80m,
even if long enough there.

The vertical is an omnidirectional antenna.  If there is DX in any
direction, it should hear and work it, as it favors low take off angles if
its vertical dimension is a substantial fraction of a half wave or quarter
wave at the band in use.   IF a quarter wave type, it HAS to have SOMETHING
to replace the other missing half of the antenna.  The near half wave
verticals can do that, without added radials, or ground screen in near field
below.  The quarter wave must have help be it radials, elevated or ground,
or a plane or screen.

The vertical is mainly a low angle radiator, but can under conditions all
the time work close in stations but perhaps without as strong a signal as a
horizontal.  That is because the horizontal wastes some signal in terms of
DX working with overhead radiation, but that same overhead lobe, is what
gives high angle ability to reach close in stations with good signals.  The
vertical has little radiation off its end, if of the classic type, much as
the dipole has little radiation off its end.  In the case of the vertical,
you lose ONLY the overhead direction, while the dipole loses two directions
off the ends.

The real answer is you need both a dipole and a vertical for a good
combination of high angle capability for in state, or close state work, and
low band work, and the vertical for DX.   The vertical, if a good one, is
the cheapest DX antenna other than a very large Vee Beam, or Horizontal
Loop, which few have the real estate to put up save perhaps for 10m.  Those
need to be 2 waves at least, and that would be 64 feet at 10m, doable on a
city lot, but barely.  If you must have low profile, a vertical behind the
privacy fence and behind the house, will have lowest profile from the
street, unless you have enough trees to hide a horizontal or loop.  Don't
give up on having an inverted Vee, if you still need stealth antennas.  I
know a ham who hung one within a large tree he had in back yard, and it was
with such smaller wire and insulators that it was not seen from outside his
yard, but worked well on the lower bands where Inv. Vees are commonly used.
Insulators for those can be small pvc pipe couplings, or sections, or small
vitamin plastic bottles.

If you could only have one antenna, and it most be low profile, I would
first go with a vertical.  IF you could get a horizontal up half wave high,
then that would be my first choice.  At 30 feet, I would go with the
vertical.  A 30 foot vertical will give a good account of itself on 40m and
up, if made for all those bands.
73, Stuart K5KVH