[Elecraft] EH Antenna Patent

[Wallace, Andy]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ron D'Eau Claire [mailto:rondec@easystreet.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 10:47 AM
> To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net
> Subject: RE: [Elecraft] EH Antenna Patent
> 
> 
> For superb low noise on HF, don't overlook on-the-ground or even
> "underground" antennas as well. 

Some local SWLs and I have sometimes gone to a beachfront cottage
for a weekend of DXing. (SWL DX is the kind of thing where you
try to hear low power -- for SWBC -- stations of 10kW or 1kW
at great distance, in languages you don't understand, in DSB-AM
mode. Anyone who thinks this is easy has not tried it. <grin>)

Anyway, the place where we go has a tiny yard but great expanse
of beach rock along the shore, down a small cliff. The guys generally
reel out 1000' or more of insulated wire and lay it on the rocks. 

Now, at high tide, this wire is actually underwater! 1000' of #16 or #14
wire probably has a high enough resistance that the far end not being
sealed from the salt water probably doesn't affect things much. Would
they work better if they were true terminated Beverages 6' off the ground?
Of course! But they DO work.

Not a true Beverage antenna, because it's laying on the ground, and
unterminated, but it does exhibit some Beverage effects on the 
MW broadcast band. They've heard great DX from South America and Europe
on longwave and mediumwave here. And what's interesting is that these
long wires actually do well on shortwave as well -- as Ron says, they
pick up very little noise. 

Other, more hardcore MW DXers go up there with phasing units and phase two
or more wires for truly outstanding DX. The usual receiver is a Drake R-8,
with the R-8B being the best because of the improved sync detector.

Last year, I went up there with my K1 and strung a 75' wire on the lawn
by the cottage, about 6' up and perhaps 20' above the water. I worked
six new countries, including R1ANZ, which I did not know at the time was
Antarctica (Mirnyy Base)! 

So don't discount a ground-level antenna for low freqs, as Ron says!

Andy

PS The lady who owns the cottage views us as eccentric but accepts our
money nevertheless.