[Elecraft] Don't be shy--go ahead and ask! (OK, here's one about antennas)

[Max Moon]

I've got a question or two about putting up an antenna in a very difficult,
maybe impossible, location. I want to put up a wire antenna so I can get on
80, or even 80 & 160. (I've got a roof-mounted vertical for 40-10M.) The
problem is that we've got a very small lot and what with neighbors,
powerlines, sidewalks, etc., there's nowhere to put it except IN our one &
only tree...

The tree is about 40 ft tall but of course all the top-most branches are too
small to support a wire, the same with the ends of branches around the
circumference of the tree. I'd guess the useable height is 30-32 ft and
useable diameter is maybe 25-30 ft. The tree's center is only about 30ft
from the 2nd floor shack.

I can imagine 3 possibilities. (Other designs don't seem possible or
useful--for example, an inverted-L (over the top of the tree & down the
opposite side) would be only 50-60ft long & isn't that too short to be
useful on 80, not to mention 160?)

1. Run a longwire over to the tree and then spiral it down (or up, if that
would be more effective) like Christmas lights. I suppose I could wrap at
least 150ft of wire if each loop was 3-4 ft from the next. Think of it as a
very large coil.

2. Make a "wire cage" like the Antenna Book shows on page 6-10, Fig. 19-D.
This would be much larger though, I suppose 6 or 8 vertical elements, each
one would be about 20 ft & the overall diameter of the cage 25-30ft. This
design could easily use 300ft of wire & with extra vertical elements, more.
However, I'd have to use an 8-ft rod for the ground as there isn't any way
to put down radials.

3. Put up a civilian-style AS-2259 NVIS cloudburner, running coax over to
the top of the tree & then, from both braid & center, have 25 & 38 ft
elements drooping downwards (although the 4 elements would be parallel more
than pyramid-shaped).

These may be goofy ideas but I haven't found anything in my ARRL books to
give me a direction to follow. Normal antennas run between things, not in
them or around them. Even if I knew how to model antennas, I don't know if
it's possible to model, say, Christmas tree lights without any bulbs!! Also,
it might be that the nearness of leaves & branches will make it impossible
to get on the air (obviously,  I'd have to use durable, well-insulated wire
to protect against abrasion from branches, moisture shorts, etc.).
Basically, I know I'll have to make big compromises to get on even 80, but
if I could have an antenna that gets one watt out of the five out into the
ether, heck, I'd have the world at my doorstep!

My questions:
--Do any of these ideas seem useable?
--Am I missing a better alternative?
--Would the best antenna design possibility for this situation be even
better with one specific type of ATU (as in, What's the best way to match a
K2 to a giant wire cage that's up in the maple tree in your front yard?)?

Thanks for putting some creative energy into this!
72/73,
Max, k0max
PS: It isn't possible to put up a tower in place of the tree and stay
married. Even UHF is a better idea than the chainsaw <g>