[Elecraft] [K3] Poor man's beverage and diversity

[Vic K2VCO]

My 160-meter transmitting antenna is a 'T' -- an 88-foot dipole with open-wire feeders 
tied together and fed against some elevated radials running around the eaves of my house. 
The vertical part is about 40 feet (12.2m) high.

I have always had the problem that this antenna picks up a huge amount of noise of all 
types. But I live on a lot that's about 50' x 120' in the middle of a city and there's 
very little room for additional antennas.

A few minutes before the start of the ARRL 160m contest I decided to try something I'd 
heard about. I took about 180 feet (55m) of wire and laid it on the ground from my shack, 
across the backyard, around the back of my garage and all the way down the edge of the 
driveway.

It turned out to be an excellent 160m receiving antenna! I expected that signals would be 
very weak, but they were almost as strong as on the transmitting antenna. My antenna 
analyzer showed an SWR of about 2.5:1. And, most important, the s/n ratio was much, much 
better.

I connected it to the AUX input of the sub-receiver and activated diversity mode with a 
(very) long hold of the SUB button. I went to the CONFIG menu and set for SUB AF = BALANCE 
so that the sub's AF gain control would act as a balance control between the two receivers.

This works great! I can hear signals get stronger in one ear when they QSB in the other. 
And for signals which come in better on one antenna than the other, I just turn the 
balance control.

Even if you don't have a subreceiver, you should try the "poor man's beverage" (no, I 
don't mean wine in cardboard boxes) receiving antenna. Although the directivity is sort of 
arbitrary, the noise is way down compared to a vertical.

The contest will still be going tonight. Try it, there is no antenna that is easier to 
install!
-- 
73,
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco