[Elecraft] [OT] hy tower 53' vertical info

[Don Wilhelm]

Mike,

I did not see any on-list responses to your question.

You are a ragchewer, and that usually means you will be working locals 
as well as distant stations (1 to 1500 miles), so you may not want a 
vertical antenna at all.

A vertical antenna (any of them) typically have a low angle radiation 
pattern, so for close-in contacts you may have difficulty with a 
vertical - a dipole is much better.  You may find the vertical better 
than a dipole for contacts greater than 400 miles away on 60 or 40 
meters, and for those greater than 800 miles on 20 and up.

To obtain good efficiency with a vertical antenna, you will need an 
extensive radial field - I would recommend 64 buried radials each about 
the same length as the radiating element.  Also for good efficiency, you 
should use a remote antenna tuner at the base of the antenna, or you 
could feed it with open wire line properly supported and put the tuner 
in the shack.  The efficiency of an untuned vertical depends on a good 
set of radials in the ground.  Those who believe a vertical antenna does 
not require much horizontal space are quite mistaken unless the vertical 
element is an electrical half wave at the frequency of interest - 
verticals require good radial systems.

Here in the North Carolina Piedmont, the soil conductivity is not great, 
so any verticals that I put up will either use elevated radials (should 
be resonant if I feed with coax) or I must put down a LOT of buried 
radials for efficiency.

There is no "magic" about the 43 foot vertical (or any other 
non-resonant length).  Look at it as half of the W3RNL (L B Cebik - SK) 
favorite backyard antennas - the 88 foot dipole.  That length was chosen 
because it was an OK length for 80 meters, and did not break up into 
lobes up through 20 meters.  A 44 (or 43) foot vertical with 43 or 44 
foot radials will be similar, only the horizontal and vertical planes 
will be reversed. - it will work on 80 meters (and 160 with proper 
loading) even though with reduced efficiency, and will not have high 
angle lobes on 20 meters and below.  If you want to work 40 meters 
through 10 meters with low angle radiation, then cut the length to 22 feet.

Bottom line, you probably will not have good results with your 1 to 1500 
mile goal with a vertical antenna of any kind, you will be much better 
off with one or more horizontal dipole antennas.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 4/5/2012 10:23 AM, Mike Rodgers wrote:
> Anyone have one of these. I've got a chance to get one for a song.
> I'm interested in how they work  from
> 1-1500 miles stateside
> I'm not opposed to dx but I'm a ragchewer mostly on 6-20&60.
>
> Can contact direct and maybe better since it's off topic.
>
> 73
> Mike R
>
> Play me some fiddle, but no stinkin' violin!
>
> Amateur/Ham Radio KE5GBC
> HF&  Echolink mobile
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