[Elecraft] Sloping Terrain vs Feedline Losses

[Jim Brown]

On Fri,7/15/2016 12:16 PM, brian wrote:
> It might be more interesting to discuss something like $/db to get to 
> closer to optimum.  Going from low dipole to a higher one might cost 
> zero to a couple hundred and gain 3 db at about $10-$100/db. 


You will find exactly that analysis here.

http://k9yc.com/VertOrHorizontal-Slides.pdf

Also, several changes of a dB or two add up. Anyone who's ever tried to 
make QSOs over a difficult path in a contest can tell you that as little 
as 2dB can be the difference between making the QSO and the other 
station CQing in your face.. Years ago, our NCCC resident statistician, 
N6ZFO, even managed to assign a percentage increase in Sweepstakes 
scores to a dB. In my station, I've worked to squeeze every dB out if 
that I can -- everything from antenna height to a better feedline to 
more accurately reading TX power (I use N8LP's power meter, which allows 
me to get right to the limit, whether it's 1.5kW or 5W).

73, Jim K9YC