[Ham-Mac] New House Ground

[Chuck Counselman]

At 7:44 PM -0700 12/18/03, Brian Short wrote:
>Personally, on 80m, I like a half sloper or sloping vertical....
>The best antenna I have ever tried was a 5/8 vertical supported
>by a balloon and with elevated radials.

Having just written that a horizontal balanced doublet is best, I 
feel compelled to defend my opinion.

First I'll concede that 5/8 vertical with elevated radials is an 
excellent antenna for transmitting.  However, (1) few of us can erect 
a tower that tall; and (2) I've used balloons but they are 
impractical for long-term use.

Moreover, (3) if you could support a horizontal balanced doublet 5/8 
wavelength above ground, it'd radiate even better at low elevation 
angles than the vertical would; and (4) for _receiving_, an antenna 
which is both horizontal and balanced beats a vertical, because the 
_noise_ field is predominantly vertically polarized.

A sloping antenna has azimuthal directivity, which can be good or bad 
depending on whether you want to work stations in one direction or in 
all directions.  However, because it is (1) not horizontal and (2) 
not balanced with respect to ground, it is a noisier receiving 
antenna than a horizontal balanced doublet.

AFAIK, the only exception to the rule that horizontal balanced 
antennas receive better is the Beverage antenna, which can't be beat 
for 160 meters.  Its superiority for 80 m is less clear.

For 160 m, a vertical with a good ground system works well for 
transmitting.  On 80 m and even more strongly for higher-frequency 
bands, a horizontal balanced antenna at the same height beats a 
vertical antenna for both transmitting and receiving.

-Chuck, W1HIS