[Lowfer] Active whip antennas

Bill Ashlock ashlockw at hotmail.com
Tue Dec 21 16:57:27 EST 2010


  "nail at 20 Ft with a wire attached and through a transformer to coax,,,, great idea"

That's one way to do it, Bob, but I see better sensitivity by connecting to a 30 to 50ft wire routed over the top of the tree. This avoids the 'voltage divider' effect in the resistance of the tree trunk.

Bill

> To: lowfer at mailman.qth.net
> Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:15:56 -0500
> From: riese-k3djc at juno.com
> Subject: Re: [Lowfer] Active whip antennas
> 
> thats right you were the tree guy,, nail at 20 Ft with a wire attached
> and through a transformer
> to coax,,,, great idea
> 
> Bob  
> On Sun, 19 Dec 2010 20:59:02 -0500 Bill Ashlock <ashlockw at hotmail.com>
> writes:
> > 
> > Hi Bob,
> > 
> > In every E-probe experiment I have run relating to tall trees, the 
> > tree acts as a large high-resistance conductor through a resistance 
> > of 2K to 5K ohms to ground (the trunk). The E-probe couples nicely 
> > to tree because of its high input resistance but the 2K to 5K 
> > reduces the voltage level of the signal (unless the trunk is sawed 
> > through :)  The tree usually offers more signal voltage than a 3ft 
> > metal rod at near ground levels and you can prove this by touching 
> > the E-probe to the trunk of the tree and see something like a 6db 
> > increase in signal voltage. I'm sure there is some height that the 
> > E-probe can be mounted away from trees that exceeds the E-probe 
> > signal from a tree but that's often academic because it's most often 
> > that we have to accept their presence.
> > 
> > This leads me onto my 'tree antenna' soap box. I seldom use E-probes 
> > because of their IM  problems... even the good ones. Instead I shoot 
> > a line over the top of the tallest tree and pull up a 30 to 50ft 
> > wire. This connects to a 50 to 5 turn transformer (77 ferrite core) 
> > at the base of the tree that has the other end of this winding 
> > connected to a ground stake. A 75 ohm coax connects to the 5 turn 
> > winding and runs from there to the shack (shield isolated from gnd). 
> > This is form of 'long wire' antenna but it's the trees conductivity 
> > that has the most effect over performance. The ground at the base of 
> > the tree also has a large effect on performance since it is located 
> > where the signal is received, not inside the typically noisy shack. 
> > The typical sensitivity of this antenna at 185K is -8db...... which 
> > is plenty for most good communications receivers like the R-75.
> > 
> > Bill
> > 
> > > To: lowfer at mailman.qth.net
> > > Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 19:37:56 -0500
> > > From: riese-k3djc at juno.com
> > > Subject: Re: [Lowfer] Active whip antennas
> >  
> > > Bill
> > > did you measure or see any difference if the probe was in a tree
> > > which would make the support ?
> > > I understand that isnt a good idea but it would be one possibility 
> > for me
> > > 
> > > Bob K3DJC
> > >  
> > > On Sun, 19 Dec 2010 19:32:28 -0500 Bill Ashlock 
> > <ashlockw at hotmail.com>
> > > writes:
> > > > 
> > > >  "I wonder if anyone has tried that experiment at a more open 
> > site, 
> > > > perhaps hauling the antenna up a wooden mast that wasn't a 
> > tree."
> > > > 
> > > > John and all,
> > > > 
> > > > You may remember an experiment quite a few years back where I 
> > set up 
> > > > my E-probe and potable SVM in an open field where trees were at 
> > 
> > > > least 200 ft away. I raised the probe mounted on a insulated 
> > pole in 
> > > > incremental distances and measured the signal output on the SVM 
> > from 
> > > > a constant signal source many miles away. Turned out that the 
> > signal 
> > > > strength was very close to being proportional to the height of 
> > the 
> > > > probe. I was careful to have plenty of coax laying on the ground 
> > at 
> > > > all probe heights so that the capacity of the shield to ground 
> > did 
> > > > not vary in any significant degree and was considered very large 
> > in 
> > > > comparison to the probe's input capacity to gnd.
> > > > 
> > > > Bill
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > 
> > > > > Date: Sun, 19 Dec 2010 18:43:45 -0500
> > > > > From: w1tag at charter.net
> > > > > To: lowfer at mailman.qth.net
> > > > > Subject: Re: [Lowfer] Active whip antennas
> > > > > 
> > > > > > No the output of the preamp will be higher due to the fact 
> > the 
> > > > antenna is
> > > > > > higher up in the air and in the clear compared to being at 
> > > > ground  level
> > > > > > and surrounded by lossy obstructions like vegetation and 
> > trees, 
> > > > plus  being
> > > > > > further away from house wiring and AC noise. I have proved 
> > this 
> > > > myself by
> > > > > > hoisting an active whip up into a high tree branch and 
> > observing 
> > > > the  change
> > > > > > in the signal to noise ratio.
> > > > > 
> > > > > I wonder if anyone has tried that experiment at a more open 
> > site, 
> > > > 
> > > > > perhaps hauling the antenna up a wooden mast that wasn't a 
> > tree.
> > > > > 
> > > > > John A.
> > > > > 
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