[Lowfer] Frequency usage question

[John Andrews]

Peter, Mike,

On 11/11/2014 2:04 PM, Peter Barick wrote:

> Beyond that the main thought to keep in mind is a Good ant. system. If using one of Bill's loops that should fly if tuned properly. Else if using a vertical a super good ground field is A Must.

Bill and I both wound up with vertical loop antennas, not because they 
were better than anything else, but because we both had limited open 
space and a lot of trees. An electrically-short vertical antenna 
(Marconi, whatever) at these frequencies needs to be kept away from 
trees and vegetation in general. Bill did quite a bit of experimenting 
with top-loaded verticals at his site, and had very poor results, 
despite what appeared to be a decent ground system. Once he started 
playing with loops, he had success.

But if I had the open space (and less nervous neighbors), I would 
definitely go with a loaded vertical. Considerably greater efficiencies 
are possible than with a backyard loop. And for Part 15, the vertical is 
more defensible for regulatory purposes than a 50x50 foot loop. Less 
counting of angels on heads of pins...

Anyway, go with what you can at your site...start simple, and don't 
over-engineer. More than one station has never made it on the air 
because of an op wanting to get everything right. If you don't succeed, 
you'll learn more from making the improvements than you would otherwise!

John, W1TAG