[WSWSS] making the leap

[bruce makas]

I've been active as a DXer and contester on HF for almost 50 years and now
there is no more challenge there for me so I am making the leap into VHF/UHF
and up. I joined the WSWSS at the ARRL Convention in Long Beach. Now I
realize how little I know about VHF/UHF and up. I have several questions and
would appreciate any help from the group.

The QTH is in the mountains of Central Arizona (DM44rk) at an elevation of
7,000 feet with good take-off in all directions. I've got a lot of Rohn 25G
and Rohn 45G material available. The only restrictions on towers in this
area is that they cannot be over 100 feet in height. I want to do 2 meter
EME and VHF/UHF DXing. For EME I have pretty much settled on a 4 yagi
antenna array on about 50 feet of self-supporting R45 right next to the
house so that the feedline is as short as possible. My plan is to use a Down
East Transverter with an FT1000MP. I have also looked at various antenna
manufacturers and the m2 line appears to have at least one of everything. I
could also make my own later as I start to feel more comfortable that I know
what I am doing.

Questions:

1. Any thoughts on the use of Down East Transverters? Or M2 antennas?

2. I have heard that the height above ground for VHF/UHF antennas is not as
critical as on HF. Is this true? Is a 50 foot height above ground adequate
for 2 meter, 70 cm, 902 Mhz, 23 cm non-EME DX work? Is higher better? What
is a good height above ground?

3. If so, which antennas can I put on the same mast and how do I calculate
the vertical spacing between the yagis? Any frequency combinations to watch
out for? On HF we, as a rule of thumb, put the lowest frequency antenna on
the bottom and worked our way up; is this also appropriate for VHF/UHF?

4. Or, I could erect several additional towers. What kind of horizontal
distance should I have between the towers to avoid interaction? Obviously
the trade-off is the length of the feed line; they would be further from the
shack.

Lastly, are there any resources (books, web sites, etc) that I can use so
that I am not asking all of these questions of the group?

Thanks in advance, I am looking forward to the challenge of these bands.

73, Bruce K1MY/7 and K7XZ
Overgaard, AZ