m II wrote:
Doug Smith W9WI wrote:

For the lower frequencies, I'd go with a Beverage. As much wire as
you can afford, run in as straight as line as possible. If you have a
choice as to direction, you want the wire to point towards the
stations you want to hear. (for MW/BCB, I'd look at a heading of 45
degrees, which will favor both the Northeast and Europe)


I thought that perhaps long wire antennas were most sensitive to
stations at right angles to the wire..either side. If that is correct,
Europe would come in best if the antenna was going north and south.

Please correct me if I'm wrong.

OK, you're wronggrin...

As Dale says, the directional characteristics of a longwire antenna vary
considerably with wavelength. However, a longwire antenna also must be
elevated above earth.

A Beverage antenna is close to the ground. Traditionally roughly 2m
(6'), though recently BCB DXers have been having considerable success
with very low Beverages. (mine is 140m long and about a foot off the
ground; some DXers have been laying insulated wire *on the ground*)

Mine is fed with a 9:1 balun (high-impedance side connected to the
antenna), with a ground rod driven at the feedpoint. The far end is
connected to another ground rod, through a 470-ohm resistor.

This antenna - close to the ground and terminated at the far end - has
predictable directivity, favoring the end with the terminating resistor.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com