"Elden Fenison" wrote in message
...
First off, let me say I've very green when it comes to the technical
end
of antennas. Most of the conversation in this group is way too deep
for
me.

I am moving into an apartment that is on the top floor of a
two-story
building. My deck is not only facing a large undeveloped area... but
there is a large tree that is only about arm's-length off my deck.
This
tree is probably a good 100ft tall.

What I'm after here is HF antenna ideas. I am familiar with the idea
of
an end-fed (more or less horizontal) longwire antenna used in
conjunction with something like an AH4 tuner. One of the problems
here... if I shoot a wire up in this tree... it will be vertical.
Another problem... because I'm on the second floor, there is no
ground
connection readily available.

I could have a vertical multi-band HF antenna on a short mast on my
deck. But I'm thinking it might be advantageous to make use of this
big
tree right next to my deck.

I would appreciate any ideas. Thanks in advance.

--
-=Elden=-
http://www.moondog.org
=======================================

Elden,

Go vertical or steeply sloping. Better all-round multi-band
performance than lower horizontal long wire, specially DX at the lower
frequencies. Don't worry about the wire getting mixed up with the
tree. Just avoid direct contact with foliage. Use plastic insulated
wire. No need to bother with loading coils which will spoil the
multi-band properties. Use a tuner at the lower end of the wire near
to the transmitter. A modest ground system will suffice. Make use of
2 or 3 spaced connections to the domestic plumbing system. If possible
run a wire down the outside wall of the building to a few radials. A
single ground rod at the bottom end will be practically useless.
Disconnect the rod and you will notice no difference. You could
consider lengthening the vertical antenna by taking the wire sideways
or sloping downwards from the top for an excellent 1/4-wave or
0.3-wave, inverted-L performance on 160m.
----
Reg, G4FGQ.