On Sat, 27 Sep 2003 00:28:36 GMT, mike wrote:

After reading http://www.cebik.com/fdim/fdim8.html and coming to the
conclusion I may never get my random wire up high enough for any real
DX, I am looking to sloper and TTFD. I can install either of these
facing eastward toward Europe quite easily with a top height of 30
feet or better.

I can barely get my random wire 3 feet off the ground. Unless I run it
off the roof like a sloper.

When it comes to wire antennas the sloper works pretty well.
I've run a pair of half wave, center fed slopers on 75 (W2AU balun).
They are identical antennas so naturally they tune differently....
(Surrounding objects) The upper ends are close to 90 feet and the
angles are close to 45 degrees. A half sloper would take ... about
half the space, or about 45 feet and it sounds as if that is within
your requirements.

I have one To the NE for Europe and one to the SW, although the one to
the SW is coming down. BTW, into Europe I usually show about 2
S-units difference between the two antennas. It does vary, but the
least I've seen has been one S-unit.

4 nights ago I worked EA3JE in Barcelona (after the sun was up
there...bout 0600Z) on 3.791 with 5/8 reports in both directions.
A half hour earlier he was something like 20 over 9.

Noise reduction is right up there with signal strength on my priority
list. My house has a metal roof I am thinking anything up above them
might help sheild the antennas from household noise.

Metal roofs may not be the best unless the sheets are bonded and
grounded...then again like any noise generator; they may not bother at
all. I have very little problem with noise except for an electric
fence about a 1/4 mile to the SW and another about a half mile to the
East. Most of the time, at least on the lower frequencies
atmospherics (QRN) is far stronger than most anything else.

Now I'm working to either put up a couple of half slopers on 160, a
fan dipole, and inverted L or shunt feed the tower


Any thoughts about one antenna over the other?

You really need to give a bit more information, but for me, I prefer
the sloper, or half sloper...IF you have the room and the height...A
lot depends on which band(s). Done right the tower can act as a
reflector for a "little" bit of gain.

Roger Halstead (K8RI EN73 & ARRL Life Member)
www.rogerhalstead.com
N833R World's oldest Debonair? (S# CD-2)


mike