"Rick (W-A-one-R-K-T)" wrote in message
news

I just put up an inverted V that is up about 70 feet in the center and
about 15 feet at the ends. Each leg is about 130 feet long, or about 260
feet overall, which is right around a half wave for 160 meters. It is fed
with ladder line and an LDG auto-tuner.

I also have a dipole antenna that's up about 17 feet and is a half wave
for certain MARS / CAP frequencies above the 75 meter band, hence it's a
bit short for 75 meters. That antenna is coax fed and goes through a
different LDG auto-tuner which allows me to use it on 75/80 meters with a
good match.

The long and high inverted V doesn't work any better than the short and
low dipole, and in some cases doesn't work as well.

I have checked all the connections on the inverted V and even did a
continuity check from each side of the ladder line, up through the feed
point, out each leg to the end of each leg, and all seems OK.

I have tried switching auto-tuners (taking the one that's on the coax-fed
dipole and putting it on the inverted V) with no discernible difference.

Seems very strange. Any ideas that might account for why the V doesn't
work better?


It could depend on where the stations are you are trying to work. If they
are closer than about 200 to 300 miles on 75 meters then the lower antenna
probably will work beter. It is low to the ground and it tends to shoot the
signal up so it bounces down and covers the local area. The other antenna
will tend to send the signal out to more distance places. I have not done
the math for the angle of the higher antenna, but seems that it might too
steep. It should not be any less than about 120 deg where the wires come
together. It could also be the directions the stations are from you.

I have an off center fed antenna up about 50 feet that is about 130 feet
long and another dipole cut for 80 meters that is about 20 feet up. Most of
the locals are much stronger on the lower antenna.
I put it up because I like to talk to a couple of stations that are less
than 100 miles away.