On Sat, 2 Apr 2011 16:31:10 -0400, "Maude Herr-Chodt"
wrote:

The last 15 feet of each leg then makes a 90 degree bend and
is fastened to the fence top at five feet above ground.

Hi Maude,

Cut off the last 15 feet (4M?) of each leg. Keep your antenna away
from ground - your tuner will make up the difference anyway. You are
already using a tuner, aren't you?

The antenna in its current configuration seems to put out a good signal,
about what one would expect for an antenna at this height. I have been
thinking about adding a 40 foot self-supporting fiberglass pole at the
center of the back yard fence. This would allow me to lengthen each leg by
about 22 feet, and the two legs could be connected to an insulator mounted
on the flagpole. In this configuration the ends of the legs would be
elevated to an height of 40 feet. I could also remove the insulator, and by
joining the two ends I would have a loop antenna with total length of about
194 feet.

Do it and report back. It satisfies keeping the antenna high. You
have alternatives (short, don't short), and it adds variability for
other considerations.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC