Proximity to earth is going to present some interesting tuning problems for
you, but if you're feeding with a tuner anyway, you should be able to get
past them.

Still, if I had my druthers, I'd prefer to see the capacity hat well above
the physical ground.

73,
Mike KI6PR
El Rancho R.F., CA

"The Eternal Squire" wrote
Hi all,

My wife wants to put up a birdfeeder and I want to put up a hidden
antenna.
My landlords allow
only the former but seem to be winking at the latter as long as I can
assure
them that it is absolutely
visible, temporary, and a hazard to no one. I also have friendly
neighbors
with patios on either
side of my patio, and I have thier permission to mount the far side of a
wire on thier balconies.
The balconies are spaced about 20-30 feet apart.

I also have access to the ground outside so that I can mount a discreet
dowel row from the dirt to perhaps a few feet above my balcony, using a
clamp on the balcony to keep it steady on the top side.

My intention is to put the birdfeeder on a dowel rod which I have wound
with
#30 white wire and spraypainted with white paint. The dowel rod would
be
15-20 feet tall, so a helical for 10-80
meters might make a lot of sense.

Here's the big question: how badly would it hurt the helical's
performance
to install it "upside down"? I would have a far easier time putting the
capacity hat on the dirt side and hiding the hat with sand, and then
mounting a 5-15 foot counter poise between balconies.

Thanks in advance,

The Eternal Squire


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