Got about 60' for a vertical. Using 160'm, any length close to this better
for 160 (up or down)? Idea is to bottom feed it with an antenna tuner.
Yes, radials will be run. Also, will top loading help or hurt?

On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:53:50 -0500, "rb" wrote:

Got about 60' for a vertical. Using 160'm, any length close to this better
for 160 (up or down)? Idea is to bottom feed it with an antenna tuner.
Yes, radials will be run. Also, will top loading help or hurt?

Leave it planted in the ground with all the radials for lightning
protection. Put a big top hat up there and gamma match it (the line
will probably run the full height). Press key to transmit.

73's
Richard Clark, KB7QHC

"rb" wrote in message
news
Got about 60' for a vertical. Using 160'm, any length close to this
better for 160 (up or down)? Idea is to bottom feed it with an antenna
tuner. Yes, radials will be run. Also, will top loading help or hurt?




add a top hat to it to help make it more efficient, that will definately
help. base loading or tuner will be needed to make most radios happy with
it, if you are going to use a tuner and the coax run isn't extremely long i
wouldn't bother with base loading... unless you want to run high power where
the swr on the cable may damage it, or your tuner just can't handle the
mismatch.

On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:53:50 -0500, "rb" wrote:

Got about 60' for a vertical. Using 160'm, any length close to this better
for 160 (up or down)? Idea is to bottom feed it with an antenna tuner.
Yes, radials will be run. Also, will top loading help or hurt?

Go here and check out what the recent Clipperton Island DXpedition was
using on 160M: http://www.clipperton2008.org/dxpedition/antennas.htm

The photo of the 160M antenna is at the bottom of the web page.

It's basically your 60' vertical with a top hat consisting of four 46'
wires and a four 132' radials.

They had a good signal here in SoCal. The antenna inventory also
listed a balloon lifted vertical, but the operators were almost always
talking about the high winds and rain they experienced. I'll be
interested to find out if they were able to use the balloon at all
under those conditions.

S.T.W.

On Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:53:50 -0500, "rb" wrote:

Got about 60' for a vertical. Using 160'm, any length close to this better
for 160 (up or down)? Idea is to bottom feed it with an antenna tuner.
Yes, radials will be run. Also, will top loading help or hurt?




A capacity hat will help, center loading may be easier to deal with
than top loading and the general rule is the more the better. (or
taller the better in your case.)

Good luck

Buck
N4PGW
--
73 for now
Buck, N4PGW

www.lumpuckeroo.com

"Small - broadband - efficient: pick any two."

On Mar 24, 12:53 pm, "rb" wrote:
Got about 60' for a vertical. Using 160'm, any length close to this better
for 160 (up or down)? Idea is to bottom feed it with an antenna tuner.
Yes, radials will be run. Also, will top loading help or hurt?

If you have a 60 ft mast, I'd add a "T" top hat using two wires
that are about 60-70+ feet long each. That would load the
mast with no other coil loading needed. The top wires can
angle down a bit like an inv vee if the supports for the ends
are low. It's possible you may need some matching to the line.
But that can be a simple tapped coil like they use on mobile
whips. Top loading will make a large difference, not only to
reduce the coil loading needed, but it also improves current
distribution. Two wires for a hat are plenty. You will still see
a nearly perfect omni pattern from the antenna.