Ed wrote:

I am considering putting up a ground mounted vertical antenna, based
on using telescopic aluminum tubing such as is available from Texas
Towers or DX Engineering. Tubing available ranges from .500 inch to
2.125" with corresponding increase in price as diameters increase.

My vertical should be limited to a maximum of 30 feet, but preferrably
around 23 - 25 feet. I will feed it with an SGC coupler at the base and
operate 80M - 10M.

This is basically what I had.

The length is adjusted to be resonant on 40M.

It worked fine on 80M through 30M, OK on 20M (compared to a real 20M
vertical) and goes downhill from there, though it is usable all the
way to 10M.

I later modified it by adding a base loading coil switched in and out
with a relay that made it resonant on 80M with the coil in.

It now works pretty well on 160M and tunes up on 80M a lot faster,
though there doesn't seem to be any performance difference.

20M and above were not effected.

It is in the middle of a watered grassy area with radials.

When I first put it up I thought I could get away with not using
radials since the ground is allways moist; wrong thought.


--
Jim Pennino

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