wire thickness
 

I have a rather short dipole i can't 'move' the ends appart any more.

currently using 18g stranded


just wondering if i went to a larger wire ga would there be any
appreciable gains??



tnx

"ml" wrote in message
...
I have a rather short dipole i can't 'move' the ends appart any more.

currently using 18g stranded


just wondering if i went to a larger wire ga would there be any
appreciable gains??


The diameter of the wire will make almost no differance. If the antenna is
up high enough you may be able to drop the ends some to gain more
electrical length.

ml wrote:

I have a rather short dipole i can't 'move' the ends appart any more.

currently using 18g stranded


just wondering if i went to a larger wire ga would there be any
appreciable gains??



tnx
Thicker wire yields wider band width but does not affect wavelength.

Dave WD9BDZ

Increasing the wire diameter will not make slightest detectable difference
in performance.

But if for some reason you think an increase in length will be beneficial,
as it usually is for short antennas, then increase length by extending and
bending the ends by about 90 degrees in either the horizontal or vertical
directions.

You can extend one or both of the ends down to insulated ground level.

You can extend the ends sideways for as long as you can manage it without
any noticeable difference in performance from the whole length being in a
straight line. Perhaps the most important characteristic of the antenna, if
it is to remain balanced, is that the feedline should be attached
approximately at the centre of the overall length. But it's not critical.

There is no doubt that increasing the overall length of a dipole, by
whatever means, up to the overall length of 1/3-wavelengths at the lowest
frequency of interest, will improve performance. Particularly in
transmitting, multiband applications.
----
Reg, G4FGQ

"ml" wrote in message
...
I have a rather short dipole i can't 'move' the ends appart any more.

currently using 18g stranded


just wondering if i went to a larger wire ga would there be any
appreciable gains??



tnx

Perhaps a little wider bandwidth, would probably require a lot more diameter
to achieve much. Not an area of expertise for me, but I have read that
bending dipoles is not always a bad thing. You might try adding wire
perpendicular to your dipole ends. Also an inverted vee might allow some
additional length along the 45 degree downward angle, I believe it might
also help with impedance matching (or so I've read).

Harold
KD5SAK