I'm currently running my K3-10 into a 40 meter horizontal loop antenna, mounted on my roof about 35 feet above ground. It's impractical to use on 80, and has a very high angle of radiation on 40 and 20 meters.
So, I'm thinking of replacing it with a 43' wire vertical. Yes, I know it needs a wide-range tuner, because it's non-resonant on any ham bands. I already have that. And I know that it needs a 4:1 balun. I can make that. I have three questions for the group. 1. Is there any reason to expect that a wire vertical will perform significantly differently than one made from aluminum tube (e.g. 2" OD at base)? EZNEC modeling shows a slightly lower gain for a wire antenna, but not significant. Is this borne out in real life? 2. The available grassy yard space where the antenna would be installed would permit a maximum straight-line radial run of approximately 30 feet, well under the desired length of 58 feet for operation on 80 meters. Would it affect antenna performance if the radials were laid out in a series of Z jogs rather than in straight lines? 3. The antenna would be suspended from a large sycamore tree. Will it make any difference in performance if I run the vertical right up the side of the trunk, as contrasted with suspending it from a limb at some distance (e.g. 5 - 10 feet) from the trunk? Thanks, Lew K6LMP ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
