Topband: Visit from N7DD

[k1zm--- via Topband]

Earlier this week Miriam (VY2NA/N1QV) and I had the pleasure of having a visit 
from Larry pace N7DD and Patti.  It was great fun chatting about contesting and 
Dx'ing on 160m for the better part of an afternoon and evening.
We did have some time to listen on 160m around VY2 sunset and Larry got to hear 
some great signals from OM5ZW, G3ZGC and CT1ILT under good band conditions.
It is always fun to hook up with 160m ops we may have worked over many, many 
years - just to catch up and remember 160m DxCitement from the past.
160m continues to have some real DX each evening out here - many Eu stations 
plus 5T5PA, VK, PY by way of example.
On the other end of the spectrum, 10M continues to play well into Europe - on 
28.074 using FT8.  
Looks like things are picking up as Fall approaches.
73 JEFF VY2ZM




Jeff BriggsDXing on the Edge: The Thrill of 160 Meters Available worldwide 
through BookBaby, Array Solutions, DX Engineering, Radio Society of Great 
Britain, & Amazon














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Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: Inverted L in contact with leaves

[Don Kirk]

I use a 68 foot base loaded vertical wire and what I notice is a
significant downward shift in the resonant frequency during the summer
(like 40 kHz) when leaves are touching my vertical, and when the leaves
fall the resonant frequency comes right back up to where I originally set
it.  My feeling is that the leaves provide additional capacitive loading.
I’m using 12 gauge enamel coated wire so the insulation is very thin which
likely makes my antenna more sensitive to the presence of leaves.

Don (wd8dsb)

On Thu, Aug 29, 2019 at 12:41 PM Michael Walker 
wrote:

> Hi Pete
>
> You won't have an issue at all.
>
> 73, Mike va3mw
>
> On Thu, Aug 29, 2019 at 12:24 PM Gary Smith  wrote:
>
> > I sure don't have any kind of superstation
> > but I have never been lucky enough to have
> > a 160 antenna in the clear. All mine have
> > always not only touched leaves, but are
> > always resting on branches, many branches.
> > I still get out pretty well, I wouldn't
> > worry about a few leaves coming in
> > contact.
> >
> > 73,
> >
> > Gary
> > KA1J
> >
> >
> > > My inverted L is taking shape - about 60 vertical, the rest
> > > horizontal.  For a couple of months anyway, it is touching a number
> > > of leaves in the vertical section.  I assume that's not a concern,
> > > but thought I'd ask before I get a lot of radials down. First short
> > > radial is down and MFJ-259 results look promising.  It's just a
> > > problem of waiting for lawn mowing to stop hi.
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > 73, Pete N4ZR
> > > Check out the Reverse Beacon Network
> > > at , now
> > > spotting RTTY activity worldwide.
> > > For spots, please use your favorite
> > > "retail" DX cluster.
> >
> > _
> > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband
> > Reflector
> >
> _
> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband
> Reflector
>
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Re: Topband: Inverted L in contact with leaves

[Michael Walker]

Hi Pete

You won't have an issue at all.

73, Mike va3mw

On Thu, Aug 29, 2019 at 12:24 PM Gary Smith  wrote:

> I sure don't have any kind of superstation
> but I have never been lucky enough to have
> a 160 antenna in the clear. All mine have
> always not only touched leaves, but are
> always resting on branches, many branches.
> I still get out pretty well, I wouldn't
> worry about a few leaves coming in
> contact.
>
> 73,
>
> Gary
> KA1J
>
>
> > My inverted L is taking shape - about 60 vertical, the rest
> > horizontal.  For a couple of months anyway, it is touching a number
> > of leaves in the vertical section.  I assume that's not a concern,
> > but thought I'd ask before I get a lot of radials down. First short
> > radial is down and MFJ-259 results look promising.  It's just a
> > problem of waiting for lawn mowing to stop hi.
> >
> > --
> >
> > 73, Pete N4ZR
> > Check out the Reverse Beacon Network
> > at , now
> > spotting RTTY activity worldwide.
> > For spots, please use your favorite
> > "retail" DX cluster.
>
> _
> Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband
> Reflector
>
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Re: Topband: Inverted L in contact with leaves

[Gary Smith]

I sure don't have any kind of superstation 
but I have never been lucky enough to have 
a 160 antenna in the clear. All mine have 
always not only touched leaves, but are 
always resting on branches, many branches. 
I still get out pretty well, I wouldn't 
worry about a few leaves coming in 
contact.

73,

Gary
KA1J


> My inverted L is taking shape - about 60 vertical, the rest
> horizontal.  For a couple of months anyway, it is touching a number
> of leaves in the vertical section.  I assume that's not a concern,
> but thought I'd ask before I get a lot of radials down. First short
> radial is down and MFJ-259 results look promising.  It's just a
> problem of waiting for lawn mowing to stop hi.
> 
> -- 
> 
> 73, Pete N4ZR
> Check out the Reverse Beacon Network
> at , now
> spotting RTTY activity worldwide.
> For spots, please use your favorite
> "retail" DX cluster.

_
Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector

Re: Topband: Inverted L in contact with leaves

[AB2E Darrell]

Hi Pete,
No effect noticed here for leaves with L wire running over tree.
I just reinstalled my 160m Inverted - L on a taller tree (fed 10ft off ground, 
80ft vertical , about 52ft horizontal). It's been up all summer with leaves, it 
goes over the top of 95ft oak. My vertical wire is #12 THHN, insulated solid 
copper. I have 5 tuned radials of the same wire, but thinner gauge is also OK. 
I feed it with a 1:1 Balun Designs balun. I trimmed it slightly but it 
resonates about 1845 and gives me all the CW band. Tested with Acom 2000A at 
1500W outseems very stable as before mounted on a  shorter tree at about 
65ft.

Pete, even 1 tuned radial for your L, you should see it working and loading up 
OK if you want to test.

I used to easily find the tech supplement online from Butternut for tuned 
radials, but it looks like it's now gone.
Check this document out 
https://rudys.typepad.com/files/elevated-ground-systems-article-final-version.pdf
 . N6LF did some modelling and looks very similar to ON4UN's conclusions in his 
lowband book that 4 tuned radials achieve 60% of the efficiency of 100+ radials 
on the ground. Some may dispute this, but I've never had enough real estate to 
put down a full ground radial field of 100+, but I do have room to put up 4 
elevated radials. They can slope, go up and down but if you can, mount them 
about 10ft above ground.
The tuned radials are about 3.5% shorter than the 1/4wave element (see the 
formula). I cut them all the same as the element, and then gradually shorten 
them to adjust for resonance, depending on how the SWR looks.

In the past, the L has worked great for me. I now have about 115 countries 
confirmed on 160, all with an L.

73 and best of luck with the project,
Darrell AB2E



From: Topband  on behalf of N4ZR 

Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2019 11:23 AM
To: topband reflector 
Subject: Topband: Inverted L in contact with leaves

My inverted L is taking shape - about 60 vertical, the rest horizontal.
For a couple of months anyway, it is touching a number of leaves in the
vertical section.  I assume that's not a concern, but thought I'd ask
before I get a lot of radials down. First short radial is down and
MFJ-259 results look promising.  It's just a problem of waiting for lawn
mowing to stop hi.

--

73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the Reverse Beacon Network
at , now
spotting RTTY activity worldwide.
For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.

_
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Topband: Inverted L in contact with leaves

[N4ZR]

My inverted L is taking shape - about 60 vertical, the rest horizontal.  
For a couple of months anyway, it is touching a number of leaves in the 
vertical section.  I assume that's not a concern, but thought I'd ask 
before I get a lot of radials down. First short radial is down and 
MFJ-259 results look promising.  It's just a problem of waiting for lawn 
mowing to stop hi.


--

73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the Reverse Beacon Network
at , now
spotting RTTY activity worldwide.
For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.

_
Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector