Hi, My initial effort at getting "something...anything" up for an antenna has produced mediocre results - as expected. Maybe a little more mediocre than I was hoping for. I can hear with it pretty well. It's just a big, end fed wire too close to the ground... about 20 feet up with a counterpoise wire. I can probably do some trimming and tuning to get some modest improvements. My plan though is to use it as-is on 160-80-40-30 while I put up something better.
On my small lot I can accommodate a K9AY loop antenna system. There may be differing opinions (supported by hard numbers) about better antennas but there are NO beverages nor *large* antennas in my future. One of the first things I noticed is the K9AY loop is a receiving antenna (that puny terminating resistor). That will leave me with the need for yet another 160 meter antenna to use for transmitting. I can get some kind of a vertical up but the size of my lot is a factor. The public safety people will want it able to fall and not damage the neighbor's house. I can easily do something around 40 feet and I can get some radials down. In some directions they will have to be shorter than in other directions (boundary lines ya know). 40 feet is far short of a quarter wavelength on 160. Short designs use loading coils and hats and all manner of voodoo to operate. Eventually I can get my end fed wire up around 50 feet. It is curved around in a crescent shape from one side of my property..across the back... and part way up the other side for a total of about 170 feet. Much bigger than a 40 foot vertical! Should I expect better results with the wire elevated than with a 40 foot vertical on 160? I have had very good results on 80 and 40 with that same wire but higher than the 20 feet I have now. I have never used a vertical on HF or MF. When some younger blood is available I will be putting the wire support system with marine grade blocks (pulleys to you Marine Corps types) and halyards to put the wire near treetop levels (about 50 feet). The 40 foot vertical can be used on the higher HF bands and forget about 160 on it. 73, Bill _______________________________________________ UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK