We used to put up an 80m Delta loop with an advertising-sized dirigible filled with helium. You need a dirigible with back fins so it pivots in the wind and keeps the antenna vertical. Took almost a full cylinder of helium to fill the dirigible. We had a dentist in the club that had access to the helium.
73, Marshall AA0FO On Tue, Dec 20, 2022, 6:03 PM Roger Kennedy <ro...@wessexproductions.co.uk> wrote: > > Back in the 1970s when I lived on the South Coast, a local to me - G3RCE - > used to regularly > put up a Half Wave vertical on 160m suspended by a Hydrogen-filled Weather > balloon. > > However, unlike a Kite which needs decent wind to stay aloft, with a > Balloon > you want NO wind ! > > As suggested, he found it worked much better than a Quarter wave vertical, > not just due to earth losses, but I guess the radiating part was much > higher. He used aluminium wire, and running about 600 watts output. The > vertical was tethered about 5 feet off the ground, with a horizontal wire > about 50ft long running to the upstairs window of his shack, where he had a > parallel-tuned ATU with a link winding to the Tx. > > Incidentally, although in recent years I have used Dipoles, at several QTHs > over the years I have used an end-fed half wave on 160m, with no issues - > this was normally where the shack was on the third floor, so I didn't have > to bring the feed-point down towards ground. > > Roger G3YRO > > > _________________ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband > Reflector > _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector