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[OT] hy tower 53' vertical info

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mikerodgerske5gbc

[OT] hy tower 53' vertical info

Anyone have one of these. I've got a chance to get one for a song.
I'm interested in how they work from
1-1500 miles stateside
I'm not opposed to dx but I'm a ragchewer mostly on 6-20&60.

Can contact direct and maybe better since it's off topic.

73
Mike R

Play me some fiddle, but no stinkin' violin!

Amateur/Ham Radio KE5GBC
HF & Echolink mobile
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Don Wilhelm-4

Re: [OT] hy tower 53' vertical info

Mike,

I did not see any on-list responses to your question.

You are a ragchewer, and that usually means you will be working locals
as well as distant stations (1 to 1500 miles), so you may not want a
vertical antenna at all.

A vertical antenna (any of them) typically have a low angle radiation
pattern, so for close-in contacts you may have difficulty with a
vertical - a dipole is much better. You may find the vertical better
than a dipole for contacts greater than 400 miles away on 60 or 40
meters, and for those greater than 800 miles on 20 and up.

To obtain good efficiency with a vertical antenna, you will need an
extensive radial field - I would recommend 64 buried radials each about
the same length as the radiating element. Also for good efficiency, you
should use a remote antenna tuner at the base of the antenna, or you
could feed it with open wire line properly supported and put the tuner
in the shack. The efficiency of an untuned vertical depends on a good
set of radials in the ground. Those who believe a vertical antenna does
not require much horizontal space are quite mistaken unless the vertical
element is an electrical half wave at the frequency of interest -
verticals require good radial systems.

Here in the North Carolina Piedmont, the soil conductivity is not great,
so any verticals that I put up will either use elevated radials (should
be resonant if I feed with coax) or I must put down a LOT of buried
radials for efficiency.

There is no "magic" about the 43 foot vertical (or any other
non-resonant length). Look at it as half of the W3RNL (L B Cebik - SK)
favorite backyard antennas - the 88 foot dipole. That length was chosen
because it was an OK length for 80 meters, and did not break up into
lobes up through 20 meters. A 44 (or 43) foot vertical with 43 or 44
foot radials will be similar, only the horizontal and vertical planes
will be reversed. - it will work on 80 meters (and 160 with proper
loading) even though with reduced efficiency, and will not have high
angle lobes on 20 meters and below. If you want to work 40 meters
through 10 meters with low angle radiation, then cut the length to 22 feet.

Bottom line, you probably will not have good results with your 1 to 1500
mile goal with a vertical antenna of any kind, you will be much better
off with one or more horizontal dipole antennas.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 4/5/2012 10:23 AM, Mike Rodgers wrote:

> Anyone have one of these. I've got a chance to get one for a song.
> I'm interested in how they work from
> 1-1500 miles stateside
> I'm not opposed to dx but I'm a ragchewer mostly on 6-20&60.
>
> Can contact direct and maybe better since it's off topic.
>
> 73
> Mike R
>
> Play me some fiddle, but no stinkin' violin!
>
> Amateur/Ham Radio KE5GBC
> HF& Echolink mobile
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

______________________________________________________________
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Post: mailto:[hidden email]

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David Bunte

Re: [OT] hy tower 53' vertical info

Mike -

Everything Don says is true... but since the Hy-Tower is designed for 80,
40, 20 15, & 10 meters, you should not need a tuner on those bands (I did
not), but 60, 30, 17 & 12 will very likely need one.

Dave
K9FN

On Thu, Apr 5, 2012 at 6:56 PM, Don Wilhelm <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Mike,
>
> I did not see any on-list responses to your question.
>
> You are a ragchewer, and that usually means you will be working locals
> as well as distant stations (1 to 1500 miles), so you may not want a
> vertical antenna at all.
>
> A vertical antenna (any of them) typically have a low angle radiation
> pattern, so for close-in contacts you may have difficulty with a
> vertical - a dipole is much better. You may find the vertical better
> than a dipole for contacts greater than 400 miles away on 60 or 40
> meters, and for those greater than 800 miles on 20 and up.
>
> To obtain good efficiency with a vertical antenna, you will need an
> extensive radial field - I would recommend 64 buried radials each about
> the same length as the radiating element. Also for good efficiency, you
> should use a remote antenna tuner at the base of the antenna, or you
> could feed it with open wire line properly supported and put the tuner
> in the shack. The efficiency of an untuned vertical depends on a good
> set of radials in the ground. Those who believe a vertical antenna does
> not require much horizontal space are quite mistaken unless the vertical
> element is an electrical half wave at the frequency of interest -
> verticals require good radial systems.
>
> Here in the North Carolina Piedmont, the soil conductivity is not great,
> so any verticals that I put up will either use elevated radials (should
> be resonant if I feed with coax) or I must put down a LOT of buried
> radials for efficiency.
>
> There is no "magic" about the 43 foot vertical (or any other
> non-resonant length). Look at it as half of the W3RNL (L B Cebik - SK)
> favorite backyard antennas - the 88 foot dipole. That length was chosen
> because it was an OK length for 80 meters, and did not break up into
> lobes up through 20 meters. A 44 (or 43) foot vertical with 43 or 44
> foot radials will be similar, only the horizontal and vertical planes
> will be reversed. - it will work on 80 meters (and 160 with proper
> loading) even though with reduced efficiency, and will not have high
> angle lobes on 20 meters and below. If you want to work 40 meters
> through 10 meters with low angle radiation, then cut the length to 22 feet.
>
> Bottom line, you probably will not have good results with your 1 to 1500
> mile goal with a vertical antenna of any kind, you will be much better
> off with one or more horizontal dipole antennas.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> On 4/5/2012 10:23 AM, Mike Rodgers wrote:
> > Anyone have one of these. I've got a chance to get one for a song.
> > I'm interested in how they work from
> > 1-1500 miles stateside
> > I'm not opposed to dx but I'm a ragchewer mostly on 6-20&60.
> >
> > Can contact direct and maybe better since it's off topic.
> >
> > 73
> > Mike R
> >
> > Play me some fiddle, but no stinkin' violin!
> >
> > Amateur/Ham Radio KE5GBC
> > HF& Echolink mobile
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > Elecraft mailing list
> > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> > Post: mailto:[hidden email]
> >
> > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> >
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>