best for low height

[hotrod]

BUMP. so a local just setup a antenna not far from me .he 2 like me is down in a hole
[not a bowl] his location is worse than mine not only is he down in a hole but
his place is surrounded by trees ,buildings ,and other nearby house [no 40-50 foot tower here]
him and i were having same discussion about antennas were he lives .hes kinda old school
and believes a vector 4k mounted low will be better than a 1/4 gp. and maybe hes right
i dunno. i do think if he gets tip height the same wont be much difference. he currently
uses a ringo gp. any opinions here guys?1/4 gp [m400] or sirio v4k

 

[Marconi]

You're right hotrod. I didn't say how low was low, but I was thinking maybe 18' feet, and I think that is what most were recommending as a minimum.

 

[Marconi]

In my real world antenna comparisons several years ago, I tested several of my CB verticals, a Starduster, Sigma 4, Wolf .64, I-10K, Old Top One, New Top One, A99, Imax, and my homemade Marconi 4x & 5x made using 2, A99 hubs, a mobile mirror L-bracket, and 4 or 5, 1/4 wave SS 102" whips.

These antennas with 1/4 wave radiators did very well...even when the other larger antennas were anywhere from 5' - 11' feet higher at the tip. In many comparisons I tried to get the antenna bottoms at the same height.

I used two slightly shortened 40' push up poles with 10' foot extensions added to the top. When I lowered the taller antennas down where the bottoms were even with the Starduster's bottom or the Marconi, the 1/4 wave type antennas were a bit better in most comparisons.

My Eznec models tend to show about the same results over average soil.

Most of the time my 1/4 waves are typically much quieter too, when conditions are very quiet. If that matters to anybody it is something to consider. However, unless you have two antennas up and working on a good switch box, you'll likely never notice the difference. Also, when conditions are not good, it doesn't matter what you have up...all my CB vertical antennas are noisy. Sometimes this advantage with my 1/4 waves is impressive.

Here is an example of my testing showing a Starduster vs. I-10K. Both bottoms of the antennas are about the same height. The antennas or 36' feet apart.

 

[hotrod]

In my real world antenna comparisons several years ago, I tested several of my CB verticals, a Starduster, Sigma 4, Wolf .64, I-10K, Old Top One, New Top One, A99, Imax, and my homemade Marconi 4x & 5x made using 2, A99 hubs, a mobile mirror L-bracket, and 4 or 5, 1/4 wave SS 102" whips.

These antennas with 1/4 wave radiators did very well...even when the other larger antennas were anywhere from 5' - 11' feet higher at the tip. In many comparisons I tried to get the antenna bottoms at the same height.

I used two slightly shortened 40' push up poles with 10' foot extensions added to the top. When I lowered the taller antennas down where the bottoms were even with the Starduster's bottom or the Marconi, the 1/4 wave type antennas were a bit better in most comparisons.

My Eznec models tend to show about the same results over average soil.

Most of the time my 1/4 waves are typically much quieter too, when conditions are very quiet. If that matters to anybody it is something to consider. However, unless you have two antennas up and working on a good switch box, you'll likely never notice the difference. Also, when conditions are not good, it doesn't matter what you have up...all my CB vertical antennas are noisy. Sometimes this advantage with my 1/4 waves is impressive.

Here is an example of my testing showing a Starduster vs. I-10K. Both bottoms of the antennas are about the same height. The antennas or 36' feet apart.

View attachment 10769

what kinda landscape do you have around you. i see a few trees [not many] do u have hills
all around you?or are you on flat land? are you on a hill ? or down in a valley?
i ask cause as most know location plays a part . 1 antenna may work better or worse
at another location. my land around me is much like homers . im down low in a valley
but not really a bowl. and have hills in almost all directions expect south/west its fairly flat

 

[Marconi]

what kinda landscape do you have around you. i see a few trees [not many] do u have hills
all around you?or are you on flat land? are you on a hill ? or down in a valley?
i ask cause as most know location plays a part . 1 antenna may work better or worse
at another location. my land around me is much like homers . im down low in a valley
but not really a bowl. and have hills in almost all directions expect south/west its fairly flat

Well hotrod, I took that picture with the sky as a back drop so the antennas would show up. I live in a forest of 80' Pines and Oaks. Flying over the area, one can barely see the streets and houses, so it is very wooded here.

The Houston Gulf Coast area is about 60 miles from the coast, and our terrain is pretty flat for the most part. I live right next to one of the largest North/South bayou systems in the Houston area, and my location is on a ridge that is about 10' higher than much of the city around me for many miles. The City averages about 50' above sea level.