curious as to what everyone is using for hf vertical antenna ( 10-160), if you use one. I'm not interested in C B antennas since even with a tuner they are only good up 20mtrs., if that.
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HF vertical
- Thread starter rfoverlord
- Start date
Up until this last ice storm, I had an 'R-7'. It had been up and down for quite a few years, but this last 'down' was it. I do not plan to replace it any time soon.
I can tell you what the 'best' multi-band HF vertical antenna is though, a 'High-Tower', now by MFJ, formerly by 'Hygain'. They are not cheap. They do require more work than you'd normally expect. They do perform very, very well. The typical useable bandwidth on 160 meters isn't much better than adequate. But, unless you plan on a really big vertical, that's all you can expect from anything on 160 meters. Other than that, it'll "beat the sox off" of the nearest competitor, wash'em, roll'em, and put them away for you.
- 'Doc
If you should happen to buy one, not like it, I'll give you a 1/10th the going price, come and get it, furnish the beer while loading it, and leave smiling...
okay, maybe a 1/4 of the price...
I can tell you what the 'best' multi-band HF vertical antenna is though, a 'High-Tower', now by MFJ, formerly by 'Hygain'. They are not cheap. They do require more work than you'd normally expect. They do perform very, very well. The typical useable bandwidth on 160 meters isn't much better than adequate. But, unless you plan on a really big vertical, that's all you can expect from anything on 160 meters. Other than that, it'll "beat the sox off" of the nearest competitor, wash'em, roll'em, and put them away for you.
- 'Doc
If you should happen to buy one, not like it, I'll give you a 1/10th the going price, come and get it, furnish the beer while loading it, and leave smiling...
okay, maybe a 1/4 of the price...
Doc, i have a titan but i don't have much faith in it, i'll probably get a hustler 6 btv cheap and easy no it won't be as good as a hy gain tower but it'll be a lot cheaper it will suplement a tennadyne T-8.
I hate to 'rain on the parade', but I don't have much 'faith' in any vertical antenna. Just had too much better results with horizontal'ish antennas. Unless you're willing to put a lot more work into them than I am, they just are not 'miracle' workers in any sense. All of them benefit from a good groundplane/radial system, no matter what the ad says. Putting all that wire in the ground rather than hanging it from something just isn't my idea of fun. Oh well...
- 'Doc
- 'Doc
Doc, I know what you mean, i would put down a decent radial field (the wire was free from end runs of spools from the electrical shop) I already have 210' per leg up as a dipole(home brewed cobra Sr.) but of course it is not always in the favorable direction i need it to be. I'm not cheap just efficient as my partner tells me, i never turn down any thing free, who knows when you might need it.
Don't add grounds to a Titan, please repeat that again over and over again.
I own a GAP Titan. It's a vertical dipole, not one of the vertical dummy loads that have 'optional' radials. The Titan is a balanced antenna by design. If you add radials or even mount it without the proper insulator at the mast mount, they will detune and you will have more losses.
They are a big compromise antenna for people who can't put down a proper radial field...in my case I have a sloping area to use, lots of space but not in a nice plane for radials to work well.
Mine has performed well for what it is, 80m it's nearly a dummy load and only good for very long path 80m work. 40m and up it performs almost as well as my typically low 135' dipole fed with ladder line. The wire beats it, don't get me wrong, but many times the S/N is better on the vertical because the noise is much lower at my location on the vertical and it makes copy easier though it may be a bit lower actual signal.
To do it again, I wouldn't buy a Titan unless I was more severely restricted than I am now. What I would do, is make verticals out of wire, one for each band I really wanted to work.
Just don't put radials on a Titan, it's a center fed vertical dipole.
I own a GAP Titan. It's a vertical dipole, not one of the vertical dummy loads that have 'optional' radials. The Titan is a balanced antenna by design. If you add radials or even mount it without the proper insulator at the mast mount, they will detune and you will have more losses.
They are a big compromise antenna for people who can't put down a proper radial field...in my case I have a sloping area to use, lots of space but not in a nice plane for radials to work well.
Mine has performed well for what it is, 80m it's nearly a dummy load and only good for very long path 80m work. 40m and up it performs almost as well as my typically low 135' dipole fed with ladder line. The wire beats it, don't get me wrong, but many times the S/N is better on the vertical because the noise is much lower at my location on the vertical and it makes copy easier though it may be a bit lower actual signal.
To do it again, I wouldn't buy a Titan unless I was more severely restricted than I am now. What I would do, is make verticals out of wire, one for each band I really wanted to work.
Just don't put radials on a Titan, it's a center fed vertical dipole.
Not disputing what you're saying 'SR385', don't misunderstand. But, verticals and horizontal antennas (fields, actually) react differently to the ground (dirt) under them. Horizontal antennas tend to benefit from a 'lossy' ground, verticals tend to benefit from a 'near perfect' type of ground. (Has to do with "ground-gain", as if that's not a hard thing to understand.). The ground doesn't necessarily have to be 'connected' directly to a vertical if it's 'there' ('nuther bad way of putting it, huh?). Talk about adding another easily misconstrued concept to the pile of them already around, ought'a keep my mouth shut!
And you are right, 99% of all commercially sold vertical antennas are always a compromise since they are not a real full sized antenna, sort of. They are certainly better than other things in the 'right' circumstances, but that doesn't necessarily mean 'good'.
I think saying "Just don't put radials -on- a Titan, put them -under- a Titan" would be the best way to put it.
- 'Doc
(all puns intended)
And you are right, 99% of all commercially sold vertical antennas are always a compromise since they are not a real full sized antenna, sort of. They are certainly better than other things in the 'right' circumstances, but that doesn't necessarily mean 'good'.
I think saying "Just don't put radials -on- a Titan, put them -under- a Titan" would be the best way to put it.
- 'Doc
(all puns intended)
I won't have to worry about that since i'm not even going to put it up. maybe take it to camp and leave it there, or find some new ham locally that would like it for a first time hf antenna and can't put up a lot of wire. looked at the zero 5 antennas which cost more than my tower and then factor in the baluns and tuner you could get a steppir verticle. or make your own for a lot cheaper than either if that being the route you would want to go.
Yeah the SteppIR is actually a 'real' vertical in the sense that it's tuned resonant. The ZeroFive, take that concept and model it in EzNEC and you will be amused...essentially when you wide band tune a vertical like that out of it's resonance the radiation patterns are pretty awful.
oh but "if i can hear em , i can work em" So can a 100watt light bulb or an old bed spring on a tuner.
Wow! i finally went to the steppir web site you gotta be well on your way to having more money than you know what to do with to buy one of those!!
I was on 75m last night and ran into a guy talking about his rig collection, I won't give his call but it was a truly insane list.
SO2R setup with IC-7800s
Yaesu 9000
TS-2000
FT-2000
Gold dust twins
list of lists of Collins goes on
a museum collection of the history of Kenwood
A list of amps just as crazy, Alpha, QRO, TokyoHP etc etc.
The guy has enough money into rigs alone to pay off my house.
SO2R setup with IC-7800s
Yaesu 9000
TS-2000
FT-2000
Gold dust twins
list of lists of Collins goes on
a museum collection of the history of Kenwood
A list of amps just as crazy, Alpha, QRO, TokyoHP etc etc.
The guy has enough money into rigs alone to pay off my house.