We possibly may be moving in a month or two. So I want to start with a fresh antenna. I currently run a Imax 2000 on a 30ft push up pole. Some people say "you can never get high enough" some people say 1st ground wave is best. Probably the Maco 3 element beam will be my next antenna. Should I use my 30ft push up pole or put up about a 60 ft tower? The Imax just doesn't satisfy me. I think the most fun is talking long ground waves (50-100mi). Would the beam be for me?
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How high should I go?
- Thread starter 007_man
- Start date
If you got the cash and a green light for a tower and beam, then go for it.
Hello,...
Regarding the vertical and local "talking"..in general: ...put it up higher.
In case of the horizontal antenna..:
Height versus take off angle
Kind regards,
Henry 19SD348
Regarding the vertical and local "talking"..in general: ...put it up higher.
In case of the horizontal antenna..:
Height versus take off angle
Kind regards,
Henry 19SD348
Tough choice in a beam or a vertical
On one hand...
60 feet would indeed help you get out (in all directions) with a vertical.
A Beam will also get out Great ( especially i you get it nice and high)
Either way..
Height is Best..
Now regarding your Imax 2000
Even if you want to keep a vertical..
I would indeed get rid of the Imax 2000
even if it seems to work well ( as i used to..lol )
I can tell you ( as many here can too ) it is a so so antenna at Best !
I replaced my Imax 2000 with an Interceptor I-10K
a much better antenna on many levels
(with regards to taking on the worst weather with ease as well as getting out better too)
Most people who have one understand..
There are also other great lesser expensive 5/8 wave antennas too
The beam typically is more for talking skip
without even blinking a beam (especially if not within a valley) will get out 100 to 200 miles (without skip) & with skip.. well skip being skip..it can get out quite well.
I will compare though my I-10K to any 3/4 element beam
keeping all local (in 360 degrees) Plus the added use of Excellent skip ( i can not tell you ho many times others in skip land would not believe i was using a vertical )
Plus i did not have to deal with another rotor.
But then.. you have to weigh it all out
On one hand...
60 feet would indeed help you get out (in all directions) with a vertical.
A Beam will also get out Great ( especially i you get it nice and high)
Either way..
Height is Best..
Now regarding your Imax 2000
Even if you want to keep a vertical..
I would indeed get rid of the Imax 2000
even if it seems to work well ( as i used to..lol )
I can tell you ( as many here can too ) it is a so so antenna at Best !
I replaced my Imax 2000 with an Interceptor I-10K
a much better antenna on many levels
(with regards to taking on the worst weather with ease as well as getting out better too)
Most people who have one understand..
There are also other great lesser expensive 5/8 wave antennas too
The beam typically is more for talking skip
without even blinking a beam (especially if not within a valley) will get out 100 to 200 miles (without skip) & with skip.. well skip being skip..it can get out quite well.
I will compare though my I-10K to any 3/4 element beam
keeping all local (in 360 degrees) Plus the added use of Excellent skip ( i can not tell you ho many times others in skip land would not believe i was using a vertical )
Plus i did not have to deal with another rotor.
But then.. you have to weigh it all out
36 ft min...
on 27 mhz min is 36 ft...Beam is great for dx or long gound wave,or backscatter...not for local...it will fusstrate you,you wont hear some people and blast out others...imax on side of tower at 36ft and 3 element at 60 ft would be great...73 de JW
on 27 mhz min is 36 ft...Beam is great for dx or long gound wave,or backscatter...not for local...it will fusstrate you,you wont hear some people and blast out others...imax on side of tower at 36ft and 3 element at 60 ft would be great...73 de JW
There is no 'best' height for an antenna. There are 'better' heights for the combination of antennas and locations. The absolute bottom line is that more is better. The best height for your antenna in your location is whatever is most -practical- for you.
The highest that you should aim for is something around a quarter mile. After that feed line losses just get to be impractical...
- 'Doc
The highest that you should aim for is something around a quarter mile. After that feed line losses just get to be impractical...
- 'Doc
I like 'Doc's idea here, and hookedon6 makes a good point to clarify the term ground waves.
Besides how height affects the antenna match, which is not always good unless you re-tune for the install height, higher may only be better to a point.
I have a buddy that has his Maco V58 up to about 108' feet, and he is a bit over 55 miles due North from me. He can talk pretty easily into San Antonio, Austin, Waco, and over toward Tyler, with conditions permitting. Sometimes I can hear, but not read his contacts, and sometimes I can't hear them at all.
As noted, I'm south of Tim, but sometimes he doesn't make it into Houston very well either, even while he's easily talking to Galveston, Freeport, and beyond, all of which are about as farther South of me as he is to the North.
I also hear guys much closer to Tim saying the same as me, "Tim, I can hardly hear this morning." You could check out some of my Signal Reports that I've posted here on WWDX and see how his signals vary at times. So, I know this situation is not just with my station. IMO, when this happens we're far enough away and yet close enough, and at such points we're probably reading mostly a null part of his signal...between is maximum low angle lobe and the Earth. I suspect that he's so high, sometimes his 11 meter signals just go right over me, so-to-speak, due to the very narrow maximum signal lobe that his antenna is probably makes at 120' feet.
I figure we can see the horizon at approximately 11 miles out while standing on flat ground, and as we raise up every 10' feet, nature push the horizon out another 11 miles or so. At my 40' feet I should be seeing the Earth curve a little at about 55' miles, and then my signal starts to suffer due to that curve, and to other stuff on the surface. I estimate that Tim should be able to still see the horizon out about 132 miles, and maybe his performance proves that out in the far distance.
This is all approximate, and it's not to imply that the signals stop at these points. It just suggest where the horizon likely starts to bend, where your signal starts to fall off gradually as the range increases. This general type of idea, does not take into account other objects on the surface that cause reflections that can be both good and bad, or the antenna height at the RX end of your transmission.
Most of us are restricted to heights within about 18+', which I consider high enough to get over most single level housing in neighborhoods without much attenuation, and maybe up to about 40' feet, using a simple push up pole. So, within that limited range the match and any other difference that height might make...probably has some effect, but it's probably not detectable just using your radio.
Your mileage may differ.
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Do both.....put up a beam flatside and put the imax on top...60ft tower should work good.
1 and 1/2 wl has been determined to be the best for working DX.
On 11 meters that is around 54'.
50' of tower and your mast pipe out the top to mount the yagi,, 3 element is a good choice, good forward gain, decent F/B and a lot of bandwidth.
Mount the IMAX above the yagi as previously mentioned in other posts.
That antenna system is a good all around system if put together correctly.
Captain Kilowatt has a thread about putting up tower with pictures of how it is to be done. Good info there.
On 11 meters that is around 54'.
50' of tower and your mast pipe out the top to mount the yagi,, 3 element is a good choice, good forward gain, decent F/B and a lot of bandwidth.
Mount the IMAX above the yagi as previously mentioned in other posts.
That antenna system is a good all around system if put together correctly.
Captain Kilowatt has a thread about putting up tower with pictures of how it is to be done. Good info there.
B
BOOTY MONSTER
Guest
how was 54 ft determined to be the best height .
would performance be decreased by going to 75 or 100 ft ?
sometimes yes, sometimes no
it depends on the propagation at the time. Es does happen on 11 meters