Antenna Considerations

Spring is here so its time to get going on some antenna projects!

 The 1/4 GP Verts with 8 tuned radials more or less worked like a charm this past winter.   I am particualry happy with the 17m and 30m verts but bit not 100% with the 40m and 20m ones.    I am going to try tweaking both in the spring and not do a darn thing with the other two.   The 5/8 Vert for 20m was a bomb do its coming down.  

 I am going to buys another 4:1 IFL switch and put it at the top of the hill at the end of my 500' run of heliax.   I am going to buy a ton more rope ,  a slingshot and a fishing real to get those wires  up there!!!!

 Now for the antenna wanna be....

1/4 Vert for 80m   .... one vert el of 20 meters  along with 8 radials.   For the elevation I have some very tall trees that should do the trick.   For the radial I am going to get some electric fence wire.   500' needed just for the radials!!!!    This should be a power house antenna for 80m DX.   I would love to put thsi one at the top of the hill but I am not sure how that would fit ... location TBD.

80m dipole .... top of hill for sure.   Get it up a minimum of 1/2 wave length or 120 ft is a bit of a challenge but this is where the top of the hill comes into play.  For a dipole to work as a decent DX antenna it needs to be up that high .  It should give around a 30 deg takeoff broadside with a 15 db null off the ends ... seems like allot.  Basically all the energy goes broadside.   Goo article here ...
http://www.qsl.net/aa3rl/ant2.html.

160m dipole ... top of hill.  OK there is no way to get this guy up 80 meters if I do do it probably will be a fan dipole off the 80 meter setup.  A more realistic setup would be the 160 vert.  

1/4 160m  vert ....ok I have the real-estate and I can almost achieve a 40 meter vertical element.   Radials ... no problem  8X40 = 360 meter or 1,200 feet ... once again fence wire!  

With the upcoming solar minimum theses would be some interesting antenna to play with.  

 What else ...

1/4 60m vert maybe in place of the 20m 5/8 that I am going to turf.  

1/4 30m vert at the top of the hill ,  I would really like to see if there is a "height advantage ".

6m vert dipole or 6m vert of 6m dipole at the top of the hill.... mainly to get away from vegetation that comes into play at these freqs.   This will be my first foray into the 6m world.  Ideally a high gain antenna with a rotor someday to play with Aurora or Tropo Scatter.