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Accomplished DX-er

Registered: 02-2009
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 403
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Best antenna for down valleys or surrounded by hills.


What is the best 11m vertical base antenna for down in hollows or in valleys, or surrounded by hills?

As far as verticals are concerned obviously a 5/8 wave with it's lower angle of radiation and mounted as high as possible has the most gain in normal circumstances, but I have read suggestions on other forums that 1/2 wave antennas like the Starduster or a 1/4 wave groundplane antenna with their higher angle of radiation can help get signals up and over the hills. The sirio top one was mentioned as been particular good for low lying land. I mean for general long distance ground wave contacts rather than skip condition contacts.

Also will purposely lowering a vertical antenna produce a higher angle which would help to get signals up and over the hills better or would this be counter productive?

Anybody down in the dales, welsh valleys or lowlands behind mountains have any experiences with finding the best antenna type for these locations.


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Ivy Watts Profile
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Freebander

Registered: 05-2011
Location: S. Cheshire
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Re: Best antenna for down valleys or surrounded by hills.


.

Hi Patrick ....

I think I can give you some news here. While we are 'Up and Down' with propogation at the moment, I have been doing some research on this very subject. I live in a very 'low' area (some would call it a 'Dive' LOL).

Another 'Ham' friend of mine, living about 20 miles from me in Market Drayton and over some hills has been monitoring my standardised transmissions on 28.5 Mhz using a 5/8 'Venom' Silver rod here and he is on a beam (lucky guy!).

To cut a long story short, after 2 weeks of working most evenings and weekends - best reception from my Antenna at his end, and from his at my shack was 2 'S' points up from the Silver Rod being on a 20ft pole.

You'll never believe this !! Best was just 9' 6" from ground level on a grounded steel pole, with 3 X 9'6" Ground planes, pegged out with short nylon rope (like Guys) from the three little 'counterpoises' that come with the 5/8 wave.

I have now made this permanent, by drilling through the end of each original little 'planes', and using shorted co-ax with a soldered on washer to attach them, using a nut and bolt. It seems to work fine when there is any DX about too, but now have no comparison for any A - B switching.

I suppose really it is a 'sort of' Vertical dipole now, with a 5/8 to 1/2 wave 'top half', and a 1/4 wave bottom half. The slope of the 3 X 45 degree 1/4 wave radials, will aid a lifting of the signal to abot 20 degees from ground. I may well be wrong !!

Certainly my ambient local QRM white noise has gone down from S4 to S2. SWR is below 3.1 from 24.5 Mhz to 29.5 Mhz and is 1.5 at 26.5 Mhz.

Cheap enough to try if you alreagy have a 1/4 or 5/8 vertical to mess with !!

Kind thoughts and 73's de 26 FB 89

Terrible Terence.

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Last edited by Ivy Watts, 11/Aug/2011, 6:15 pm


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26 FB 89
Kenwood TS520SE HF Tx
Yeticom Optima 10/11/12 Mtrs Tx
ICOM PCR1000 - 100 Khz to 1300 Mhz Rx
5/8 Wave 'Venom' Silver Rod
Wire dipoles 40/20/15 Mtrs
M0AQC Digital Modes Interface

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Accomplished DX-er

Registered: 02-2009
Location: Northern Ireland
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Re: Best antenna for down valleys or surrounded by hills.


Thanks Terrance for that, definitely interesting results.

Lots of people are saying different things so it's good that you tried and tested it and got a result.

I remember when I first got my Imax 2000 and Lincoln radio, I had no antenna brackets at this stage to mount the ariel, because I could not wait I stuck the Imax on a 6 ft pole in my wheelie bin to try it out! the skip blasted in still and on groundwave I got to a town across the hills about 13 mile away which was good considering the antenna was in a high walled concrete yard with a house on each side!

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Big Cheese

Registered: 11-2007
Location: Wiltshire, UK
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Re: Best antenna for down valleys or surrounded by hills.


i used the antronn 99 a gp kit with the gp's about a foot of the ground, worked well on skip but not so good groundwave. i know back in the days some people rekkoned the thunderpole 3 was a good antenna for low downers? i think shootin skip it doesnt matter how high the antenna is really

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Accomplished DX-er

Registered: 02-2009
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 403
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Re: Best antenna for down valleys or surrounded by hills.


I have heard a few people saying they had good results with thunderpole/starduster type antennas down in the hills also.

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Big Cheese

Registered: 11-2007
Location: Wiltshire, UK
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Re: Best antenna for down valleys or surrounded by hills.


thing is with groundawave if you have hills around you your signal goes up lovely but doesnt come back down. i have a hill to the north of me in wiltshire, i can hear south wales groundwave ok but cant hear or tx 15 miles away to the direct north(devizes). it totaly makes it a deaf blind spot

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26FB118
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