------------------------------------------------------------------------ Echo Flag : Permanent: N Export: N Personal Read: N BBS: SWEDX Conference: I-ham.ant Imported: 9/13/1993 To: ALL Num: 9050 Date: 9/13/1993 From: MIKE ELLERSON Re: Time: 7:07 pm Subj: HF Multiband Verticals Prvt: N Read: N From: Mike Ellerson Has anyone had any experience with the lower cost multi-band low cost verticals. I am interested in antennas that cover 10M - 40M. I would like to hear about your experiences with any of the following antennas and how you wound up mounting them : Hustler 5-BTV Cushcraft - AP8A Butternut - HF-6V MFJ - 1796 These antennas all sell in the $150 range. However, I would like to hear other suggestions. The MFJ-1796 looks very attractive, but I have not see much performance info on it. Thanks in advance for your help. 73s KE4EOQ --- UUGate/2 v0.14(OS/2) * Origin: Internet gateway (cindy) (2:200/427.3) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Echo Flag : Permanent: N Export: N Personal Read: N BBS: SWEDX Conference: I-ham.ant Imported: 9/13/1993 To: ALL Num: 9058 Date: 9/13/1993 From: CLARK SAVAGE TURNER Re: Time: 7:07 pm Subj: HF Multiband Verticai Prvt: N Read: N From: turner@safety.ics.uci.edu (Clark Savage Turner) I am of the general opinion that they are all basically equivalent, to a point. There is no magic in any of these multiband verticals. If they are all basically the same size (and they are), the only difference is in matching and traps, etc. If any of them were dummy loads, we would know. They all work fine. I believe that there are probably real differences, but very slight, in bandwidth, etc......but ONLY in precisely controlled conditions. IF you put a good ground system under any one of these, and you carefully match them up according to the instructions, I would bet they would all give equivalent performance. I suppose some might last longer physically, and that might be a consideration if you do not maintain your antennas carefully, though. I have had the 5BTV and a Mosely trap vertical, and the 14AVQ, and several wire verticals and pipes of my own making. Verticals are wild beasts. They can be really great, they can be really poor. The GROUND system is critical. Really. Really. If you can lay down a bunch of radials, you will see some reasonable performance. SOMETIMES the vertical can hear better/transmit better (relatively) than a dipole. These situations are rare, however, in my 25 years experience. The vertical is "noisey", it hears atmospheric noises a lot louder than my dipoles and horizontal antennas. This is an important difference. My advice it to go with the one you like (for me, I would go for the lower price), and then concentrate my attention on the ground system, that it what will make or break your vertical installation - NOT the brand you choose. 73 Clark ..................... Clark Savage Turner, Graduate Student Researcher Safety Critical Software Group home: Department of Info. and Computer Science 1514 Verano Place Irvine, CA. 92717 Irvine, CA. 92715 (714) 856 4049 (714) 856 2131 WA3JPG, QRP #3526, active on HF, VHF and UHF. ARRL Volunteer Counsel --- UUGate/2 v0.14(OS/2) * Origin: Internet gateway (cindy) (2:200/427.3)