20 meter short skip - low dipole fun

[nanZor]

For the past few weeks I've been listening to 20m during the day with a low-mounted dipole. That is, it is only up about 14 feet.

For really low angles, I'd need to mount it higher. But propagation during this part of the cycle doesn't really support that. My vertical is pretty sad too. Nothing much there at low angles, except for some rare openings.

More or less that means short-skip, up to about 1000 miles or so.

I guess it is no surprise that the best signals are ALSO heard from stations using antennas that are not dx-chasingly high up, but down lower, and running power, where the higher angle refraction is far more efficient than weak low angle absorption.

I'm just wondering how many amateurs with height adjustable towers and so forth have cranked them down lower to better support the high-angle skip and not end up in a "no man's land" of poor low-angle refraction no matter how much power you put out....

At this poor part of the cycle, it seems fun during the day - made even more fun if the OTHER guy is also putting out a nice higher angle too. My thought is that if you aren't really working DX anyway, put out a better high-angle signal by dropping the antenna.

It seems so counter-intuitive to go low(ish) but has been working for me. It still takes a bit of work at times, but at least I'm not just refracting into nowhere or getting totally absorbed with low angles.

 

[wyShack]

For the most part, hams don't realize how often they are 'using' NVIS mode on HF. Most dipoles are 'cloud warmers' to a great degree and we get NVIS 'for free'. It is somewhat ironic that most beam antennas eliminate this propagation mode for better DX. This is also why a lot of people are disappointed with their vertical antenna-no NVIS. As you have discovered, it is a 'workhorse' for medium distance work.

Never stop learning

73

 

[N5TWB]

For the most part, hams don't realize how often they are 'using' NVIS mode on HF. Most dipoles are 'cloud warmers' to a great degree and we get NVIS 'for free'. It is somewhat ironic that most beam antennas eliminate this propagation mode for better DX. This is also why a lot of people are disappointed with their vertical antenna-no NVIS. As you have discovered, it is a 'workhorse' for medium distance work.

Never stop learning

73

I don't know about "no NVIS" when using a vertical. I was operating as W6L, a part of Route 66 On the Air special event last year on 20 meters and logged a ham from across town. At the same time, I was in the middle of pile-up with stations across the US trying to get in the log. My vertical is a Hustler 6-BTV with a good set of 24 ground radials.

 

[prcguy]

NVIS propagation pretty much never gets to 14MHz, 10MHz is about it. You would have made the 20m contact via ground wave, which can go maybe 75mi from a Hustler BTV to another base antenna. Less to a mobile.

I don't know about "no NVIS" when using a vertical. I was operating as W6L, a part of Route 66 On the Air special event last year on 20 meters and logged a ham from across town. At the same time, I was in the middle of pile-up with stations across the US trying to get in the log. My vertical is a Hustler 6-BTV with a good set of 24 ground radials.

 

[nanZor]

Yep - no NVIS at 14mhz. But from about 100 - 1500 miles out or so, the high angle on both ends can be dramatic - even in this low part of the cycle. Not all day, that's for sure, but I've heard guys close to me give up when I could copy very easily.

I guess I was thinking it being better than putting out a weak low-angle signal into no-mans land where the signal is absorbed, or the dx is just not awake when you are. Run a KW and a high(ish) angle and see what happens.