Antenna Angle of Radiation and Grounding

[vdubb16]

The more i read the more things come into perspective. I am learning as i go so i look here for more info. I think i got the "what it should be" understood, but i still have some "why does it have to be that way in my head" So im looking for alil more indepth info regarding a solarcon imax2000

Correct me if i am wrong.

Adding the ground plane kit will assist in blocking RF from other man made devices and lower the radiation angle of the antenna.
Ideal angle is 10-20 degrees over horizon for the best DX.
Ideal setup would be a top loaded antenna for the lowest angle. "mostly important on mobile setups, but the facts stay the same regarding a base vertical antenna"

On a 11 meter setup.
I read its best to have the antenna at 36 to 42 ft above ground. "wavelength from the ground"
I understand that higher is better, but is there a cap on when your too high? or is it you wont benefit unless you go another full wavelength in height. or in incriments 1/4 or 1/2 And does the angle change the higher you go or does it stay the same
And the 36-42 ft is the area where the base of the imax2000 should be located since the coils at the bottem? yes/no?
How do u go about figuring out what exactly the radiation angle is or will be?
What angle will the ground plane kit effectively give the imax 2000?
Are there any ways to add to the ground plane kit to adjust the angle further?

Ive read about grounding the antenna.
However it was many years ago the info was published. So i can image newer principles may be out there.

the radio itself and antenna should be physically grounded.
ive read that the antenna should be grounded with:

3 poles buried 6-8 feet in a triangle pattern around the mast.
where should the grounding wires connect to the mast/antenna at?
and how should they be space?

I also read something about burying several wires like an inch underground stretchin "X" number a feet away from the ground.
what does this do?

Also somewhere it said to ground the radio and also ground the outside of the antenna coax that hooks to the radio...

Thats alot of question in one post. but i hope that someone can clarify things for me.


Oh and one more thing.

"Balun" im lost to why this is needed, and what it does exactly

 

[vdubb16]

well thats helpful

 

[ridgescan]

I suggest you go to your library and get the ARRL antenna book. It has absolutely everything you need to do in it. What little I know about this is that everything must be grounded, preferrably to a point like you described, but I tell folks to try to locate the groundpoint for your TV cable system and tap into that FOR THE ANTENNA. All your radio equipment should be connected to a common copper grounding plate and then to a water pipe that you know is continuous to the main and isn't a hot water pipe. I wouldn't ground anything to the electrical common in the house because it can cause RFI. I guess you could run your coax to the same ground as the antenna. I hope this helps and also hope more savvy folks can come here and add to or correct what I said

 

[n4yek]

"Balun" im lost to why this is needed, and what it does exactly

Balun is short for Balnced to Un-balanced.
Basically used between different impedance points to match them together, like a transformer.
People have used them all their life and never realized it, remember the item that you used to hook between your 300 Ohm twin lead TV antenna and the TV's 75 Ohm round F connector input? That's a balun.

 

[radioman2001]

While I am not sure what you are trying to do, antenna patterns can best be described for a verticle antenna as a donut around the radiator of the antenna. Adding additional elements, whether they are horizontal or verticle change that pattern. An example is that most gain in vertilcle antenna's is achived by squashing the donut for more coverage to the horizon, at the loss of bandwidth and narrowing of the verticle pattern. Best advice is what was posted, get an ARRL handbook, it will have all the descriptions and math involved in antenna theory. That was one of my favorite subjects while in training for the USAF.

 

[vdubb16]

excellent ill definatly be getting one. as much info as a read online and try to make sense off it all, alot seem to contradict each other and leaves me still w/o a clue. a solid piece of literature will entertain my me during the slow 12 hour nights in dispatch.. THanks!

 

[radioman2001]

The handbook makes for some heavy reading, especially at night, and antenna theory is just that theory. Very hard to see a magnetic wave, but with instruments most of the theory shows to be fact. The early radio pioneers amaze me as how the did what they did without computers, service monitors and all the modern pieces of test equipment we now use for maintainence of radio systems. Using the math provided by these pioneers I have designed some of my own link antenna's for use in the commercial field. Rather than spend $700.00 to 1K for a special antenna for these 70 mhz links I modified 50 mhz off the shelf beams for my paging systems links. The math was right on, and with minor tweaking the performance was equal to the $1K antenna.