Best Vertical Antenna? Opinions?

[prcguy]

What you made is roughly what the Comet 250B is but a little longer. Not a very good antenna even for HOA use.
prcguy

Get an MFJ1910 33 ft push up pole. 33ft of #14 awg wire, A Balun Design Model 3132 9:1 balun and an MFJ 915 Isolator along with about 50ft of LMR400. Put it all together with the MFJ915 where it comes into your shack to keep RF out since you are using the braided coax as the counterpoise. You need a rig with an antenna tuner and it all works great across mutilple bands and the antenna will handle FULL POWER if you ever get a linear amp.

Total cost $80 for the MFJ1910, $90 for the 3132w balun, $30 for the MFJ915 isolator, about $55 for the LMR400 and about $25 for the 14ga wire and for about $280 you have a vertical that will handle 1500 watts full power and be able to raise and lower it quickly as needed and no worries about HOA's either since you just lower it during the day and raise it at night.

Best solution I found yet even though Im not HOA restricted. If you ever need to replace the wire its only $25 bucks at your local do it yourself hardware store too.

KD5SPX
Wayne in Texas.

 

[skidplate]

For what it's worth. L, like pcrguy has suggested don't have comparisons with multiple vertical antennas. I have used the the same Butternut HF6V with 160 mtr add on for the better part of 25 years. When I first got it I had NO room for radials, it sucked. Later I was fortunate and had the room for radials. I placed a grid of chicken wire down and rolled sod out over top of the wire, I worked great! Later, I had it elevated at 10 feet and had 4 to six tuned radials per band, it REALLY worked great.. I was able to compare it between a commercial made sloper and a KLM KT34 yagi. Now, I have it ground mounted again with a dozen or so radials tuned for the bands except for 160 mtrs, it works well.
I have never owned an amp so whatever the radios could put out is the max I ever ran, less than 100 watts usually. There is no doubt that if you go the vertical antenna route, you will benefit from whatever radial system you can put down.
Welcome back to ham radio, alot has changed in 40 yrs, but alot is still the same. Hope to hear you on the air one day.

 

[wb6uqa]

vertical antenna

COBRA MAKES A 35 foot ant can be hung from a tree like a vertical dipole

 

[K5MPH]

I have had Ham friends own the GAP antenna and never got good results from it.......

 

[rfradioconsult]

First rule of HF vertical antennas: vertical antennas radiate equally poorly in all directions.

 

[prcguy]

I had a GAP Titan and it didn't work very well. Friends say the larger GAP Challenger works better.
prcguy

I have had Ham friends own the GAP antenna and never got good results from it.......

 

[AK9R]

First rule of HF vertical antennas: vertical antennas radiate equally poorly in all directions.

Vertical antennas radiate better than no antenna.

Every antenna is a compromise. For someone with limited space or limited means, a vertical can be a pretty good compromise.

 

[prcguy]

With adequate ground plane they can work great. My DX Engineering 43ft with 30 something ground radials and an auto tuner at the feed works quite well on 40 through 20m and better than the ZS6BKW dipole on the same property for DX on those bands. Stock with the supplied balun and no radials it was disappointing and with the stock balun and 30ish radials it was starting to wake up.

The Comet 250B and the post about an MFJ pole with wire and 9:1 balun is much worse than the stock DX Eng 43ft vertical with no radials.
prcguy

First rule of HF vertical antennas: vertical antennas radiate equally poorly in all directions.

 

[k9rzz]

Have had good luck with verticals. It's all about the ground system (radials).

 

[chrissim]

I usually roll my eyes when I see outlandish and disparaging comments such as "vertical antennas radiate equally poorly in all directions." Anyone who believes that has never used or built a proper vertical.

I'm fortunate in that I have summers off, which gives me plenty of time to build and experiment. I've played with wire antennas of all types and have recently built a number of ground plane and ground based verticals. I use a number of resources including but not limited to The ARRL Antenna Book, W8JI and LB Cebik. None of those resources report that verticals are a poor choice.

Nothing I've built outperforms my beam, but some come close, which includes using verticals. I admit, there are some extremely weak stations that I can only hear using a beam, but in general everyday HF situations, I've not found a true night and day difference. Each have their place and use, and for some of us we can only erect what our environment dictates.

In terms of verticals, I have read a number of positive reviews on the Cushcraft R-8, if you don't want to build an antenna.

Make the best use of what you have, construct it properly and you'll have a working antenna that will garner DX.

 

[kj3n]

First rule of HF vertical antennas: vertical antennas radiate equally poorly in all directions.

Anything you say, OM. 100w and a vertical antenna. I'm doing so poorly.....

160m PH 02/27/10 0116 CR2X
160m PH 02/27/10 0238 CT1JLZ
160m PH 02/27/10 0245 CN3A
160m PH 02/27/10 0458 EI7M
160m PH 02/28/10 0525 DJ4PT
160m PH 02/28/10 0745 D4C


160m PH 02/24/13 0324 HK1T
160m PH 02/24/13 0420 CR2X
160m PH 02/24/13 0702 CT3DL
160m PH 02/24/13 0718 EI7M


QSO: 1800 PH 2014-02-22 0728 EI7M
QSO: 1800 PH 2014-02-22 0817 HK1NA
QSO: 1800 PH 2014-02-23 0338 CR2X
QSO: 1800 PH 2014-02-23 0511 UA2F


QSO: 1800 PH 2015-02-28 0555 HK1T
QSO: 1800 PH 2015-03-01 0500 OK1W
QSO: 1800 PH 2015-03-01 0505 S57DX
QSO: 1800 PH 2015-03-01 0509 IZ4DPV
QSO: 1800 PH 2015-03-01 0515 OM7M
QSO: 1800 PH 2015-03-01 0753 CU2CE
QSO: 1800 PH 2015-03-01 0805 VE7NY

 

[KE4EVL]

I am running the Hustler 5BTB with ground radials and the performance is great. Sure, I'd like a beam at 80ft, but cannot accomodate at thw QTH andkw height of 30ft or less on my wires is not good for DX on 40M or 80M, so the 5BTV is my DX antenn
So far.. so good.

Sent from my SM-G935P using Tapatalk

 

[phyxer01]

Metal roof mounted vertical

So my question is this: I have a shop building with a 50 x 70 foot metal roof, would that be a good place to mount a vertical HF antenna and use the metal roof as the ground radial system. I'm wanting to purchase a multiband vertical HF antenna and I only want to do it once and do it right. Thank you and God bless. 73.

Troy KF5ETD

 

[prcguy]

Yes, but make sure all the roof panels are bonded together electrically. A friend flew me to Hawaii years ago to install a Butternut HF6V vertical on an old AT&T building that had a solid copper sheet metal roof about 100ft X 100ft square. It worked really well and we used it with a remote control radio from the mainland.
prcguy

So my question is this: I have a shop building with a 50 x 70 foot metal roof, would that be a good place to mount a vertical HF antenna and use the metal roof as the ground radial system. I'm wanting to purchase a multiband vertical HF antenna and I only want to do it once and do it right. Thank you and God bless. 73.

Troy KF5ETD

 

[Golay]

Middle Man

So my question is this: I have a shop building with a 50 x 70 foot metal roof, would that be a good place to mount a vertical HF antenna and use the metal roof as the ground radial system. I'm wanting to purchase a multiband vertical HF antenna and I only want to do it once and do it right. Thank you and God bless. 73.

Troy KF5ETD

I would suggest right smack dab in the middle of the roof, or course. Get that ground plane thing going. prcguy makes a good suggestion about bondage. Also maybe run some radials on the roof, screw 'em down at a few points, making electrical contact with the roof. Should work out real well.
Thanks for the blessings, Lord knows I need it.

 

[wb6uqa]

vertical antenna

If you have power lines nearby a vertical can be very noisy.