Cobweb vs vertical

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IK2GNP

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Hello, I'm attempting to understand if replacing my actual HF antenna would be a goo idea or not.
Now I have a single, multiband trapped vertical antenna from 40m to 6m bands.
It is installed on my roof, about 10 meters from the ground on a 2 meters mast over the roof (you can see a photo in my qrz.com profile).
It works well, I made QSO with many countries in every part of the world, but it is noisy, particularly on 40m but many times in the upper bands too.
So I'm thinking to test a Cobweb, maybe that made by AWK (polish ham and antennas manufacturer). It covers the same bands as my vertical, 40m through 6m.
The Cobweb would be installed on a taller mast (about 4 to 5 meters).
As I can't leave both antennas on the roof at the same time, I can't make any comparison on myself. And I want to avoid making a big job just to understand that my actual situation would be better than the new one.
Anyone did make test in similar conditions with such antennas?
I also evaluated the Hexbeam but it is too large, particularly adding the 40m band, and it obviously needs a good rotator. So this option was discarded.
Any possible suggestion is welcome and very appreciated. Thanks.
 

AK4PY

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I've got a cobweb mounted on a 30ft pole in my backyard. It often matches or outperforms my 80M endfed halfwave on 20M through 10M, plus it has 6M too. The cobweb performed the same when it was just 12ft off the ground. I cannot say that the cobweb will be better than your vertical, but I can say it is a good antenna. I would not put it on your roof unless you are trying to talk as far locally as you can. Maybe keep the vertical where it is and add a cobweb in the backyard? Add a switch to compare between the two. I bet you will find that each outperforms the other randomly. If you find that one is always better then you can ditch the other.
 

KF0NYL

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I was using a MFJ-2389 multi band vertical and have since switched to an AWK Cobweb antenna. I get better performance out of the cobweb plus it is a lot quieter for me. I have a satellite J mount on top of my roof with an 8 foot fence post attached which puts the cobweb at 24 feet above the ground. The MFJ was attached to the same pole before switching to the cobweb.

There are always trade offs. I lost 40m and 80m but gained 12m and 17m when I switched to the cobweb.
 
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