Vertical antenna stacking article

K1WHS has pretty much set the high bar for a fixed 2M array. I wouldnt bother with a Quagi, as there is no benefit Ive ever seen modeled by serious 2M ops; all it adds is construction complexity. Small end mounted yagis with very low loss phasing lines is the way to go IMO. Dave could narrow the beamwidth due to his location and the population centers to maximize contest Q's. He still has the big rotary array for the other directions.
Also consider that as you stack the elevation beam keeps compressing. It will eventually become useless for aurora and most meteor scatter. I suggest checking out Lionel's, VE7BQH, 2M antenna page and see what is really in use. Just type VE7BQH into Google and you will have enough to keep you busy for a week!

I found that a pair of CC 4218XL's (with VE7BQH recommended mods) were sufficient to push the limits on terrestial tropo, MS, aurora and Eskip and heard moon echos many times at the horizon; I run a HB 3CX1000A7 amp at 1500W there. They are being replaced with 17B2's as the others succumed to an ice storm after almost 20 years of duty. Im almost tempted to do a quad but dont think I'll like the narrowed azimuth pattern. I have a pair of HB 31 elements stacked on 432 and its damn sharp; the overland tropo record still stands however. And the 33 thru 55 el loopers for 903/1296/2304 almost need skeds and laser aiming. The 1296 is a quad of 45 el.

Carl

 

Agreed. However, if I put up a large VHF array, it would be for tropo work, since that's what I'm most interested in. (I like challenges.

Something occurred to me while reading another thread about a single very long antenna. Isn't it true that it is difficult to get the elevation angle down real low without vertical stacking, even with a very long, high gain Yagi?