160M

[KI4PRK]

Hey all: I've heard a lot about topband and as I love a good challenge I'd like to get on 1.8. I may have enough room for a Beverage, but if I don't? Then what? And what for transmit? I'm currently using a borrowed Yaesu FT-890, if that makes a difference. vry73, de Brennen KI4PRK age 13

[KA9VQF]

According to Rig Pix the rig will cover 160M. I’ve messed around a little with the band. I’ve had the best luck with an inverted L. If you have a nice tall tree to spin it over and enough room for at least two counterpoise radials you might do well.

The first inverted L I built was really bad here at my house so I gave it to another fellow who strung it up almost identically to what I had here and it is ‘the bomb’ at his house. The only real difference is it is now about 60 miles south of here.

I used around 60 feet of RG-8U coax to go between my tuner and the antenna and he is using two lengths of RG-58U coax with a barrel connector in it.

He is using the same wire for radiator and counterpoise as I had here but we had to zig and zag one of them a lot more than I had them here.

The one I have now isn’t much better, at least here. The locals fellows can’t hear me well enough to have a conversation and while I can hear some fellows out there a ways they can’t hear me.

I borrowed one of the whisbang MFJ antennalizers when I was cutting my wire and was really happy with what it was telling me about the antenna.

Even my meters tell me that I am putting out close to full power with the TS-820S {right around 100W} and the tuner makes a pretty good match for me.

Without the tuner the meter tells me that I have a 2:1 SWR so I’m not sure how much power is burned up when I do use the tuner.

I’ll keep messing with it and one day maybe I’ll have it all right and be able to talk to he locals at least.

[K9KJM]

160 IS a fun band! # I put up a number of "shortened" Beverage receive antennas (680 or so feet long each) a few years ago by simply tossing light wire over tree branches about 10 feet up in a straight line extending on over my neighbors property to get the full length. VERY good low noise receive antennas! #But I have heard of others using a Loop receive antenna with very good results. # By all means, Do get the book "Low Band DXing" By ON4UN. Lots of good ideas for 160 antennas in it.

[N4AUD]

I've got up a full wave horizontal loop (so called "loop skywire&quot fed with balanced feedline. Works fine for receive and transmit.

[ZD7X]

Ask what W6OAR what he is using for an antenna on 160 & copy him. He was 579 here on a dipole that I had up for two days. Just a HUGE signal!!!


Tom ZD7X

[W4HAY]

Seems like a bunch of nice folks and is often referred to as "the gentleman's band". The short time I was on, I enjoyed it. If I can get some trees cleared out, I'll be back on.

I've heard quite a few using two-band coax-fed dipoles with 80/75 meter traps. The total length is around 210 ft.

The open-wire fed doublet seems popular also, and allows multiband use. The length is close to 250 ft.

The band can be very quiet on mid-winter evenings.

[KL7AJ]

Yip, the perverted-L seems to be the best way to get started. I've had one up for ages...and it's STAYED up, oddly enough.

eric

[KL7AJ]

Quote[/b] (ZD7X @ Oct. 03 2007,05:53)]Ask what W6OAR what he is using for an antenna on 160 & copy him. He was 579 here on a dipole that I had up for two days. Just a HUGE signal!!!


# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # Tom ZD7X

From the photo on his info page, it looks like he's using some kind of Saguaro cactus or something..

[AB8UG]

Antenna choice will be based on whether you want to operate DX or local (within about 500 miles). DX will require a vertical in order to get the take off angle low enough. A doublet or a loop will have a higher take off angle but is good for local operation. The wave length of 160 makes it almost impossible to put a loop or doublet one half wavelength above the ground for the lower take off angle.
I have a full wave loop and an inverted vee up and am happy with both. The loop is a little quieter on receive. I work a 160 net (1895mhz ssb) from MI and talk to MI, OH, WI, IL, IN,ON Canada, WV, KY, MO, and sometimes Fl, GA,PA, CT. Most stations on this net are using doublets or loops. A few have good results with the inverted L. Setting up a 160 antenna can be a little frustrating.
I had to try quite a few things before I hit on the right combination for an efficient transmit antenna. It is worth the effort. Give it a try and have fun with it.
73

[K0RGR]

The best antenna I ever had for 160 was a 'folded inverted L'.

This antenna was built from 300-ohm TV ribbon cable. It was cut to 1/4 wavelength on 160, and the far end of the cable was shorted together. On the feed end, the antenna was fed through a large variable capacitor, and the other side of the ribbon cable was connected to a network of buried radials - as many as I could fit on my lot.

I managed to work a little bit of DX with this antenna - something never achieved with any other by me, and I've had dipoles and loops on that band, too.