Read about W7DGJ's experiences installing and operating a new vertical (new to him -- the Xiegu VG4) and a comparison of how it did against his favorite dipole, the Buckmaster. It was a surprising experience as this vertical has some serious advantages with no required radials, a kilowatt of power handling, and a quiet noise floor! Read the article at this link. What has been your experience with the vertical design and how/when do you switch over to the wire antenna?
Good article! I have a 6BTV, it was an easy install (except for digging the hole for the base) but it does require radials ( a minimum of 20 are recommended), the weren't terribly difficult to install, just tedious, but now all of them have been grown over by nature, so I don't need to worry about the folks that mow the lawn. I also have a fan dipole for 160, 80 and 40 meters, so depending on the band I want to use will depend on the antenna I switch to. 73
Hi John, that's basically what I'm doing here. I always check to see which antenna sounds better before I jump in (if I am going after a DX station for example). I know that the vertical is best for daytime rag chews with local guys on 40m. I know the vertical has great response for most parts of the world using CW and that's where I don't have the amp running at legal limit, so the 1KW limit on the antenna isn't generally an issue. I found few negatives, other than how easy it could have been to tune if the manufacturer had put a piece of tape or a notch on the aluminum tubes to show the ideal position for a close match on SWR. I played around with the vertical way too long before settling in on the current tune. I wonder, what is the tuning process on the 6BTV? I've got one in my garage that I bought at an estate sale and I haven't brought it out and dusted it off yet. As you'd see from my article, I've got some XYL issues with more antennas and radials all over the ground is a nightmare scenario here. Dave, W7DGJ
Dave: good article, as always. I especially like the initial premise that certain hams have a stick up their butt when it comes to antennas, particularly in regards to purchasing one "ready made" vs. rolling your own. Funny how that prejudice doesn't seem to extend to big fancy beams and Yagi's. Tell someone you're purchasing an OptiBeam four band, 17 element yagi and they congratulate you up and down; mention that your thinking of buying a G5RV wire from HRO instead of fabbing up your own, and suddenly your not a true ham! I've got three main antennas here at my QTH, all home brewed: an 80m full-wave horizontal loop, a 110 +/- foot Inverted-L wire that covers 80m-10m, and a 33 foot vertical that's good for 40m-6m. There's not much the Inverted-L can do that the new 80m loop doesn't do better, so it has sorta fallen out of rotation. But there are plenty of times when I can pick signals up on the vertical much clearer, and will switch over to it. It's nice having options.
Good to hear from you Brando! Love your comment at the top about how hams tend to diss others’ antennas. The whole thing about building/buying and being a “real” ham is so true … Dave
What I find humorous is when someone gives me a decent signal report and still manages to diss my antenna. If they can copy me well, why do they care? I have a fairly small backyard which drastically limits my antenna choices. Despite this fact, I have managed to work all continents using a Sigma Eurocomm 1KW rated vertical and an endfed random wire. Late night DX is usually not a challenge for me. I have gotten some flack for using "cheap antennas", however, this is usually only after obtaining a good signal report from my disser. If the antenna is "cheap", then why does it work so darn well? Now let's move on to my selection of radios: While Yaesu radios like the FT-991 and the FT-857D are my personal favorite, I have diversified my working collection and regularly use an ICOM 706, Xiegu G-90, and a uSDX portable rig. Each does its own thing well, and some of them fit in my travel bag better than others. While I prefer my Yaesu FT-991 and my LA-1000-NT amplifier at home, I tend to prefer a Xiegu G-90 while backpacking on a POTA activation. For handhelds, I have the Yaesu FT-70D, the Icom ID-51, and the AnyTone 878 which serve me well. I will admit that I tend to use a Baofeng (or Quansheng) just as often (if not more) because I don't care if something happens to them on the road. As far as POTA antennas are concerned, people love to diss them. I personally prefer the Wolf River Coil added onto a 17' telescopic whip for POTA operation. People can give me a 5-8 or a 5-9 copy yet tell me that I need a few more ground radials (I guess you can never have too many). I'll likely need to lose the 17' whip and upgrade to the Chamelion SS25 to avoid some dissing.
My experience is that just about any vertical is king if you have a small backyard or you need an inconspicuous antenna.
Living in an antenna restricted HOA, my stealth antennas consist of two verticals and remotely switched mono-band dipoles in the attic. But the verticals are not your typical multi-band trapped or mono-band versions of 25 feet or more. Both verticals are Tarheel motorized screwdrivers, one ground-mounted high on a hill with sixty 25’ radials stapled to the ground, and the other one mounted on top of a 70’x6’ steel fence (the counterpoise) at the back boundary of my yard. Both are very low profile (4’ pipe housing the coil and motor, with a 6’ whip), cover 10-80M, adjusted SWR anywhere on all bands at 1.5:1 or less, no tuner needed, and legal-limit capable. The one on the hill obviously works better, with an unobstructed sight line for miles around, far from my and neighbors’ houses, no RFI, and no man-made noise level. But the one on the fence (25’ from the house) is far less noisy than the attic dipoles, thus is better on receive. I do run a Mercury LUX into the hill screwdriver, and have worked close to 300 countries CW/SSB (no FT8), and fairly decent contest scores.running SO2R with two radios into two antennas. Very pleased with their performance, and able to enjoy the hobby with no impact on neighbors or the HOA. 73, Bob K7JQ
Hey Bob, I've seen your web page before and I love the idea of screwdriver antennas in an HOA environment. You've had no gripes from neighbors about the four foot pipe that sticks up from the ground? Nice! I searched long and hard to find (in AZ) a non-HOA neighborhood, and finally did. Luckily, none of those pressures on me. The Xiegu vertical was perfect here, because I did not need 60 radials in the ground, but wouldn't work in an HOA as it's very visible. Dave, W7DGJ
Oh BS. In 60 years of hamming I have never heard anyone on the air "diss" someone else's antenna. People express opinions about antennas all the time. It's called preferences, not "dissing". And nobody but you gives a damn how much you paid for your antenna or rig. You are making up this crap out of thin air because you are desperate to have something, anything, to say. Your ego is in the way and I don't think it's good for ham radio. Nobody cares.
Dave, I've run a number of antennas. My OM (in house HOA) didn't want any outside antennas, so first attempt was 3oft of wire around a 1060's wooden Andersen window with a 30ft counter poise across the basement ceiling. Next was a zig/zag arrangement in the attic, which performed better. When I moved out, a 6ft Antenna Mast driven 4ft into the ground, and a Hustler Multi-Band vertical got me on the air at 6 different rental QTHs. It was awesome for an easy to install/Remove, and made a Landlord friendly setup. I am currently running an antenna I built over 20 years ago, a 3Band trap dipole now at 15ft. At 15ft, it leaves something to be desired in the sensitivity department, but because it is installed less than 1 wavelength high on any of it's 3 bands, it is also a very low noise installation. Also, because Dipoles by design are bi-directional, it's NE/SW installation on the lot favors the East Coast and West Coast over North/South. Both signal reports and RBN verifies the pattern. So all in all, it seems to me that trying to compare antennas depends on your performance criteria, available space, and restrictions. If you are looking for a truly omni directional antenna, the Vertical fits the bill. You will need to adjust your radials and height to change your radiation angle to fit your needs and desired noise level. Searching around, I found this article which you may find useful. It describes the affects off different soils and ground radial setups for verticals. https://www.qsl.net/l/lu7did/docs/QRPp/09.pdf GL 73, Ron WB9YZU
Thanks Ron. I enjoyed the article you referenced -- much of it went over my head, but there were some key points being made that should be in consideration when installing a traditional vertical antenna. In the case of the antenna I added (the one in the article from Xiegu) it doesn't require or benefit from additional radials. Yes, hard to believe but after experimenting with that antenna I think they are right. It's usable "out of the box," once you get past their arcane and hard-to-understand installation instructions. I just bought a Hustler 5-BTV in an estate sale. I think I'll go ahead and try to put it up in comparison to the VG4 with perhaps 20 radials. We'll see how that fares. Thanks Ron! Dave, W7DGJ
