Re: [HCDX]: One last beverage question

[Jorma Mantyla <jmantyla@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

David Onley asked:
> Would like to hear from you guys on how you feel about running the beverages
> partially along the ground?

We have tested this several times in Scandinavia, here in Southern Finland
along ground and in the Arctic along snow.
The signal becomes weaker if the antenna runs along the ground or snow.
If the whole antenna is on the ground or snow, the attenuation is 2-3
S-units.  If it is partly on ground, the attenuation might be 1 S-unit.
That is why you should avoid this as much as possible.
However, it is difficult to give exact figures as the effect of the
Beverage antenna varies locally because of ground conductivity (trees,
lakes, coastal areas). In fact, every Beverage is individual and that is
why it never works exactly as described in theoretical antenna handbooks.
Even weather changes more or less the pattern of a Beverage; during rain
it is different than during hot warm summer or in extreme coldness.
Generally, the resistor at the end of the antenna should be grounded
into wet ground.  I have found that ponds and/or swamp areas are best
for grounding.

> at the end. Or as I said not at all. Curious questions. Of course we  would
> like to have the entire length on poles.

Several tests have indicated that the suitable height is about 3-4 meters.
This gives the best signal strenght and protects the antenna of animals
like reindeers and moose.
We don't have kangaroos here in the Arctic   ;-)
BTW, temperature here in Southern Finland is now -25C.  Yesterday they 
had -48C in Lapland...

Jorma Mantyla
Kangasala, Finland
http://www.kaapeli.fi/~jmantyla/
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