[IRCA] We now return you to your regularly scheduled DXing

["Les Rayburn" <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Speaking of DXing, I could use some advice from my betters. As you may recall, I'm
entering into a deed restricted neighborhood with a no-nonsense homeowners
association. Good news is that all utilities are underground for miles around,
and the neighborhood is Q*U*I*E*T from an RF standpoint. 

We move in at the end of this month, and I expect that reassembling the radio
shack may take until June or so. After a careful survey and consideration, it
looks like the new "antenna farm" will look like this: 

A. A horizontal HF loop antenna mounted up about ten feet. Tuned with one
of those nifty SGC autocouplers. This will be hidden just behind the
privacy fence in the backyard. Total length about 270 feet. 

B. LF Engineering Active Whips (2 of them) Mounted about 60 feet
apart, also hidden in the back yard. 

C. Wellbrook 3 foot diameter broadband loop. Mounted on a rotor
in the attic or perhaps outside in the back yard as well. 

D. The best news of all...I have a drainage ditch on my cul-de-sac
lot right next to the house. It's quite wide (20 yards or so) and
will never be developed. It runs for about 3/4 of a mile in a nearly
due South direction. Before fall comes, I'm going to try to
hide a BOG wire with ground stakes. 

My questions are legion, but here are the big ones: 

1. Should I terminate the beverage antenna, concentrating most
of it's pattern towards the South? I have few LA loggings, other
than Cuba. But then again, my Spanish is not so good. 

If I leave it unterminated, I might be able to snag some more
stations to the North, including much needed New England...but
I'd have to phase out those Southern signals. 

2. What would be the optimum mounting for the new active whips? I
suspect that they'll do the bulk of the work. Plan to feed both
to the Quantum Phaser and switch in the loop, beverage,or
HF loop if I'm having trouble with a null or skywave angle. 

3. As some may know, I'm a Westerner at heart, and
love to log new "K" calls more than anything. Alas,to 
the West are several neighbors homes, ruling out
any wires in that direction. Any suggestions on
how I could continue to log stations in that direction?

Perhaps an EWE or something? But it can't be higher than
the eight foot tall privacy fence. 

Any thoughts, suggestions, gratefully accepted. 

73,
 



Les Rayburn, director
High Noon Film
100 Centerview Drive Suite 111
Birmingham, AL 35216
205.824.8930
205.824.8960 Fax
205.253.4867 Cell
http://www.highnoonfilm.com
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