KK5F:
I too have been using wire dipoles as well as verticals and more or less sloping wires. I totally agree that the dipoles (actually inverted vees in my case) are superior over the rocky soil around here, but I don't see a 30 dB difference; more like 6 to 12 dB (no rigorous measurement done). To me, the portable hf rig is safety equipment for hiking, and the technology faces tough comparisons with cell phones and fm handies/repeaters. With solar flares being an extreme case, there is a wide range of "bad" hf conditions that fights our ability to make a contact. Antennas always deserve more attention, but more power would certainly also help the scoring average, even if the increase is only 1 dB. Better receive filtering would help a lot too, as would coverage of the higher bands. 73, Erik K7TV ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
