Kenny, You have gotten some good commments already, but I'll add my two cents.
It's not always RDF that matters -- it's the shape and direction of the pattern. Remember that a pair in echelon will push the main lobe to one side, and have improved front-to-side rejection on the side with the rearward element. The amount depends on spacing. The best front-to-side should be in the more southerly direction, where more storms occur. Here in WI, I had an echelon pair (550 ft each) to Europe, with 70 ft offset and 50 ft separation. I could select them singly or as a pair. A/B comparison demonstrated substantial improvement in both F/B and rejection to the south and SE, which was especially useful for reducing QRM in pileups and contests. 73, Gary K9AY --------------------------- Date: Tue, 23 Aug 2022 16:07:26 -0400 From: Kenny Silverman <[email protected]> To: topband <[email protected]> Subject: Topband: Beverage upgrade question Message-ID: <[email protected]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8 In a rural area with no significant man made noise, if you redesign a beverage for better RDF when do you start to notice a difference? I?m considering upgrading my single EU beverage at 625? (190m) to a pair in echelon where will each be 550? (168m) with 20? (6m) spacing . The increase in RDF is 0.8 dB - will it be noticeable? I realize if there?s noise in a direction where you reduce the energy you will better hear the difference , but my EU beverage is quiet. Though the F/B change will help with thunder storms off the back. Overall I tend to receive better than I transmit to EU. 73 , Kenny K2KW --- This email has been checked for viruses by AVG. https://www.avg.com _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
