Hi Frank You wrote " . A vertical over a salt marsh or within about a wavelength of salt water will produce 6 dB or more of gain at low angles compared to a vertical with poorly conducting soil in its reflection zone "
The assumption that "next to the water" is the same as "in the water" , is a not right. It is not the same ! I listen to George signal with vertical "in the water " and the 10 db difference in signal is real. Moving the antenna on the beach and you lose 10 db or even more on practice, not on paper. I see that on my S meter more than a dozen times. George has a vertical on his house in Miami, the ground plane is just a plate down the water. The vertical is made with fiberglass pole 18m high. My antenna is a full size vertical with a good radial system over the Everglade land, if I dig 2 Ft I have water from the Everglade underground river. George can run a pile up from Europe with 10W, I can keep up with him running legal limit power. We are talking about 160m only. 73's JC N4IS _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
