[Antennas] Re Tower installation

Fri Oct 2 02:26:45 EDT 2009

Garry,
A bit of clarification and then let's leave this subject. I was
contradicting one poster's remarks about coax and used my station as an
example where the use of coax has not hindered me in working DX. 
"Don't waste your time using coax on a dipole; it's a lie perpetrated by
the ARRL."
At my station all the feed lines are run underground in conduit so it is
much easier for me to use coax for my beams, dipoles, phased verticals
and so on. For others whose station design and purpose is different
than mine, the use of a tuner and window line does the job.
The above quote is misleading and I set out to refute it.
Doug
I'll run the race and I will never be the same again. 
-----Original Message-----
Great for you Doug. Congrats on being so high up on the honour role.
Not sure how that qualifies the presumption that coax is superior to
Ladder line though. The way I see it, each has its advantages and
disavantages. Like you, for years I used only coax until I found
myself living in an area with antenna restrictions. In order to get a
simplistic multiband setup I decided to try ladder line and never
looked back. I use ladder line whenever I can now. What easier way
is there to get a simple wire antenna up that will tune from 160
through 6 meters? None as far as I am concerned.
Tuners are a pita you say? Well I am using a MFJ autotuner, to a
balun, to my open wire line. I guess it is a pain to have to turn the
power down for a second to tune but the tuner does it's thing in a
fraction of a second and then I turn the power back up. I am more
than willing to put up with that degree of inconvenience to have all
band capabilities on a single antenna made of wire.
I suspect it is a matter of perspective. For you it's coax and I'll
bet there is a high tower and a large Yagi fed with a full legal limit
amplifier. for me it's a simple wire fed with open wire line and a
generally bearfoot rig. I just can't see though were the coax makes a
more convienent setup.
My first post ever here but I just wanted to jump in a give a
different viewpoint on the coax versus open wire line debate (if there
is one.) I note that many of the old timers operating on 160 meters
that seem to have really good signals are using ladder line to feed
their antenna. I think there has to be a good reason for that.
I'm not dissing you, I just think back a few years when I was a solid
advocate of coax but that was before I gave the open wire feed line a
fair chance. I wish someone had been more positive when discussing it
back when I got my ticket and had convinced me to give it a try. Far
from being inconvienient I find it refreshingly simple to use. No
cutting and trimming of the antenna. None of the up the tower, adjust,
then down the tower thing. Call me lazy I guess but for some like me
who choose to operate in a different fashion than some others choose,
the open wire line is just too easy. I have worked stations all over
the world but I don't really care whether I do or not so I am not
anywheres near dxcc that I have any record of. What I do like is to
work all bands and I like to rag chew. I just don't place a lot of
importance on a contact that consists of "You are 59 OM, QRZ?"
Cheerio and good dx
73
Garry