160 Meters with W1VTP station

[w1vtp]

Well, no one was on 80M so I tuned down to 160M  and heard several stations some at way over S9.  This is being done on an 80M dipole with a tuner.  I tried checking in a couple times and got "I think Al VTP is in there" but that was about all the response I got.

Looks like I need to get going on the additional hardware I need for doing the 160 ant.  Even than I'll only have 25 Watts AM

Maybe I'll see youse guys

Al

[w8khk]

Al, are you looking at a separate antenna, or do you plan to lengthen you existing dipole? 

I was able to work a couple stations in Michigan from my Georgia QTH on 160, using low power and a 125 foot dipole fed with window line via a Dentron pi/toroid tuna.  I was weak but readable.

I have considered adding some length to the dipole, which is up 85 feet at one end, and 45 feet at the other end.  If I lengthen it for a close match on 160, then it would be close to a full wavelength on 75.  I hesitate to do this, because I wonder how well it would feed on 75.   I would think the impedance would be rather high, with a half wavelength each side of the center insulator.  But at 125 feet, it works ok on 40, so maybe I should not be concerned.  I do not have room for separate 160 and 75 antennas.  If I go the long antenna route, would I need to switch to a link coupled tank tuna like the matchbox?  What should one do?

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Make it about 3/8 wavelength on 160 and it will yield reasonable feedpoint impedances on the rest of the bands. What you get at the tuner will depend on the length of the feedline, but at least you will be starting off with something reasonable at the feedpoint.

[w1vtp]

Thanks guys for the response. 

I'm considering two maybe three options at the moment.  First, I do have traps for extending my current 75M dipole for 160m operation.  Only difficulty in that is that I have to climb up on the roof of my house for the south end.  The north end is fixed to a utility pole (mine) via a pulley so that's not a problem.  I just gotta get a ladder that will get me up to where I can climb onto the roof.

The other option I'm considering is an off center fed 160 meter "carolina windom" so that the feed point would be reasonable for where the shack is located (the shack is located at one end of the 400' run of my property).  I have a row of trees I can use as sky hooks for that ANT.

Yet another option I suppose would be to feed a long wire -- I do have a  Mighty Fine Junk tuna I can use.  I'm wondering if I should run a counterpoise under the long wire in that case.

Then there's the PW 25 watts I hafta take care of.

Al

[W3SLK]

I found that if you just get the wire out there, it makes all the difference in the world. I used to have a postage stamp for a backyard and it was small but I was able to put out a very respectable signal with the cloudburner I erected, (545' wire).