Best base antenna for skip

[w9cll]

True...Yes, you can talk DX with a ground plane or dipole, but when the airways are crowded, you need all the help you can get to get thru the mess...And that's where a beam antenna will out perform any ground plane antenna out there since they magnify your power and signal...More elements you have, more signal you have getting magnified so people on the other end can hear you threw all the noise.

With a beam, you can hear stations in DX that otherwise you wouldn't even know was there...

And they work just as well for local stations if you have one with dual polarity so you can switch to vertical for local.

There is one downside to beams tho, and that is they are directional, so when local talking you may find yourself having to turn the house around allot to talk to your buddies in your area...

I agree with everything you say here but if you read the OP post he is going for his Tech ticket. Once you get away from the crap on 11 meters dx becomes fun again and a lot easier with a simple dipole. If your goal is to remain on 11 meters then open your wallet because DX cost money.

Again there is no reason not to put up a big beam, even in the ham bands but in keeping with the vein of this thread you don't need it as much once you get away from 11 meters (or the freeband above 405).

 

[Tucker442]

Nope thats total crap as well. The title of the thread is best antenna for talking skip was it not? I was just pointing out that "skip" is less a product of the antenna and more a product of mother nature. When the band is open ANY antenna will talk "skip" will it not? You know this is true.... get the signal in the air and let nature do its magic...

I give up....

I'm with W9cll it all depends on conditions and that's the bottom line. A piece of 12 gauge wire in a tree might work better than a 6 element beam depending on conditions.

 

[w9cll]

Again,in my neck of the woods,those serious DX'ers run horizontal beams with an omni on top for locals.

When I ran 11 meters I had a Avanti PDL2 at 70' with a Big Stick on top of it. Then I became a ham and learned more about antennas (trust me there are many on here that know more about antennas then I do). When I first was a ham I ran VHF only and had a pair of Cushcraft 17b2's stacked at 80' and a full KW to it. When I moved to hf I learn that a simple dipole can work wonders. A dipole at 1/4 wave length up and in a "V" format is good around HF antenna.

 

[2CO3026]

...A dipole at 1/4 wave length up and in a "V" format is good around HF antenna.

Personally, I prefer an inverted-V configuration. But that's just me...

 

[HomerBB]

A few days ago I drove around town on errands in my mobile. Short skip conditions had me making contacts from Michigan to new Mexico, and Texas to Iowa, with one or two Ohio and Tennessee calls thrown in. The antenna was a Radio Shack bottom load, thin whip roof mounted inexpensive mobile paired to a Galaxy 88 and no amp in line. Fun.

I arrived home and went to my Moxon mounted right at one wavelength above the earth. Nothing in my receive . . .
I switched to my extended dipole mounted horizontal at 18' above the earth. Nada . . .
I went to the EFHW sitting at 28' to the feed point. A very faint whisper of voices . . .

I didn't want to sit in the mobile working the cacophony of voices from around the country flooding into my receive so I turned the volume down on the base radio and went off to do other things.

The mobile antenna is not my best antenna, but it was the best for the conditions of the moment.

If I had to choose only one of the antennas mentioned in my post it would be the horizontal Moxon at the greatest height of the four I tried (I have three more in the attic). It most consistently nets me contacts and that is where it is at for me.

"Oh consistency, thou art a jewel"

 

[w9cll]

Personally, I prefer an inverted-V configuration. But that's just me...

Actually that is what I meant...

 

[DXman]

Back to the question: "is there a 4 element beam,that I could run about 10ft above my deck that would be worth the investment ?"

Maybe A Maco 4 element could work, as long as it's not jammed up tight to your house or close anything metal. How well it will work is not known until you try it.

I think I would want to go with Maco V quad first tho. I don't know much about beams, for I've only used one type in the last 38 yrs, so not much help here for you.

 

[Mudfoot]

Buy one or build one and put it up. If it works, then WTH.

 

[Mustang 131]

A 4 element yagi will give you large gain over any ground plane @ 10' over your house.
I have a neighbor that runs a 3 element maco @ about 10' over his house and he's always getting his name called on 6,11,28

 

[Beetle]

Try several different antennas and see what "works" best for YOU.

 

[vkrules]

The little Siro 4 element works well. But as stated earlier there are times ,although rare ,when my gainmaster will outperform it.I noticed when that happens it's usually with that short 1000 mile skip, not on the long path to Europe for example. As for only 10 ft above your deck can't answer that to many variables . What I can say is my yagi is only 10 ft above the peak of my roof and works very well

 

[The Bruce]

**Jump_im**

 

[Mudfoot]

That antenna is no more.

 

[222DBFL]

Duster that is the one that got destroyed during a storm? That tower will take years to rebuild if they do decide to fix it. What a mess that must be for the climbers that work on it or did work on it. My climber would be bitching up a storm if he had to go up that thing lol.

 

[The Bruce]

That antenna is no more.

I know, I know. I just thought it might be a "halfway decent" antenna that could shoot skip somewhat "marginally," lol.

I honestly couldn't even fathom an amateur antenna system like that until a few of you posted about it last year.