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blind spot?

It really is simple.
You're making a 2 element beam by hanging the reflector wire.
Now the only drawback to it is that you are "pointed" in one direction.
You can get fancy and rig up some rope and pulleys to move the reflector and you can even go as far as hanging additional wires in front of the dipole for directors which will increase your gain.
 
Attached is an EXCEL spreadsheet where you fill in the following information:

1) Site #1, Lat/Long in Deg/Min/Sec (Get from google map or google earth)
2) Site #2, Lat/Long in Deg/Min/Sec (Get from google map or google earth)
3) Transmit Frequency
4) Site #1 & #2, Antenna Gain
5) Site #1 & #2, Antenna Gain
6) Site #1 & #2, Miscellaneous Losses (ie, cable loss)
7) Transmit Power
8) Main Obstacle Height (ie, Hill, Building, etc) in ft
9) Approximate Distance to Obstacle in miles

Look for a Typical Received Signal Level above 3 microvolt for successful contact. This will also calculate the path distance in both Miles and Kilometers. This will help give you a good idea of what is needed for reliable ground wave coverage.

Have fun!

Mike
 

Attachments

  • PathCalc.xls
    24.5 KB · Views: 4
Your welcome 8valve. Just remember that this is an approximation; not gospel. You will find times when you can have communications with less than perfect facts and figures. That's what makes radio magical and mystical. Just use this worksheet as a guide; especially at CB frequencies. This worksheet becomes more exact (or closer at best) at VHF and UHF frequencies (150 MHz and above).

73,
Mike
 

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