Good antenna for 80 and 160

[N2RJ]

Besides four squares, what are good gain antennas for 80 and 160?

I'm looking to add to my low band arsenal as all I have right now for 80 is a single vertical that isn't doing so well.

No yagis please. I don't live in rural Japan and if I put up an 80m yagi, the town is sure to come after me with torches and pitch forks. :lol:

I've been reading ON4UN's low band DXing, btw. Really nice book. It has a lot of explanation about the four square arrays and also 5 rectangle arrays and triangle arrays.

Other antenna's to look into are Sterba Curtains.

Basically, anything horizontally polarized needs to be high off the ground.

There is a "Box Antenna" that claims better gain at the lower radiation angles. I need to try that someday.

[n8vw]

Besides four squares, what are good gain antennas for 80 and 160?

I'm looking to add to my low band arsenal as all I have right now for 80 is a single vertical that isn't doing so well.

No yagis please. I don't live in rural Japan and if I put up an 80m yagi, the town is sure to come after me with torches and pitch forks. :lol:

I've been reading ON4UN's low band DXing, btw. Really nice book. It has a lot of explanation about the four square arrays and also 5 rectangle arrays and triangle arrays.

For a simple antenna that works on 80/160, I would use a 90' vertical, base insulated. This is 3/8 wavelength on 80 and you have to use base loading on 160. Add lots of radials (cut grass short and pin to ground, grass will grow over them and you can then mow). I use this antenna at a friends station for a number of years, and it works well. Some highlights, running JA's on 160 from Ohio, 23 in one morning (Old ja band above 1900). Over 70 JA's worked during a ARRL DX CW, started working them before their sunset and even worked some 5 qrp stations. Numerous qrp DX contacts on 160 including VK and ZL.

[WV6Z]

Build a Carolina Windom for about $130.

[kc4umo]

I just installed a 400 foot long wire. It is shaped like a "C".
Does pretty good. Not bad at all.It is only 8 feet off the ground at the lowest point and 14 at the highest.

I am impressed.

[WV6Z]

I just installed a 400 foot long wire. It is shaped like a "C".
Does pretty good. Not bad at all.It is only 8 feet off the ground at the lowest point and 14 at the highest.

I am impressed.

Sounds like a nearly perfect receive antenna.

[N2RJ]

Besides four squares, what are good gain antennas for 80 and 160?

I'm looking to add to my low band arsenal as all I have right now for 80 is a single vertical that isn't doing so well.

No yagis please. I don't live in rural Japan and if I put up an 80m yagi, the town is sure to come after me with torches and pitch forks. :lol:

I've been reading ON4UN's low band DXing, btw. Really nice book. It has a lot of explanation about the four square arrays and also 5 rectangle arrays and triangle arrays.

For a simple antenna that works on 80/160, I would use a 90' vertical, base insulated. This is 3/8 wavelength on 80 and you have to use base loading on 160. Add lots of radials (cut grass short and pin to ground, grass will grow over them and you can then mow). I use this antenna at a friends station for a number of years, and it works well. Some highlights, running JA's on 160 from Ohio, 23 in one morning (Old ja band above 1900). Over 70 JA's worked during a ARRL DX CW, started working them before their sunset and even worked some 5 qrp stations. Numerous qrp DX contacts on 160 including VK and ZL.


What did you use for the 160m vertical?

Guyed, obviously?

[n4aud]

I'm a fanatic about my 160m loop fed with ladder line. I'm going to be trying to get it up higher in the next few weeks, weather permitting.

[KC8TCQ]

I'm a fanatic about my 160m loop fed with ladder line. I'm going to be trying to get it up higher in the next few weeks, weather permitting.


There is a gentleman who lives in the town I grew up in, he has a 160m loop up, on 4 90 ft towers. He also has legs that bisect it that switch for other bands.

We tried to come up with something similar for field day 2 years ago, but couldn't get it to tune properly.

[ka4dpo]

A Bruce array will provide gain and some directivity but you will need some tall supports and a good bit of realestate. A terminated Rhombic will also provide the goods but again you need a very large space for one at those frequencies.

[N2RJ]

6 acres is what I have, mostly forested.

I am already planning some beverages towards Europe and also South America for RX.

For TX on 80 I think I'll go with a four square.

For 160, I have a loop ready to put up, but from what I understand they are cloud warmers more than anything else.

[KI4BNC]

personally I put up a "random length loop"I don't know how long it is but It took the whole spool and then some.got it up as high as I could and surprisingly it will tune almost anywhere.
30' in some places 10 in others.helps if you have some trees to work with.and maybe a tower.I also fed it with the biggest,baddest twinlead I could get my paws on.some kind of copper-clad steel core bi#ch wire I don't even remember where I found it but it works fine.WITH A GOOD TUNER.so thats it.hope it helps.

[K1OU]

Have you considered an inverted L strung from the tower? Get a 200 foot piece of wire, string it as high as possible up the tower, with at least six feet of separation from the tower, then stretch the rest of the wire horizontally. Try to get at least sixty of the wire in the vertical plane.

Then, at the base, string as many radials as possible, feed it with 450 to a 4:1 balun, and then a short run of coax to the tuner.

Not only is this cheap, it is effective for both high angle and DX work, as lobes are present in both planes.

[N2RJ]

Yes, I have considered an inverted L for 160. My friend Peter, W2IRT uses one.

[N8YX]

If you have a really tall tree (or a really tall tower), look into a sloper setup.

Put four or five in the air, at 90 or 72-degree angles from each other around the vertical support...feed them through a tower-mounted switchbox in such a fashion that only one is "active" at any given time, and the feedlines for the others are shorted at the switchbox. This in effect turns the unused elements into reflectors and will result in a forward gain of 3-4 dB in the direction of the 'active' antenna. Of course, you'll have a decent F/B ratio with this arrangement as well.

The 1980 (?) ARRL Antenna Handbook had a writeup of the array - including details of the switchbox. If you cannot find it online and want a copy, let me know.

I built one for 40/80/160 and have incorporated a remote-control antenna tuner into the design. Just waiting on the real estate to hang it...

[N2RJ]

Wow, that sounds good!

I have trees that are 90-100ft tall.