Colin, thanks much well it looks like I will have to lower the antenna a
little bit.


Junior Lolley KG4ITD Liberty County E. C.

-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of colin McDonald
Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2010 4:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: nvis antenna

it'll depend on which bands you wish to work NVIS on.
Typically, 160 and 80/75M are the usable NVIS bands.
You want your main radiating wire down pretty low, say between 5 and 15 feet

off the ground.  It has to be in a horizontal configuration.  Some guys will

put another wire along the ground as a paracytic element.  A dipole at 30FT 
will have some NVIS properties, but not like something that is 8 or 10 feet 
off the ground.
One of the best antennas I ever built was an 80M NVIS wire.  essentially 
just a piece of 14 gage copper wire strung in a large U shape around a fence

line.  I made the wire about 68 feet long, connected the center conducter of

a coax to one end, and the ground of the coax to a cold water pipe that went

straight into the ground near the feed point.  The antenna was no more than 
5 feet off the ground.  I cut about 6 inches at a time off the far end from 
the feed point until I obtained a 1 to 1 match at 3.750.  The final length 
was probably around 65 feet.  The U was approximately 20 feet per side, with

the longer leg being 25 feet long...the one that came back towards the feed 
point was the long side, that is, on the opposite side of the you...so the 
end of the antenna was actually about 5 feet back past the feet point, but 
20 feet across the yard...this was a duplex back yard so there wasn't much 
room for an antenna.  I just layed the wire on the top rail of the wooden 
fence and used large staples to keep it from blowing off.
That antenna would consistently perform very well out to about 1200 miles in

any direction, and more often than not could talk and hear into ontario, 
about 2500 miles to the east.  It was a great NVIS antenna and the signals 
within that 1200 miles were almost always S9 and above...that is the great 
thing about NVIS antennas.  they perform extremely well for what they are 
designed to do.
Now, if that antenna had been up at 30FT, I don't think it would have 
performed as well.
regards
Colin

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Junior Lolley" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2010 4:39 AM
Subject: nvis antenna


>I have a 132 foot dipole I want to use for NVIS.
> I have sandy soil here in Florida.
> What is the best height off the ground to have each end?
> It is 30 foot center on the tower.
> I now have each end about 10 foot off the ground.
> I am trying to mess around with NVIS a little bit.
> if anyone can give me a little info it would help.
> Thanks very much.
>
>
>
> Junior Lolley KG4ITD Liberty County E. C.