Tom,

I think Ed's antenna is pretty standard for 80 meters.  130 to 133 feet 
probably depending on which part of 75/80 meters you are most interested 
in.  Double this length for 160.  Although with a good tuner you may be 
able to get  80 meter size   to do something on 160.

As for open wire length;  I had looked into something like this several 
years ago and this is what I was told by DX Engineering:

Open wire feed line should be 1/8 (or odd multiple of 1/8) wave length 
on the lowest freq of operation, times the velocity factor.   Then you 
get into the whole 1:1 or 4:1 balun debate.  Kind of like the old 
"Tastes great -less filling" conundrum.

The standard 102 ft. G5RV  can be loaded on 160, but may be a pain to 
get it right.  My first 160 antenna was coax fed and only 124 ft. long 
Very narrow 160 bandwidth,  but I worked 47 states and 25 DXCC countries 
with 100 watts over about 3 winter seasons.

Besides other options considered, you could modify your current DXCC by 
adding some coils and extra wire.   Another thought is to  go with a 
coax fed antenna that will give you 160 and  also resonance on other 
bands you don't currently have.   If your DXCC is resonant on 75, maybe 
do a antenna that is  resonant on 80 and 160, or vice versa if the DXCC 
is good on 80.   You could add  WARC bands either by loading coils, or 
parallel dipoles like the DXCC.  If going to the time and trouble of 
putting up 2 antennas, you might as well get as many bands of operation 
as possible.


73 Steve KW3A






On 9/30/2011 8:07 AM, Tom Behler wrote:
>      Howard:
>
> I had considered the G5RV you just ordered, but it is too long for my
> property.  As it is, the Carolina Windom 160 Compact I'm trying to use is
> 134 feet long, and I have had to borrow a neighbor's tree for one of the
> ends.
>
> Therein lies my problem, especially in light of my desire to find a good way
> to get on 160 in the wintertime.
>
> 73 from Tom Behler:  KB8TYJ
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Howard, W A 9 Y B W"<[log in to unmask]>
> To:<[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 7:17 AM
> Subject: Re: Strange Power Readings With LDG TW1
>
>
>> I just purchased the G5RV Double size total length around 204 feet.  This
>> covers 10 through 160 meters.  This antenna has 62 feet of "window line"
>> "ladder line" and needs to be fed with at least 72 feet of coax in order
>> to
>> work properly.  Is this the same principle for your antenna tom?
>>
>> 73's
>>
>> Howard #3, W A 9 Y B W, Springfield, Illinois
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Howard Kaufman"<[log in to unmask]>
>> To:<[log in to unmask]>
>> Sent: Friday, September 30, 2011 4:22 AM
>> Subject: Re: Strange Power Readings With LDG TW1
>>
>>
>>> Tom, the challenge is the open wire center fed zepp likes spaciffic
>>> lengths
>>> of laderline to work best.
>>> look at the ultra-lite,
>>> http://www.ultralite.com
>>> I hope that's right.
>>> The antenna is 140 feet long, but has wire looped in each element, so the
>>> total wire length is 420 feet.
>>> That is on the 160-10 meter version.
>>> I don't know what the antenna or it's balun will do on 6 meters.
>>> I keep thinking of trying it here, but I only have room for 1 antenna in
>>> my
>>> little city lot.  What if it doesn't work as well as what I have?
>>> I am using a 40 meter double extended zepp, fed with 96 feet of open
>>> wire.
>>> I need an external tuner on some bands, and oddly enough it's weakest
>>> band
>>> is 40 meters.  The problem is, is I hear it I work it.  Kozokstan last
>>> week
>>> on 20 cw.  I swing the ends back to make it fit in a 120 foot lot.
>>
>
>
>