Meandering Line "Square Wave Beverage" Antenna for 160 meters?

Rick - W5FCX

Hi,

I’ve been evaluating options for a low noise receive antenna for 160 meters.  The standard answer is of course the age old reliable Beverage antenna. Like many (most?), I do not have the space for hundreds of feet of straight wire lines up to 500 or more feet in length running outward in 4 directions. 

After looking at and rejecting several compromise alternatives including magnetic loops (low gain, low bandwidth) and K9AY Loop (S/N and gain don't look great), I came up with another idea based on some work I've been doing with 2.5 Ghz BLE devices that have little antennas etched into the PCB.

On these small circuit boards, it’s now common to see these “meandering line” antennas being applied in the GHz range. To me, they look like a square wave:



This gave me an idea.  What about folding up a Beverage antenna into a meandering line "Square Wave Beverage" antenna?  This would reduce the linear distance required yet keep the electrical length intact.

For example, using a 4’ PVC spreader where the bottom and top PVC rails are four feet apart, then attach the meandering line wire element across the 4 foot section. First attach the wire element to one side with a tie wrap, then run it straight across to the opposite rail, which is 4 feet away.  Let’s call this a vertical run assuming the rails are mounted top and bottom.

Next, the wire runs 4.8 inches (nominally) along the rail, where it is again tie wrapped.  Then back across the 4’ gap to the other rail.  This process is repeated to create a 4’ x 4’ panel.  Looking at it from the side view, we see what appears to be a Square Wave created by the wire element.

Here's a rough sketch of the concept:


(click to enlarge)


This particular geometry provides a 10:1 reduction in overall antenna length due to horizontal progress of 4.8 inches vs 48 inches of vertical spacing.  This reduces a 500 foot run down to less than 50’, which becomes much more manageable.

I could not find much in the way of research or published material on the meandering line antenna being applied to HF.  What I did find is some references to successful military deployments and one PhD thesis suggesting it does actually work.  Apparently it results in much higher radiation resistance due to cross currents around all the bends and it lowers the resonant frequency by around 33%, depending on the spacing.

Now I’m not proposing this be used as a transmit antenna (yet), but perhaps as a short Beverage antenna for those of us who are space constrained. The end would include a termination resistor just like a normal Beverage. An embellishment might be to use a twisted pair and some switching to make it bidirectional, similar to the DX Engineering Reversible Beverage Systems DXE-RBSA-1P switch and terminator.

Obviously the first step is to model this and see what Uncle NEC thinks about it. I believe the combination of vertical and horizontal runs will cause it to pick up EM radiation at a good range of angles.  I believe the termination will cause it to be directional, just like the Beverage. It’s electrical length of one wavelength or more should be fine, but what about its ability to absorb the traveling waves like a Beverage?

Before investing the time to model or prototype this contraption, I’m curious if anyone has ever tried or seen this type of antenna design for HF or have insights as to what to expect.

Rick, W5FCX

AH0U

You might check the folded ground radial used by many on 160 as part of their inverted L

Varistor

First, have you considered a small array of active vertical elements, such as the 3 and 4 element Hi-Z arrays? They take considerable less space and rival beverages in terms of RDF. K3LR and W3LPL replaces their beverages with vertical arrays long time ago. IMHO, the 3-element 6-direction Hi-Z offers the best **** for the buck. Second, if you don’t want to invest in vertical arrays, consider installing a beverage on the ground. Same RDF as full size, but requires a high quality pre-amp. It is only 200’ long.
Third, you may want to look at loops-on-ground. Fourth, have you modeled your idea in any of the antenna modeling programs? The model can give you a pretty good idea what to expect. As a general observation, you will find lots of so-so antenna advice on this forum. You may want to read the excellent presentations on RX antennas published on the Contest University site in the Files area. Science and solid experience-based advice. https://www.contestuniversity.com/files/ Personally, I switched to a 4 element Hi-Z array and have not looked back. Also, you may want to consider buying and reading ON4UN’s book Low Band DXing.

N0AZZ

 Try a Pixel Loop, now sold and mfg by DXE to the exact original specs. Clifton Labs developed the preamp for this unit, mine has been up for almost 5 yrs now working very well. Mounted at about 25' and use a TV rotor to turn it ,use it for all bands and AM broadcast.

Rick - W5FCX

Wow!  That's an incredible site with some tremendous content.  Thank you for that!!

I'm now very intrigued with the 4-ele Hi-Z array.  It looks like a much better solution and one that should work from 160 meters to 10 if I understand correctly.

Yes, I have ON4UN's Low Band DX'ing book - like the War and Peace version of 160 meter DX'ing.  It will be a while before I can recite that one - thanks for the shortcuts!

Rick, W5FCX

HCampbell WB4IVF

My understanding is that each segment of a beverage antenna contributes to its overall directivity, so some limited divergence from the general direction is acceptable.  Mine are fed on one hill and follow the contour of the land to another hill, where they are terminated, and still work fine.  But I have no idea how a dramatically shortened “beverage” with many lengths running perpendicular to the desired direction would work.  It is probably way out of the realm of a beverage.   

I currently have 2 590’ reversible beverages, so can switch among 4 directions.  They have a high RDF, and I’ve been impressed with their performance on those bands.  In other directions I’m length limited to 250 ft. or so, and have been looking at some alternatives.  For me the beverage on ground (BOG) won’t work, since our land is heavily trafficked by herds of deer.  I doubt it would last a week!   I’m currently looking at shortened (200 – 300 ft.)  “loaded” beverage alternatives.   

If you can’t accommodate the length of a conventional  or loaded beverage or a BOG, or even if you can, I’d consider an RX array like Varistor’s Hi-Z array (or the DXE arrays) if you have the space.  More complex because of the phasing unit though.  Also concur with his recommendation to review Contest University and Low Band DXing.  Plus the Topband reflector and W8JI’s receive antenna sites.  They are goldmines of information! 

Another RX antenna that looks interesting for space-constrained users is the SAL, sold by Array Solutions.

Anyway, if you decide to build and test your RX antenna idea, I hope you post your results.  I’d certainly like to see them. 

Howard

K1UO - Larry

For your shorter directions you may want to look at the YCCC 3 in-line vertical array (Sold by DXE but supported by the Yankee Clipper Contest Club)  It only takes about 140feet total  to install the 3 and they operate over multiple Bands (octaves) also.   I would guess the 3 in line array of 20 to 24ft high verticals work much like a 580ft reversable Beverage since the inline can be switched for forward and reverse direction of the line they are placed in.   The entire system (excluding antenna) is sold as a kit, including the antenna preamps but is a quality receive only system.

I am NOT a member of or otherwise affiliated with YCCC or DXE.

Rick - W5FCX

Great suggestions. Good to know there’s so many good options available. I’m liking the looks of the Hi-Z phased verticals, albeit a bit pricey at $800+. Going to run the 4NEC2 model on the Square Wave Beverage and see where that goes, while continuing to evaluate the other alternatives. Thank you all.

Varistor

You won’t be disappointed with the Hi-Z. I got a really good deal on the 4 el, but if I were to buy one I would probably go for the 3 el. Mind you, I have 25 acres and space for anything, but I don’t think you can beat the value of the 3 el/6 directions.

Rick - W5FCX

So how many directions do you get with the 4 element?

Varistor

4. You get a tiny bit more RDF than the 3.

k3Tim

Rick:

In keeping with the expectation of "so-so antenna advice" here goes:

I think the patch antenna you describe wouldn't work as a Beverage

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage_antenna

the Beverage is a travelling-wave antenna:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverage_antenna


This is an interesting variaion:

https://jkantennas.com/rx-antenna.html

as one can tap the feed point from anywhere on the length of the antenna and switch directions 180. 

From U-tube videos of the Beverage in action, it's pretty amazing, even one on the ground.

Best,
Tim

Rick - W5FCX

Yeah, just don’t have enough space to fit the real Bevs in. Looks like my best option is the Hi-Z 3 element phased verticals. Proven performance for a price.

Rick N4RZ

Another possibility is a RBOG (reversible beverage on ground) DX Engineering sells them.  They are much shorter than a beverage due to the higher velocity factor of the wire being laid on the ground or slightly below the surface.  A 150' RBOG shows nice directivity and works as good as a normal beverage except the signal strength is a lot less, but since signal to noise is what you really want that shouldn't be too much of an issue.  Two RBOG antennas perpendicular to each other will allow you to have a beam in 4 directions.   The pattern has about a 90 degree half power beam width.

HCampbell WB4IVF

You might be able to save some dough by building your own vertical elements, especially if you already have aluminum tubing handy.  If you are considering rolling your own, here is some good design info.  These 20’ elements are simple to make and are very similar to some from DXE and Hi-Z:

https://www.w8ji.com/small_vertical_arrays.htm

Another option might be a variable phaser like the DXE NCC-2:

https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-ncc-2

I have one of these to augment my beverages.  Advantages include wide bandwidth, ability to fine tune directivity, a very small footprint (they're almost invisible), and being able to move the 2 short whips around quickly at any time.  They can also be used with the beverages and other antennas.  Disadvantages include having to adjust the phasing and balance controls when changing freqs instead of just flipping a switch, and the high cost. 

Howard

Varistor

Building your own vertical elements is indeed a no-brainer. You save a little bit of money while achieving superior mechanical performance. That said, following the advice in that link is a terrible idea. The Hi-Z verticals do not use any loading wires or coils. Frankly Howard, I don’t understand why deviate from what’s spelled out in the Hi-Z manual. For those who want to build their own elements- read the manual!!! There are 3 different types of small vertical RX arrays and they take different approaches to building the elements. Here’s how I built my verticals: 1) Purchaded 6’ sections of pre-slit aluminum tubing from DXE. The smallest diameter I used is 1” OD. Personally I don’t like any guy wires and use large OD tubing for all verticals. They have lasted for 10 years in a harsh cold weather environment, including several ice storms and tons of snow every winter. 2) Telescope the tubing by overlapping about 4”. You will end up with elements that are about 23’ tall. Build all elements to be identical! I attach my elements to 4x4 lumber poles in the ground, reinforced in concrete 3) Use high quality, marine grade stainless steel clamps to clamp the overlapping sections. No drilling required. Again, make sure you buy the pre-slit tubing unless you want to waste your time cutting the tubing. The slits are critical to the even clamping of the outer tube around the inner tube. 4) Make sure you use Penetrox to coat the overlapping sections. This will make it much easier to disassemble the elements in the future if you want to move the array. Also, and this is important, the Penetrox will ensure electrically stable connection between the two sections, thereby preventing noise being generated by friction (we want quiet RX antennas, don’t we). 5) Hammer in 2x6’ ground rods. This is it. Not much to it.

HCampbell WB4IVF

W8JI optimized that design for a single band, and since he's designed and tested many types of RX antennas I think for that application it probably works very well.  For a multi-band array, right, I’m sure you wouldn’t want any antenna loading.   

His site was one of the first and best information sources I found when first considering building RX antennas.  Here are some RX antenna basics and comparisons:

https://www.w8ji.com/receiving.htm

Howard

Mike VE3CKO

Yep, K2AV FCP (folded counter poise) on 80m works for me. A buddy of mine has a
pair of FCP for his 160m verticals.

Rick - W5FCX

Yeah. I don't have 150', but it's certainly a good option for those who do.

Rick - W5FCX

I’m trying to model the Square Wave Beverage antenna concept but stuck trying to use 4nec2 for modeling. It seems NEC doesn’t know what to do with multiple wires appended together (or I’m doing something wrong). Posted it on 4nec2 forum: https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/fornectoo/wire-extension-equivalance-in-4nec2-for-160-meter--t565.html I have developed a C program that generates the NEC files, so this isn’t hard. Will provide update when I figure this out. I’m going to run this Square Wave Beverage concept to ground... my research of UHF meandering line antennas and similar antennas for military radar and other applications suggests the meandering line may work really well for both traveling waves (short Beverage) that’s directional and even for transmitting. I have invested many hours researching this and am convinced I’m onto something here. Both the VHF and HF research is very promising... I have to know for certain before giving up and defaulting to a simpler commercial antenna option. For me ham radio is about the learning journey as much or perhaps even more than just the operating result. I’d rather fail trying to break through with a new antenna design than just spend some $$ and have a known quantity antenna system. Perhaps that’s “old school”.., okay, I now qualify for that too at 60! Building antennas is about as fun as it gets! Will keep pushing until there are answers to this shorter Beverage question. If it actually works, it’ll improve a lot of hams lives who want to operate DX on 160 but who don’t have the available space or dollars to spend on phased arrays. If not, so be it - another brick in the learning wall. Rick, W5FCX

Rick - W5FCX

Well, early 4NEC2 modeling isn't particularly promising as a shortened Beverage alternative.  While the square wave meandering wire shape does work to an extent, I haven't figured out how to terminate one end of it to simulate the Beverage's resistance (tried Series RLC with no success).  I have tried both horizontal and vertical positioning (i.e., from 10 to 15 feet up and down), without success.  I may be doing something wrong with the model...

To make it easier to create and modify the model, I created a C program that generates the NEC model.  It's here:

jdoodle.com/a/bR8

I'm pasting a copy of the current state of the model below in case someone else who's better at antenna modeling can see something I can't at this stage.







CM 160M Beverage, generated by W5FCX
CE
GW 1 48 0.00 0.0 10.00 0.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 2 48 0.00 0.0 15.00 1.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 3 48 1.00 0.0 15.00 1.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 4 48 1.00 0.0 10.00 2.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 5 48 2.00 0.0 10.00 2.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 6 48 2.00 0.0 15.00 3.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 7 48 3.00 0.0 15.00 3.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 8 48 3.00 0.0 10.00 4.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 9 48 4.00 0.0 10.00 4.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 10 48 4.00 0.0 15.00 5.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 11 48 5.00 0.0 15.00 5.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 12 48 5.00 0.0 10.00 6.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 13 48 6.00 0.0 10.00 6.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 14 48 6.00 0.0 15.00 7.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 15 48 7.00 0.0 15.00 7.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 16 48 7.00 0.0 10.00 8.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 17 48 8.00 0.0 10.00 8.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 18 48 8.00 0.0 15.00 9.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 19 48 9.00 0.0 15.00 9.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 20 48 9.00 0.0 10.00 10.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 21 48 10.00 0.0 10.00 10.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 22 48 10.00 0.0 15.00 11.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 23 48 11.00 0.0 15.00 11.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 24 48 11.00 0.0 10.00 12.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 25 48 12.00 0.0 10.00 12.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 26 48 12.00 0.0 15.00 13.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 27 48 13.00 0.0 15.00 13.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 28 48 13.00 0.0 10.00 14.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 29 48 14.00 0.0 10.00 14.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 30 48 14.00 0.0 15.00 15.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 31 48 15.00 0.0 15.00 15.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 32 48 15.00 0.0 10.00 16.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 33 48 16.00 0.0 10.00 16.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 34 48 16.00 0.0 15.00 17.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 35 48 17.00 0.0 15.00 17.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 36 48 17.00 0.0 10.00 18.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 37 48 18.00 0.0 10.00 18.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 38 48 18.00 0.0 15.00 19.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 39 48 19.00 0.0 15.00 19.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 40 48 19.00 0.0 10.00 20.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 41 48 20.00 0.0 10.00 20.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 42 48 20.00 0.0 15.00 21.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 43 48 21.00 0.0 15.00 21.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 44 48 21.00 0.0 10.00 22.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 45 48 22.00 0.0 10.00 22.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 46 48 22.00 0.0 15.00 23.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GW 47 48 23.00 0.0 15.00 23.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 48 48 23.00 0.0 10.00 24.00 0.0 10.00 3.367e-3
GW 49 48 24.00 0.0 10.00 24.00 0.0 15.00 3.367e-3
GS 0 0 0.3048 ' All in ft.
GE 0
LD 0 1 1 1 500 0 0
EX 6 1 1 0 1 0
GN 2 0 0 0 20 0.0303
FR 0 1 0 0 1.83 0
EN


Any experienced NEC modeling help or consulting would be appreciated.

Rick, W5FCX

Varistor

Rick, you may want to consider taking this discussion to the Topband and Tower Talk reflectors where many of the antenna "gurus" and experienced modelers are.

Rick - W5FCX

Great idea. Thanks!

W5NE

Rick,
I have the DX engineering 4 square array for sale. My e-mail is good in QRZ
Alex  W5NE

Varistor

Last night there was a very interesting set of observations on the 200' 8 element Hi-Z circle array:

http://lists.contesting.com/pipermail/topband/2017-October/052808.html

Obviously this is not an antenna for hams with limited space, but is a good description of what to expect from arrays of small verticals. More elements simply means higher F/B and RDF numbers.

Note that unlike the 3 and 4 element arrays, the 8 element is always a mono band antenna. So bigger is not always better.

Rick - W5FCX

This will be my last post on this experimental antenna design.  Very much appreciate all the great ideas and recommendations.  When I can find the time, there's plenty of options to choose from to improve 160m ears.

As far as the original antenna concept of using meandering line for a shorter 160m beverage-like antenna, it turns out to be a non-starter.  The NEC models show that whether vertically or horizontally polarized, the patterns are too omnidirectional and the RDF is too low at around 6.5 to be desirable.  So at this point I am abandoning this antenna concept for 160m (and in general for HF usage) and moving onward.  

I'm including the final NEC models below for posterity, in case anyone wishes to see for themselves or leverage this work for other purposes in the future.

Thanks to all for entertaining the concept and for sharing all the best practices for 160m operation.

Rick

CM 160M Meandering Line Beverage, converted with 4nec2 on 31-Oct-17 10:24
CE
GW 1 2 0 0 10 1 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 2 7 1 0 10 1 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 3 2 1 5 10 2 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 4 7 2 5 10 2 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 5 2 2 0 10 3 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 6 7 3 0 10 3 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 7 2 3 5 10 4 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 8 7 4 5 10 4 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 9 2 4 0 10 5 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 10 7 5 0 10 5 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 11 2 5 5 10 6 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 12 7 6 5 10 6 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 13 2 6 0 10 7 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 14 7 7 0 10 7 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 15 2 7 5 10 8 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 16 7 8 5 10 8 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 17 2 8 0 10 9 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 18 7 9 0 10 9 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 19 2 9 5 10 10 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 20 7 10 5 10 10 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 21 2 10 0 10 11 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 22 7 11 0 10 11 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 23 2 11 5 10 12 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 24 7 12 5 10 12 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 25 2 12 0 10 13 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 26 7 13 0 10 13 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 27 2 13 5 10 14 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 28 7 14 5 10 14 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 29 2 14 0 10 15 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 30 7 15 0 10 15 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 31 2 15 5 10 16 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 32 7 16 5 10 16 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 33 2 16 0 10 17 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 34 7 17 0 10 17 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 35 2 17 5 10 18 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 36 7 18 5 10 18 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 37 2 18 0 10 19 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 38 7 19 0 10 19 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 39 2 19 5 10 20 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 40 7 20 5 10 20 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 41 2 20 0 10 21 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 42 7 21 0 10 21 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 43 2 21 5 10 22 5 10 3.367e-3
GW 44 7 22 5 10 22 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 45 2 22 0 10 23 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 46 167 0 -125.14977 10 0 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 47 167 0 125.14977 10 0 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 48 167 23 -125.14977 10 23 0 10 3.367e-3
GW 49 167 23 125.14977 10 23 0 10 3.367e-3
GS 0 0 0.3048 ' All in ft.
GE 0
LD 5 1 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 2 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 3 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 4 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 5 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 6 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 7 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 8 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 9 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 10 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 11 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 12 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 13 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 14 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 15 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 16 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 17 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 18 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 19 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 20 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 21 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 22 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 23 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 24 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 25 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 26 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 27 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 28 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 29 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 30 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 31 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 32 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 33 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 34 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 35 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 36 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 37 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 38 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 39 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 40 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 41 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 42 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 43 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 44 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 45 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 46 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 47 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 48 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 5 49 0 0 5.74713e7 0
LD 0 45 2 2 500 0
EX 6 1 1 0 1 0
GN 2 0 0 0 20 0.0303
FR 0 1 0 0 1.83 0

Mike Irizarry

Victor Misek published research on beverage antennae. One of his concepts was a a "slo-mo" beverage which used the same concept you are describing. His book is no longer published but you can find some of his work via a google search. 

W5XZ - dan

Amen, Varistor...right on..

73, w5xz, dan

amdx

How about winding the whole beverage on 2" PVC pipe, say 100ft long. It would be a chore, but would it work? and then lay it down as a BOG.

Geoff - W8GNM

Rick,
Your idea of using a vertical zig-zag meander of the Beverage antenna to electrically load and electrically lengthen is interesting.  I have had some success with horizontally meandering an above ground, BevFlex-4X, reversible, Beverage antenna about +/- 10 feet from the desired axis of the antenna.  This does provide electrical lengthening of the antenna and improved performance of a 375' Beverage antenna without much effect on the impedance of the antenna.  This can be easily done by introducing zig-zags in the antenna attachment points to trees, etc.  It is hard to quantify the exact improvement over a straight Beverage.
One way to evaluate the performance with a stable signal is to find an AM broadcast station at the top of the MW broadcast band that is off the end of your antenna.  The low angle F/B ratio can be observed this way.
If the antenna were meandered in a vertical plane the impedance of the antenna with respect to the spacing above ground would be constantly changing.  I don't know how much this would affect the performance of the antenna.
73,
Geoff - W8GNM

Geoff - W8GNM

The BevFlex-4 reversible low noise receiving antenna system is now available, in stock, from Unified Microsystems at: https://www.unifiedmicro.com/bevflex4x.html

Its mechanical design and weatherproof charactistics have been improved, but its electrical characteristics are 100% compatible with the original BevPro-1 and JK BevFlex-4.

It can be configured as a Beverage, BOG, EWE, FLAG, or VE3DO low noise receiving antenna. All are instantly reversible.

73, Geoff-W8GNM