I ran an experiment today.
I set up my Super Antenna MP1-C on 20 meters and double-checked my EFHW 49:1 UnUn/Transformer to make sure it looked alright, including hooking it up to my NanoVNA to watch in amazement that it is still tuned up on 40 and 20 quite nicely.
My 49:1 starts at my deck about 3 feet from the ground. The wire runs straight up to about 10 feet thru a rung on the pergola and then south to a tree about 8 feet from the ground. Then it makes a left and ends at an aspen tree about the same height. On a normal day on 20 meters, I usually have no problems hearing operators from Seattle all the way to the East Coast, the midwest (Illinois area) and Texas. There’s definitely a noticeable skip zone, despite my antenna being mounted horizontally, so close to the ground. It has 2 stacked 240-43 for greater efficiency and so that I can also use my boat anchor Kenwood TS-180 which can put out 200 watts on SSB. I really only intend to use it on 20 and 40 meters until enough sunspots show up
Then I hooked up my Icom 7100 to my LiFePO4 battery and tried to play on 20 meters starting at around 12:30PM with the sun out in the bluebird Colorado sky. I didn’t use my antenna tuner because, well, I don’t want to use an antenna tuner if I can help it.
The whole time I switched back and forth between antennas with a switcher to compare a given station, giving grace to each antenna for changing band conditions happening in real-time.
I had a short QSO with AG7KO who was participating in the PNW Bell QSO Party with the MP1-C and tried to break through a few pileups including a POTA on 14.340 (KN4AGT) from South Carolina. Florida (W7HU) was also coming in very well but I never got through at 25, 50 and 100 watts SSB (I tried to operate at 25 watts just because).
Overall the results were slightly better on the Super Antenna than my 49:1. There wasn’t really any situation where the 49:1 was better than my Super Antenna. The Super Antenna was generally quieter in terms of noise floor. There was maybe 1 situation where the orientation of the 49:1 wire was helpful over the vertical Super Antenna.
If I had to choose 1 antenna purely for reception, I’d choose the Super Antenna because clarity was usually always better, making me able to make out distant/weak signals better. It never underperformed the 49:1
Ok So around 16:30 I switched to 40 meters.
Everyone seemed to be at dinner because there were less convos going on. It got more crowded though, around 5 PM. Again, with my measly 100 watts, I couldn’t break through any pileups on CQ’s or POTA’s.
Reception was equal this time on both antennas. The 49:1 had a slight edge because since the sun went down, it was totally stealth. I actually slightly worry that some kid or animal can mess with my shiny Super Antenna overnight (although my only run-in with animals so far has been a rabbit chewing on my coax and a sparrow sitting on the 18 gauge stealth wire).
Previously, I did try my 9:1 in the back yard, which was impressive due to its short 33 foot wire and quick QSOs but that might have just been coincidence.
My 9:1 in the attic as well as the 20m dipole in my attic are horrible because they pick up a lot of attic noise since there is plenty of wires running around everywhere. FT8 is probably the only thing I’d want to do with them. Although they’re shielded from the elements, including our Colorado snows. Amazingly, my 2/70cm Comet antenna in the attic at 25% (which apparently is 25% of 50 watts or 12.5 watts) works fine hitting repeaters on top of 11,000 ft mountains.
I’m trying to figure out a clear winner and stick to it in my compromised situation (HOA, bunnies with razor sharp teeth on the ground). My other issue is that my normal operating position is my kitchen table on the south side of the house which faces open spaces but I’d like to operate from my office which is on the 2nd floor on the side of the property that faces houses.
Unfortunately, its too easy to pick up my DMR HT and participate on Brandmeister World Wide after getting sad since I’m not running legal limit with a giant antenna. Fear not, I’m still amazed that someone a thousand miles away can hear me without any intervening equipment.
The next test will have to involve Tx with my Kenwood since the extra 100 watts can help break through pileups I think even though I’d love to just operate at 25 watts to practice QRP for when I get more into SOTA/POTA.
73,
ÆØRS
