After 56 years of being a ham operator I have found a resonant inverted V even at a low height is the best and easiest antenna you can have for the money.

That was the best conclusion ever...."Just get something in the air". Very nice!

Perfect shape for fitting in thr attic!

I have a ZS6BKW inverted V at 90 degrees and love it. What you didn't talk about is the 90 degree inverted V being omni directional where the straight dipole radiates broadside. That may be a talk for the future.

Great video. New radio operator here and I put an inverted V dipole in the attic with a 60-watt 10-meter radio for my first one. My first contact from Pennsylvania was in Scotland! I'll never forget when he said "you're making it across the pond to here in Scotland." I could only get about 120-degrees out of the downward slope but it works well for DX. For locals however, even 20 miles from me, it's really bad.

@davidbrayshaw3529

Жыл бұрын

10 m is pretty unpredictable but can yield some great DX when conditions are right. Depending on antenna, power levels and elevation, of course, 20 miles can be a bit of a stretch for the band. You're probably better off with 2 m over that distance. You might be interested in checking out VK3YE What frequency? How Far? on KZread. It will give you a good rundown on what to expect from what band.

@bill-2018

9 ай бұрын

10m great just now. Try c.w. I got Bulgaria and Sicily recently using one Watt, both about 1,500 miles. Attic inverted vee. G4GHB.

I have always drooped my inverted V's for lowest SWR and went with it. EFHW works pretty good as an inverted V too

I have always loved an inverted V antenna and it has always proven to be very good in its operation. While not always at a half wave length, I've been very successful with it at a minimum of a quarter wave length of the ground. 90 degrees has always been my focus and do find your results interesting where it appears there is a bit of fudging allowed to the point that one can get on the air and just work them stations and surprise the rest with your accomplishments. A Windom is one of my all-time favorites. 73 es tks fer the video.

The most forgiving antenna you can have in my opinion

Dave, nice video on the inverted 'V'. What about the inverse, the 'v'' dipole?

Wow, very surprising results, Dave. Great idea and test. Thanks.

Interesting seeing the radiation plots. The answer is just get something up. I have an inverted vee for 60m squashed into my tiny garden. The available space is 25' x 15'. It comes down from about 26' to each end about 20', then crosses the area dropping in height and then folds back on itself. I've drawn a scale model of it and the angle looks pretty good, around 110 - 120° at a guess. Not many people on 60m but had a QSO using a Pixie, 350 mW out, 180 miles and a SWL report from Utrecht at 220 miles. 280 miles to Mallaig using a 1944 Wireless 19 Set, QRP at 2W out. Inverted vee's in the attic for 20, 17, 15, 12 and 10m similarly squashed in. G4GHB.

Thanks Dave just what I was looking for. I am installing a Inverted Vee and wanted to know the proper angle downward for the antenna portion and you answered my concern. I still don't know how high off the ground for each side to get 120-90 degree but I will try something like the Balun at 30ft center pole and ends of wire at 10 ft from ground level .

Since I messed up and used SS guy wires rather than rope and it seems to be radiating. I am getting 20 over 9 results on 20M at 1800 miles away. Killed my other bands but it is a PERFECT 20M so I am not going to mess with it. And SWR is 1.0:1 across the band.

The best all around HF antenna, OCFD, inverted V !

@davidbrayshaw3529

Жыл бұрын

Low Q, a bit noisy, directional gain on higher bands is a bit of a gamble, a bit deaf off the short end. A typical antenna, really. Except of course, very broad banded, relatively cheap, relatively easy to install in a lot of situations, coaxially fed, and you can have a lot of fun with just one antenna, without a tuner I had a 63 ft. 40-6 version with a 6:1 Ballun up, for years. 6 metres was a right off, but 40, 20, and 10 worked more than adequately. With the use of a tuner and a bit of power reduction for safe measure, I even managed to stretch the occasional contact on 80, albeit not that well. We're all seeking perfection, and OCF's aren't perfect, but gee, they tick more than enough boxes to be taken more seriously than they seem to be, in my opinion.

The PEAK gain at the optimum takeoff angle may decrease as the inv vee angle gets sharper BUT the signal level at high angles INCREASED, and increased substantially. For regional contacts, say around the USA during midday, the high angles from the inv vee would make it a better antenna than the dipole. This is why it is very hard to draw conclusions when comparing antennas. Be careful. And keep in mind, unless there is loss somewhere in the system, all power you put into the antenna gets radiated somewhere. So when Dave says the dipole has more gain than the inv vee, keep in mind that is at one takeoff angle only. de Rick k2xt

Thanks!

Great episode Dave i wonder what effects the feeding system would have, direct coax or ladder Líne?

Hi Dave, Thanks for nice presentation. And Thanks for the nice results and proof. only for that , I love my Inverted V more and more. and that's also the only antenna i have here. 1 inverted V for the 40, 20 and 10 mtr band. thanks for the nice proof: the reason why we love inverted V antenna's 😁😉 '73 Ron, Pd3ron

Very insightful! Thanks for making this video. I wonder how this would compare to end fed half wave or end fed long wire antennas - e.g. straight, sloper, V and L configuration.

My long element of a 10-80m OCFD is about 120deg, short leg about 90. Not sure how better/worse it is or could be, but it does ok for me. Generally, its's significantly better than my nonresonant vertical. Once in a while, the vertical is better on 15/12/10 meters.

Hi Dave, Great video! I have an End Fed OCF dipole from Palomar. I have an L shaped antenna that goes out of the shack then up and across 3 palm trees. My highest point is about 10'. Would I see significant improvement if I could go up another 10' with a 20' flagpole?

I have a serious question that's been driving me nuts for years and no one ever gave me a good concrete answer. Reading the comments seems to he a lot of smart antenna people on here. Years ago I bought an antenna for TV / radio etc. I had little to no reception. Mounted it on a pole 20 ft then 30 then 50ft. All the same results. Was so damn fed up I went back up removed it from the pole and thew it on the ground. I went into my home to grab a drink and BOOM. Crystal clear reception. I then did a channel scan and I went from 7 channels to 60 channels. How, how, how did my antenna get more reception laying on the ground than putting it high up into the air???? Can anyone fully explain this to me?

I'm curious. When I went to HF/RF Antenna engineering Army School in Ft. Lee, Va., back in the mid 60's. I was taught when you invert a dipole (1/2 wave) it is called an INVERTED DIPOLE. However, an "Inverted Vee" I learnt is not a dipole, because it is not s 1/2 wave. The Inverted Vee, each leg is the same lenght but are longer multiple random lengths, requiring a tuner. I heard you say an inverted dipole is an inverted Vee. When did they change the names? What am I missing?

@OLDMANGAMING1970

5 ай бұрын

Been call that since the late 80s . That's when I started radio that is.

So, I'm in Indiana with an Alpha-Delta 20m dipole. I've worked all states on 20m EXCEPT my own state and all the states that border me. I've ran it flat-top, inverted V, sloping, changed it's height and direction multiple times- everything I can think of. Do you think cranking the angle to 60 degrees might do something to help? I know the stations are there (POTA app) and I am aware 20m isn't ideal for this close-up work- but there's got to be a way!

Dave, How high above the ground are the ends of the antennas? Steve

Ok,, I get the 90° angle on the legs, but what I haven't see anyone answer is what happens if you sweep that 90° pair ends at the ground away from the vertical feed point? What happens to the radiation pattern then? So if looking down on the feed point from overhead, one end will be going South, but the other end will be going say Northwest and not perfectly North .All while still being 90° separation.

Would using an inverted V with an EFHW give similar results?

How about having a V antenna that is horizontal

Isn’t the 90 degree advantage obvious when compared to a discone?

Why in the world does no one test at a quarter wave length height, which is what most people can manage in city areas

The problem is people who do this modeling don't show the full picture you are only showing the side views not the top views or even a 3d view. The inverted v has omni directional pattern which can be an advantage over a horizontal dipole or even a vertical but verticals is another topic.

Thank you, Dave. N0QFT Interesting results.