Return-Path: Received: from mtain-mb11.r1000.mx.aol.com (mtain-mb11.r1000.mx.aol.com [172.29.96.31]) by air-mf02.mail.aol.com (v129.4) with ESMTP id MAILINMF023-8bcf4c63e8fd2db; Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:28:45 -0400 Received: from post.thorcom.com (post.thorcom.com [193.82.116.20]) by mtain-mb11.r1000.mx.aol.com (Internet Inbound) with ESMTP id 80D5C380000BA; Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:28:42 -0400 (EDT) Received: from majordom by post.thorcom.com with local (Exim 4.14) id 1OjWsA-0007O5-PO for rs_out_1@blacksheep.org; Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:27:02 +0100 Received: from [193.82.116.32] (helo=relay1.thorcom.net) by post.thorcom.com with esmtp (Exim 4.14) id 1OjWs9-0007Nw-QF for rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org; Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:27:01 +0100 Received: from msa-k1.u-netsurf.ne.jp ([202.233.11.14]) by relay1.thorcom.net with esmtp (Exim 4.63) (envelope-from <7l1rll@dp.u-netsurf.ne.jp>) id 1OjWs8-0000GQ-59 for rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org; Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:27:01 +0100 Received: from [192.168.1.5] (d114.HkanagawaFL69.vectant.ne.jp [120.51.188.114]) by msa-k1.u-netsurf.ne.jp (Postfix) with ESMTP id D9F434B86C for ; Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:26:55 +0900 (JST) From: Rick Wakatori <7l1rll@dp.u-netsurf.ne.jp> To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org In-Reply-To: <4C63DDA8.9090405@o2.ie> References: <4C626E89.5020002@o2.ie> <4C629209.8060206@o2.ie> <1281573260.7575.12.camel@vaio3rd> <4C63BF50.8040900@o2.ie> <1281609490.7575.52.camel@vaio3rd> <4C63DDA8.9090405@o2.ie> Organization: RLL Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 21:26:56 +0900 Message-Id: <1281616016.7575.74.camel@vaio3rd> Mime-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Evolution 2.22.3.1 X-Spam-Score: 0.0 (/) X-Spam-Report: autolearn=disabled,none Subject: Re: LF: Earth antenna Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 2.63 (2004-01-11) on post.thorcom.com X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, hits=0.3 required=5.0 tests=FROM_HAS_MIXED_NUMS autolearn=no version=2.63 X-SA-Exim-Scanned: Yes Sender: owner-rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org Precedence: bulk Reply-To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org X-Listname: rsgb_lf_group X-SA-Exim-Rcpt-To: rs_out_1@blacksheep.org X-SA-Exim-Scanned: No; SAEximRunCond expanded to false x-aol-global-disposition: G x-aol-sid: 3039ac1d601f4c63e8fa0324 X-AOL-IP: 193.82.116.20 X-AOL-SPF: domain : blacksheep.org SPF : temperror HI Tony, I will try to change my simple question now. Did you connect two wires and two earth rods [here after electrodes] such one electrode to antenna terminal and one electrode for receiver earth terminal ? Was it 80 meter between two earth rods ? 7L1RLL Rick On Thu, 2010-08-12 at 12:40 +0100, Tony wrote: > Hi Rik and Rik, > > Sorry, I too got confused by two Riks, should have looked at the callsigns. > > OK, my set up when I did the signal strength tests were, station earth > (mat and radials) for both tests plus first an inverted L, followed by > an 80 metre length of wire, mostly laying on the ground but also over > small bushes no higher than 1 metre, terminated at the far end directly > to an earth stake. > > Thanks for the explanation (other) Rik on Beverages, as my wire is 80m > long and doesn't work at all well on 40m band, it seems something else > is happening. This weekend I will try to repeat the tests being a bit > more technical, for instance comparing the two when connected through my > ATU on 160m, 80m & 40m. > > 73, Tony, EI8JK. > > > On 12/08/2010 11:38, Rick Wakatori wrote: > > HI Rik and Tony, > > It was no problem. > > I am simply confusing whether two electrodes (earth )antenna or one > > electrode as AC line antenna was experimeted. > > 7L1RLL Rick > > > > On Thu, 2010-08-12 at 12:09 +0200, Rik Strobbe wrote: > >> Tony, Rick, > >> > >> oops, it seems I responded to the wrong mail. > >> My appologies for that, but I got confused by two Ri(c)k's on the reflector. > >> > >> 73, Rik ON7YD - OR7T > >> > >> ________________________________________ > >> Van: owner-rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org [owner-rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org] namens Rik Strobbe [Rik.Strobbe@fys.kuleuven.be] > >> Verzonden: donderdag 12 augustus 2010 12:02 > >> Aan: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org > >> Onderwerp: RE: LF: Earth antenna > >> > >> Tony, > >> > >> my remarks were not meant as critisism, just as a "warning" that the measured values should be interpreted with caution. > >> About beverages: > >> Typical length is 1 to 2 lambda, it seems that directivity is optimal at these lenghts. > >> Short beverages (<< 1 lambda) loose directivity (and directivity is the main reason beverages are used). > >> Most beverages are terminated at the far end to make the pattern unidirectional, but this is no must (leaving out the termination will get you a bidirectional pattern). > >> So at first sight the 2 main difference between a earth antenna and beverage is: > >> - beverage is>= lambda, earth antenna<<< lambda > >> - beverage is terminated to ground at the far end (resistor to ground), earth antenna is just connected to ground at the far end > >> > >> 73, Rik ON7YD - OR7T > >> > >> ________________________________________ > >> Van: owner-rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org [owner-rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org] namens Tony [ei8jk@o2.ie] > >> Verzonden: donderdag 12 augustus 2010 11:30 > >> Aan: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org > >> Onderwerp: Re: LF: Earth antenna > >> > >> Hi Rik. > >> > >> I take your point, but I did say that it was "non-technical" > >> The earth was the main station earth which is a short (1.5m) length of > >> 22mm copper pipe to an earth mat and radials and was the same earth used > >> for both antennas. > >> The receiver was AC powered but there was no trace of a signal at all > >> between connecting the different antenna wires > >> > >> But a question for the techs, when does a long "earth" antenna become a > >> Beverage antenna ? > >> Or, how short can a Beverage antenna be before it ceases to be any > >> practical use ? > >> > >> 73, Tony, EI8JK > >> > >> > >> On 12/08/2010 01:34, Rick Wakatori wrote: > >>> Hello Tony, > >>> Show us your RX earth terminal side and whether AC voltage supply or > >>> DC battery did you use for the experiment. AC line can be a good long > >>> antenna for receiving. > >>> 7L1RLL Rick > >>> > >>> On Wed, 2010-08-11 at 16:16 +0200, Rik Strobbe wrote: > >>>> Hello Tony, > >>>> > >>>> measuring voltages on untuned antennas is "tricky", in particular with > >>>> small electrical antennas (compared to the wavelength) as these tend > >>>> to have large reactive components. > >>>> On 60kHz the L-antenna you described has a reactive component of about > >>>> 10000 Ohm while the resistive part will be some 10's to some 100's Ohm > >>>> (mostly loss resistance). So properly tuning the antenna will increase > >>>> the RX voltage by several S-points. > >>>> Ground loop antennas on the other hand seem more broadband. > >>>> Maybe that explains why they perform better at lower frequencies > >>>> ( compared to the untuned L-antenna). > >>>> > >>>> Anyway, your L-antenna should perform well on 500kHz. > >>>> > >>>> 73, Rik ON7YD > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> ______________________________________________________________________ > >>>> Van: owner-rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org > >>>> [owner-rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org] namens Tony [ei8jk@o2.ie] > >>>> Verzonden: woensdag 11 augustus 2010 14:05 > >>>> Aan: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org > >>>> Onderwerp: Re: LF: Earth antenna > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> Hi Roger. > >>>> > >>>> The soil here is well drained peaty topsoil about 400mm - 500mm deep > >>>> on a mixture of slate and shale and although I am 500m from the sea, I > >>>> am 75m above the water. > >>>> I have no idea what the electrical conductivity is but I imagine it's > >>>> probably lower in the winter when my windows get a covering of salt > >>>> during storms. It would be interesting to pick on one reliable ground > >>>> wave transmission and monitor it through various weather conditions. > >>>> It would also be interesting to see how it works lower in frequency > >>>> (sub 50 KHz), which is something that I will definitely look into. > >>>> > >>>> 73, > >>>> Tony, EI8JK > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> On 11/08/2010 11:32, Roger Lapthorn wrote: > >>>>> Thanks for this Tony. > >>>>> > >>>>> Do you know what sort of soil/rock you have beneath you there? Here > >>>>> I am on relatively low conductivity chalk/clunch with clay a few > >>>>> miles to the north west under fenland peat. > >>>>> > >>>>> If the earth electrode antenna is behaving as a loop (a debated > >>>>> theory) then it is most effective is the "loop in the ground" is as > >>>>> large as possible, which would be the case with low conductivity > >>>>> soil/rocks underneath: the return path between electrodes would be > >>>>> forced to take a longer route deeper into the ground. If the soil > >>>>> between the electrodes has good conductivity then the return current > >>>>> would flow directly making the effective loop size small. > >>>>> > >>>>> In the last few days we've had a lot of rain here and the results on > >>>>> 500kHz last night with the earth electrode antenna suggest the rain > >>>>> made little difference to performance with reception several times > >>>>> by PA0A. This is counter-intuitive to me, as I would have expected > >>>>> levels to be weaker if the soil was wet (loop formed being smaller > >>>>> etc.). Of course it could have been that the contact resistance of > >>>>> the earth probes was lower and overall the two effects cancelled? > >>>>> > >>>>> Whatever the theory says, the earth electrode "antenna" has some > >>>>> mileage especially when, like me, there is little space for large > >>>>> "in the air" antennas. Sure, a big vertical or large loop in the air > >>>>> would be better (I think), but this is about experimenting and > >>>>> discovering the limits of possibilities. > >>>>> > >>>>> Good luck and keep everyone posted if you do further tests. > >>>>> > >>>>> 73s > >>>>> Roger G3XBM > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> On 11 August 2010 10:34, Tony wrote: > >>>>> I have finally found the time to get some (radio) work done > >>>>> here and got my 2nd tower finished and I erected an inverted > >>>>> L, 10m vertical and 30m top rising to 15m at the far end. I > >>>>> still have the "earth antenna" which is just a length of > >>>>> wire laying on the ground 80m long and terminated directly > >>>>> to an earth stake and laying roughly in the same direction > >>>>> as the top wire of the L . > >>>>> Comparing the two gave some very interesting results. > >>>>> > >>>>> 10 MHz CW L = S7 earth = S1 > >>>>> 7 MHz CW L = S9 earth = S3 > >>>>> R. Bristol 1566 KHz L = 0 earth = S2 > >>>>> Donebach 153 KHz L = S6 earth = S8 > >>>>> DCF77 77.5 KHz L = S3 earth = S5 > >>>>> MSF 60 KHz L = S4 earth = S8 > >>>>> > >>>>> All very non-technical I know, neither antenna was matched > >>>>> or tuned in any way and was all done about 13:00z. > >>>>> There was no noticeable difference in the noise level but > >>>>> when I tried it before the earth antenna was very much > >>>>> quieter after dark. I will try and repeat this tonight and > >>>>> see what the difference is then. > >>>>> > >>>>> Tony, EI8JK. > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> -- > >>>>> http://g3xbm-qrp.blogspot.com/ > >>>>> http://www.g3xbm.co.uk > >>>>> http://www.youtube.com/user/g3xbm > >>>>> G3XBM GQRP 1678 ISWL G11088 > >>> > > > > > >