[Bob Beatty]

Depends on the height of the horizontal  dipole.  The ideal height above ground is 0.6  wavelengths (per VOA).  As height decreases the takeoff angle increases, which says your propagation will be shorter, and at a high enough angle (critical angle), might pass through the ionosphere entirely.

https://www.voacap.com/antennas/squeezing-decibels-out-of-dipole/#:~:text=The%20optimal%20minimum%20height%20is,of%20height%20over%20the%20ground.

A vertical dipoles work quite well at low heights, with a much lower takeoff angle, which supports longer distance QSOs.

73, Bob, WB4SON

[Author]

Posts