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Wire antennas

O

oldtimeradio

Hi,

I just returned from a trip to San Francisco. From my hotel window I could see a wire antenna on the top of a two story building.

I couldn't accurately measure it, but it was a pair of parallel wires connected together, and attached to a pipe on each end with insulators on each end. The parallel wires were standing vertically (as opposed to being laying horizontally) and running NW to SE. The length was (probably) 100 feet long.

I'd attach a picture, but I don't think I can attach a picture here.

The business occupying the building provides yacht rides around San Francisco Bay. Would that style antenna be feasible for operation around 150 mHz?

(I've asked the same question, not on this board, but directly to someone else. So, if anybody heard this question elsewhere it's probably about the same antenna.)

At first, I thought this might be an old medium wave antenna from the early days of broadcasting, but that's the way I think. Could it be used for something else?

Thanks.
 
A 100-foot antenna would be way too long for VHF marine. (I would expect something closer to 2-4 feet)

It would also be a bit short for broadcasting.

There's a marine band around 3MHz, for which that antenna would probably be just about right. I doubt anyone uses that band anymore!
 
I thought 2182 KHz was still used as the international calling for high seas marine voice (SSB) contacts.
 
Maybe an SWL'er or DX'er has their antenna up there?
 
Sounds an awful lot like the BW terminated double dipole I have strung at home. 95 feet long, can be hung horizontal, vertical or inverted V (as I use it) and probably a number of other configurations. Mine is less than 1.5 SWR at all frequencies I could measure legitamately with an Extra class Ham ticket and CAP communications system, from 1.8 to 30 MHz. It's center fed with a Balun, has about 18 inch PVC pipes separating the two wires at the end and several places in between and a large terminating resistor opposite the Balun. Not terrible efficient on 80 and 40 meters, but pretty darn good everywhere else.
Bill WB0KSW CAP Silverstate 19
 
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