Up a Lazy Antenna: A Trail Friendly "H" for 20 Meters
The ARS Sojourner
Don't get me wrong. My trusty 100 foot dipole fed with 450 ohm ladder line has always worked well - it was just that I wanted something with some real gain.
After a fair amount of research I decided to try a full sized, 20 meter Lazy H.
The ARRL Antenna Handbook characterizes this antenna as an excellent low-angle radiator with a fairly sharp, bi-directional pattern. The calculated gain is in the neighborhood of 5.9 dBd.
My Lazy H consists of a pair of 70 foot dipoles, one stacked over the other and connected at the centers by a 35 foot long phasing line made from 450 ohm ladder line. The feedline is connected to the middle of the phasing line with heavy duty 300 ohm twinlead.
Due to the size of the antenna, I designed it to break down into four separate parts for easier transportation. Assembly consists of connecting the phasing line to the two dipoles using plastic insulators and wing nuts as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 2 shows how the feedline is connected to the phasing line.
For QRP Afield, the upper dipole was supported by a pair of giant Sequoia trees at a height of 80 feet. The weight of the lower dipole keeps the phasing line straight and fairly taught. Two lengths of nylon mason line hold the ends of the lower dipole parallel to the ground.
The Lazy H performed exactly as expected. During the contest I found I could work anybody I could hear, as long as they were a thousand miles away or better.
Signal reports from stations on the eastern seaboard were especially good from my central California location.
On the other hand, making close-in contacts was often difficult. A low dipole would have been a better choice in that case.
* * * * * * * * * *
Bill Jones, KD7S, an expert outdoorsman, QRP operator and homebrewer, is a contributing editor to The ARS Sojourner living in Sanger, CA.