160m coils

[M0JLA]

I have resurrected this topic as I do not wish to hijack the SSTV one by following up MM0FMF’s helpful remarks there.

@MM0FMF

Your loaded antenna was based on the ground arrangements in your garden. Move to the normally very different ground on a summit and the antenna loading is all fubared. Getting loading of a 60m dipole to work on 80 is significantly less of a technical feat than getting a 60m dipole to work on 160m, the ground effects on 80 are less pronounced.

Thanks for that, Andy. I had noticed the effect on 80m but is has always been within the capacity of the built-in AMU. On 160m there was no sign that a match might be possible anywhere on the band. I think some more experiments at home using the analyser to check optimum frequencies with different mast heights might help. Evidently getting it working on one local hill is unlikely to produce results on other hills with different ground profiles. I suppose a second set of coils would be a realistic solution - I might try a tapped coil but that is something else to go wrong.
Hope today goes well.
73,
Rod