Stuck in a bowl

[bacpacker]

DG, how far are you below the top of the ridge? Are you really down in a bowl most all the way around? How big of a tower are you planning? Is it gonna put you over the ridge line?

Increasing your power will help. Improving your antenna will help a great deal more. Make certain you use a high grade coax to feed the antenna as well. RG-8X or better. Coax can be very lossy if you go with a low grade coax. VERY BAD.

VHF (2M) does not do well trying to go thru a hill side. It is line of site only. You really need to get it up over the ridge.

[Domeguy]

DG, how far are you below the top of the ridge? Are you really down in a bowl most all the way around? How big of a tower are you planning? Is it gonna put you over the ridge line?

Increasing your power will help. Improving your antenna will help a great deal more. Make certain you use a high grade coax to feed the antenna as well. RG-8X or better. Coax can be very lossy if you go with a low grade coax. VERY BAD.

VHF (2M) does not do well trying to go thru a hill side. It is line of site only. You really need to get it up over the ridge.

Last week I stopped in at Gigga Parts an picked up 1- 150', and 1- 100' good coax. I drilled into the house, and fed it into the hole, and started up the hill with the rest. I was able to make to to about 20' from the top in distance, and have my antenna temp. on a PVC pole tied to a tree about 12' of the ground. That puts it about 3-4 feet above the ridge which is at about 864 ft. But I still can't get out to Lynchburg and Fayetteville, as the ridge over that way is at 1033'. When I go mobile and go to the top of it, I can transmit and receive to Fayetteville and farther. So I'm going to have to find away to de-molecularize that entire ridge.