The Beverage Antenna
by WA2CLP
The beverage antenna has always interested me because of it's size and the fact that I don't have room to put one up. None the less it's worth mentioning because I know someone who uses one every day, or night, as the case may be and let me tell you: The darn thing works!!
This antenna is a specialized nonresonant long wire affair that requires a poorly conductive earth beneath it to work well. (Huhh?) Yes, unlike the windom antenna, that requires a highly conductive ground beneath it, this antenna requires just the opposite. It is thought of as a "receive-only" antenna, however, like it's cousin the SNAKE , you can use it for transmitting and so the topic is debatable.
The antenna was invented in the early 1920's by Dr. Harold H. Beverage. In 1923, Beverage along with 2 other colleagues wrote a paper for the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. The paper discussed tests involving antennas that were as long as -- 7 miles. These tests were done around 665 khz and you can imagine the results. It is said that reading this original article (Volume 42, 1923) is "fascinating."
The minimum length of 'the beverage' is 1 wavelength and on 160 that's about 547 feet or so. If you've got friendly neighbors, live on a farm or next to the old Alexander's you can put one up. Shorter lengths can work, however. The advantage of this antenna is simple in that it "....provides a unidirectional low-angle pattern for a very low physical height above ground." (About 10 or 20 feet high). The end of this long wire is terminated in a resistor-to-ground equal to roughly the characteristic impedance of the antenna at that point, usually about 200-600 ohms. The antenna can be fed with coax or ladder line (open wire.) If the antenna is to be used for transmitting you should use a non-inductive resistor that is rated at half the transmit output power.
During a recent QSO with Phil, K2HQ, he told me that he thought transmitting on the beverage would not work well since fifty percent of the power is lost in the terminating resistor at the end of the antenna. I respectfully disagreed.
As mentioned, I am sometimes in contact with W4DHA, from Edmund, SC who uses a beverage antenna, for both transmit and receive. Nicknamed, "Coke", he's on every night on 1910 khz. (That was a good year and if I could remember it I would have lot's of time to play radio for sure!) Coke's antenna is about 1200 feet long and one night during this past summer he could not hear me on his 1/2 wave dipole but could clearly on the beverage. The distance between us is about 600 miles. His antenna is not exactly a beverage, though. He doesn't have the end terminated with a resistor as mentioned. He claims that the resistor does nothing for performance because of -- a poor ground, (Huhh?) hence he operates what he claims is a "bi-directional" beverage.
After speaking with Coke recently, however, I could clearly see from reports he has gotten over time, that his beverage does indeed favor the northeast corridor. Stations on the 'other side' of his antenna have reported a drop-off in his signal as compared to his other 2 antennas. This was according to John, NB4B who has also experimented on the receiving end of the beverage. Coke also mentioned to me that he had originally intended to use his beverage as "receive-only" but transmitted on it one time by accident and so continued to do so because it worked so well!
This other OM, Phil, who doesn't transmit on this same antenna did make an interesting point though: For optimum performance on dx on both 160/80 meters you could transmit on a vertical antenna and receive on the beverage, thus you would have the best of both worlds, so to speak, provided the beverage is facing the direction you want to favor.
Some of you probably remember the presentation we had a year or so ago given by Bob, WA2SQQ on am broadcast band dx'ing. Bob 'logged' an am broadcast station from Spain on a beverage antenna at the Jersey Shore. The end of his antenna must have been "salt resistive?" (hi hi.) In the text files I mentioned, this author tells how he separated 500 feet of insulated zip cord to double the length and unrolled the antenna on the ground. He then logged am broadcast stations from New Zealand on 1206 khz and Norway on 1314 khz. He also heard 'Portugal' off the back of the antenna, again on the am broadcast band. Not bad for an antenna that's "on the ground!" I have tried to find out who this author is to give credit, but am told the 'text' files were receive 'as is' without author. I'm sure, however that the info is genuine.
The bottom line is that the beverage antenna works as a unidirectional antenna on the lower bands mentioned. In Coke's case it works better than either his dipole or full wave loop on 160m in the one direction on both transmit and receive. I heard him on all 3 antennas as have others here in the northeast and the beverage works best. Further evidence to this fact was given when Coke sent slow scan television pictures on 160 using both the beverage and his 1/2 wave 160m dipole. The pictures were markedly better on the beverage, to the north as they were received at a club presentation, given by John, NB4B at the Central Virginia DX Assn., about 300 miles to the north in spring of '97. (Wonder if John would be interested in coming to Stateline?? (hi hi.)
And speaking of large wire antennas check out the recent newsletter on the ARRL web page from December 19 about the VOA antennas coming down in Bethany, Ohio. (Budget ax) Just imagine operating your hf station through those series of rhombics and sterba curtain arrays that were used for transmitting. Now that my friends -- that -- was an antenna farm! You can also check out some great pictures of this VOA station as well. (http://wwwexit109.com/~jimh/voaohio.html) I can remember listening to the VOA from the Ohio location as a kid. I'm sort of sad to see that the place closed down. (Would have made for a nice field trip on the way to Dayton!!)
For more inf. on the beverage antenna, check out these articles in QST or contact me and I can supply you with the text files mentioned here. You will note that Dr. Beverage has written in QST and died at age 99 in January of 1993. So much for the hazards of rf energy.
1. The Classic Beverage Antenna, Revisited. January, 1982, page 11
2. Beverage Antennas for Amateur Communications. January 1983, page 22
Text files sent to me on this topic from Philip T. Morrissey, Sr., AA2KH-Roads End-RR1, Box 176-Jefferson, N.Y. 12093. The files list no particular author but are really good.
The ARRL Antenna Book. 1977 The ARRL-Newington, Ct. 07666
Stateline ARC -- Dan WA2CLP ECARS 2329
