The "Lazy 7" on 160M

[N4UM]

I described the "Lazy 7" fly-by-night antenna in a recent eHam article.  It consists of a 23 foot "flagpole" used on 40 thru 10 during the day and on 80 and 160 at night by the addition of a top loading wire and coil.  I live in an HOA and must resort to "stealth" techniques. 

The recent CQWW 160M CW contest provided a good opportunity to evaluate the Lazy 7's performance on 160.  During 14 hours of operation 310 QSOs were completed in 44 states, 6 Canadian provinces and 22 countries - including HK0NA (Malpelo Island).  Had my contesting skills not deteriorated from approximately 25 years of neglect, the results might have been better.

This antenna's performance is certainly less than competitive with the performance of many other antennas in unrestricted situations but it turned out to be considerably better than expected. 

Don't let antenna restrictions keep you from getting on the air - even on 160 meters!

[KD8FTH]

As someone who is very familiar with operating in a HOA restricted community, I applaude your results.  I would be very pleased to log 22 countries and 44 states on 160 in a 14 hour session.  This speaks volumes for both your antenna and skills.

Congrats and 73

Ron
KD8FTH