Hi David,

J-poles are omni-directional, unity gain antennas most commonly found in use at VHF and higher frequencies.  they are fairly stealthy if mouned low, but there are better options depending on what frequencies you want to use.  Spend some time on "Stealth Antennas" as a topic here and other sites and you'll get some good ideas, I'm certain.  There are pretty good antenna systems that are almost invisible, but you have to match your needs and location constraints to the antenna design.

I'm sorry your wife has such a low opinion of outdoor antennas.  I've met very few hams I'd classify as "trash" of any sort although I've met my share of eccentric ones.  Our hobby attracts a broad social spectrum in terms of occupation, socio-economic status, education and political outlooks.  
We have in common a fascination with the capabilities of RF energy.

73

Gordon, N1OU

Hi Steve,

You've got an interesting situation.  Usually, I'd advise you to spend about half your budget (or more) on the antenna since that's the one thing that that really determines what you hear and how you get a signal out.  However, you're going to need to go "stealth" and the good news for that is its usually inexpensive.  Search for stealth antenna articles here and other websites and see what turns up.  Attics, eaves, fences, and even wire around the ceiling get wired up!

As to equipment (tranceiver, tuner, etc.) you could go lower end new equipment on your budget, but since you mentioned "investment" I'd recommend pre-owned since good used gear tends to hang in there value-wise but new stuff depreciates pretty quickly.  It is fun to look on e-Bay but be very careful.  There are a few ham sellers there who have good ratings, but beware the stuff advertised by people who buy estate merchandise (you can usually tell by the descriptions -- they don't really know what it is and don't include much depth).  The ads here and at QTH.com are worth a scan, though.  Radios made in the late 80's and early to mid 90's are still technologically "acceptable" if not exactly advanced in some aspects and the prices are great.  I've got an older Kenwood that is magnificent -- it just doesn't have DSP, menus or a bandscope function -- and it "plays" better than my 756 Pro!  

You'll get a lot of ideas from your post, I think.  So, plan on doing some fun searching.  Your budget will provide you a very good HF station even though you're a bit antenna-handicapped.  Hey, that's part of the fun of this hobby.

73

Gordon, N1OU

WA3SKN is right, the transmit pattern will favor the radial field.  However, if you want to avoid this AND have a wee bit of room, you can bend radials up to 90 degrees (make them L-shaped).  Thus, with some creativity, you might manage 360 degrees of radials.  I did this once on a small lot and never noticed any directional effect.

73
Gordon, N1OU

A lot of interesting thoughts and opinions so I'll add another:

The research and development costs of a "mega-rig" like the big Yaesu and Icom boxes now highly promoted are significant budget items for even a large corporation and have to be recouped.  Add to this that the ham marketplace is pretty small -- about 600 thousand in the U.S. and maybe a couple of million world-wide -- and you get a long pay-back time on the investment.  After all, radios that cost $7,000 and up don't exactly hop off the shelf in large numbers.

Rumors abound that Kenwood will come up with a "big rig", but I think they've decided to stay in the middle and lower price ranges and off the bleeding edge.  Most of the current Kenwood rigs get excellent reviews here and in the press.  As a strategy, this is sometimes called using a "cash cow".  They are still in the market, but have purposely chosen not to lead it.

73

Gordon, N1OU

A wise old ham once said, "Every antenna is a compromise".  True words.  

As other responders pointed out, the dipole will be quieter but will have to be super-high for DX.  The vertical will be noisier, but if properly installed will have a longer reach.  So, what is your best specification for a compromise?

Mine has always been to the DX side and I've had verticals (not the MFJ) snag way-out stuff I couldn't reach with my dipoles.  My old GAP Challenger (now dead at the hands of a yard contractor who did it in with a tractor) was super for DX on 15 down to 40 and was okay on 80 where it had about 100 Khz of bandwith but much lower efficiency.  Its that compromise thing and it did what I wanted it to do.

To answer your question precisely, unless you work a lot of local nets on 80 the vertical will probably be best for you.  Beware of MFJ though -- read the reviews of antennas here on eHam and go with a high-rated one.

73

Gordon, N1OU

I agree with N5LRZ.  Switchers have their place.  Great when you need "small and light".  Not as good when you need "rugged and reliable".  My old MFJ non-switcher has been with me forever and never quits.  Even if it should it is simple circuitry and would be a snap to fix.

73

Gordon, N1OU

Hi Dan,

I'm assuming the braid of the coax connects to the radials somehow or other (ring or clamps, etc.) and the inner conductor is  connected to the antenna radiating element.  If so, I don't think you'll see much, if any, difference if you also connect the braid to the little tripod.

About the only difference I can think of would occur if the tripod is grounded (unlikely).  Then, you might notice something.

73

Gordon, N1OU

For the fun of it I'm going to try the 80M loop described in the November 1985 issue of QST and reprinted in their "Wire Antenna Classics" book.  It won't cost much and I've got trees in more or less the right places to get it fairly high.  This is just for fun and I've got other plans when it comes to my permanent installation, but this antenna is really interesting.  

I'd like to hear from anyone using one!  I'm especially interested in your results and any construction quirks or hints you've encountered.

73

Gordon, N1OU

Verticals like the 5BTV work "with" a reflection provided by the ground under and surrounding the antenna via a radial network.  Your plumbing vent system is going to become this and since it snakes and wanders around it is impossible to model what kind of result you'll get.

Suggestion:  Try it on a "temporary" basis without permanently running your coax and with minimal  radials (counterpoise wires).  If you get a lot of stray currents (RF feedback and RFI) you've got a problem that likely won't work out and that won't be solved by isolating the entire antenna from a DC ground provided by it.  If you don't, you're all set.

Roof mounting a vertical usually doesn't improve its performance.  But, since you've got a ready-made "spot" it will be an interesting try.  You may find that it will work on some bands and not on others because of the RF characteristics provided by the plumbing.

73  -- Have fun!

Gordon, N1OU  

Like K0BG I'm a little curious about what kind of switch you have.  DPDT switches made from bakelite and brass or even with wood as an insulator were very common back when Hiram Percy Maxim was a pup.  If you've got one of these it'll switch HF pretty well on open wire lines even at high power.  

At higher frequencies you're going to have problems, particularly with coaxial lines.  Things are going to get lossy and the switch may not have enough separation.

73

Gordon, N1OU

A friend of mine (now a SK) had a hazer on a 60 foot tower.  I helped him with it once and I didn't think it worked very well.

The hazer adds significant top-level moment (weight) to the tower and thus good guying is quite necessary.  To bring the hazer down, the guys could not be unhooked at ground level because they would catch in the mechanism.  Somebody had to go up and unhook them on the tower.

Often, the hazer would get "cockeyed" and jamb on the tower, resulting in raising it again and re-lowering.  The antenna feedlines and rotor cable were a similar problem to the guys -- if we weren't careful, they'd get hung up in the rig, too.  Adding insult to injury, if the antenna wasn't just perfectly aimed for lowering, it would catch against the tower!

Net, it would have been easier to climb the tower or hire somebody to do it.  The hazaer was not a successful solution.  The e-Ham reviews tend to point this out.

It may cost a little more but a crank-up or tilt-over tower is a much better solution.  I'm tower shopping right now and I ruled out the hazer a long time ago.

73

Gordon, N1OU

Here are some quick thoughts:

For 10 Meters look for one of the Radio Shack 10 Meter single banders on e-Bay or here in the classifieds on e-Ham.  QTH.com also has a lot of listings.  You can probably land a good one for a hundred bucks.

For 6 and 2 Meters do the same for one of the MFJ single-band SSB rigs.  These get pretty good reviews here on e-Ham and used ones are fairly easy to find.

There are some older Icom, Kenwood and Yaesu VHF sideband transcievers but they are starting to get "whiskers" now and may not be too reliable or will be hard to get parts for.

As to home brewing sideband gear that's a tough nut to crack.  There are some plans out there, particularly for "tranverters" that can move an already good sideband signal up in frequency.  However, most of us hams don't have the test equipment to successfully home brew sideband gear.  CW is a whole 'nuther ballgame, though.

Maybe somebody will even show up with a reply on this post and have a good used VHF SSB rig they'd part with for a good price.

Have fun in your search.

73

Gordon, N1OU

Don't give up yet, long verticals are great DX antennas but are touchy.

You said 3000 feet of radials -- that's lots of wire but how is it laid out?  Radiating from the antenna base (hence the term "radial") is best with at least some being at least 1/4 wave length at your lowest desired frequency.  You can bend them if you have to, but the more "radial" the better and the more of them the better.

How are the radials attached to the antenna mount?  Several manufacturers make plates that provide multiple attachment points, affix firmly to the DC ground, and make laying out the radials easier.

DC grounding?  You need some.  The non-radiating part of the antenna and the radials should be well grounded.

Check:  Is something grounding the radiating element of the antenna (either RF or DC ground)

3:1 SWR might be a "best case".  These antennas aren't resonant for the most part and will present very high SWR on many of the amateur bands.  I doubt the tuner in your Pro III can cope across much spectrum.  You'll need a broader range tuner.  A shack "indoor" tuner will match the feedline, but it won't stop the feedline from radiating (and I'm guessing you've got this condition).  A remote tuner like SGC or ICOM AH-4 will tune the antenna to the feedline at its base and will avoid all the potential problems on the feedline.

Finally, what is in the general area of the antenna?  If you have metal or stucco buildings close-by, they might be affecting your pattern.  Generally, verticals should be in the clear.

There's my two cents worth -- keep trying.

73

Gordon, N1OU

The replies so far are pretty much right on -- horizontal (or even semi-horizontal wires are usually quieter (from atmospheric noise) than verticals, verticals like the Butternut require lots of radials which is a pain in the tail, and, typically, wires at lower heights and lower frequencies tend to be "cloud burners" (high radiation angle).  I've had both types but neither is superior because it depends on what you're trying to do.

If at all possible, consider using both and a switch.  That's what I once did and I found the vertical got me more marginal contacts on 80, 40, and sometimes 20.  Often, 20, 17, 15 and 10 were pretty much the same.  Many times one of the two was significantly better than the other for no reason that made scientific sense, so I just went with the better signal unless it was way-off DX where the vertical always got better signal reports (although I could sometimes hear better on the wire).

As they say in the fine print:  Your results may vary.  

73

Gordon, N1OU  

I agree with your "true stealth" definition but have to share a story.

Years ago I lived in a subdivision with really crazy HOA "enforcement".  They'd even come up in my driveway and look for spots on the house paint!

I put a GAP Challenger between two trees in the back yard and painted it kind of greenish gray.  The "enforcers" never caught it, but a friend did.  He was playing fetch with the dog and ran straight into it.  No harm done to him or the antenna, but his comment (he's not a ham) was that I should paint it like a barber pole!

73