160M balloon vertical on Field Day?

[N4NYY]

I had 10M for Field Day this past weekend, and it was pretty bad. Last year it was wide open. Anyway, someone brought up the idea of a 1/4 wave balloon vertical and thought maybe we could try it on 160M no one ever has that station and I have never been on that frequency myself.

The question is, do the the ground radials have to be 1/4, or can you get away with 1/8?

[N9CKL]

Central Illinois Radio Club
Tried 160m. Only a couple stations on FD at 1am .
80m and 40m was the ticket 9pm to 6am.
digital, cw and phone on three seperate 80 and 40 meter antennas.

[N4NYY]

Good to know. Thanks!

[NV1P]

I can't speak for having a 160 vertical, but my local club put up a 80M balloon dipole, and let me tell you, it works AMAZING! If you feed it with balanced line and a tuner you can use it on any band 80M and above, or just use a balun for 80 only.

Another idea is using a kite to lift up a vertical. Check out "NE2Q's Antenna Fell From the Sky!". I tried to find a pdf link. I know there used to be one somewhere. You may be able to get it off of the ARRL archive.

73,
NV1P

[KO7I]

160M in June? I tried that once, figured out I needed a receive antenna real bad. My bet you will too, same for everyone else cause with a beverage or a k9ay loop you maybe hearing them but if they don't too... well you-all are smart enough to figure that out. 

[ZL1BBW]

Put a fluorescent tube on the kite, then when you key it will flash on and off, everone round will think its a UFO.