Beverage on Ground (BOG) question

[KE8G]

Hi All,
I am thinking of adding a BOG for 80 meters and have a couple of questions.  I have been reading some articles and see that the antenna can either be terminated or non-terminated.  The only difference being in its directivity. This antenna will be of temporary nature, as I live on a "postage stamp" lot, so I will put it out in every evening and roll it back up before going to bed, therefore; I am looking at the non-terminated route. This also allows me to place it in different directions, as my neighbors are fantastically cooperative in all my "antenna projects" to the point they offer to lend a helping hand!

My big question is, how do I hook up the feed end?  Is just soldering a pl-259 to one end of the wire going to work?  Or, will I need some sort of matching transformer?  I have read so many differing opinions that to be honest, they somewhat contradict each other.

I am using a MFJ1026 noise cancelling unit.  With it, I have it set up to select multiple antennas, so I was thinking of adding the BOG to this in order to switch it in and out when needed.

My mind is open to suggestions to make things perform better.

Thanks in advance,
73 de Jim - KE8G

[W0BTU]

We cannot just connect our coax directly to a Beverage antenna, including a BOG. A simple transformer is required for the following reasons:

- To match the low impedance of the coax to the higher impedance of the Beverage antenna.
- To isolate the feedline from the antenna, in order to avoid common-mode pickup of unwanted signals and noise on the coax shield.

You'll also need a ground. A half-dozen rather short radials laid on the ground at the feedpoint should do.

Instructions for making a good transformer, ground, etc. is at http://www.w0btu.com/Beverage_antennas.html

[KE8G]

Mike,
Thanks for the link and all the information.  Looks like I'll do some more reading and go from there.

73 de Jim -- KE8G

[KC4MOP]

Mike,
Thanks for the link and all the information.  Looks like I'll do some more reading and go from there.

73 de Jim -- KE8G

ya it always gets a little more complicated than we wanted. The BOG is the "noise antenna" for the MFJ unit? It works amazingly well, you have to be patient with the adjustments.
Fred

[WD4ELG]

A ton of info on the web about BOG antennas (just do a search in Bing and you will get tons of hits).

ON4UN discusses them as well.  Folks either love them or hate them.  I did not have a ton of time to do measurements with mine, and I only had one so it was not really helpful for comparison.

Like the others said, you do need a transformer.  I did not terminate my at the far end...which just means you get bi-directional reception.

[W0BTU]

 Folks either love them or hate them.

I --and another person who makes them-- have had only had one person who didn't like their BOG.