Hello everyone, I've been experimenting with shortwave communication from the rooftop recently, primarily using FT8 mode. My equipment is a XieGu G90N. I'm currently encountering some challenges and would appreciate your advice and experience.
The current setup is: MA-01 + camera tripod + magnetic ground net, attached to the metal railing on the roof. Currently, the SWR for all bands can be maintained around 1.1. Through PSK reporter and DXlook observation, the transmission situation is acceptable, allowing me to receive many European stations, but the reception quality is relatively poor.
I would like to ask for your input on the current situation. Is the bottleneck due to the short gain antenna itself, or is it due to poor ground plane matching with the GP antenna? Or is it caused by something other than the antenna? If I need to upgrade the antenna, I have a few options:
- Full-size GP: MA-12 or JPC-350
- Valid: MA-50 or JPC-7
Personally, if the ground net match isn't the primary reason, I would prefer a GP (Ground Personal), as it's easier to set up and store. If adding a canopy isn't the main consideration, I would lean towards the JPC-7, because its canopy is smaller; the full-size JPC-7 canopy extends up to 5.6m on one side, which requires disassembly of the guy ropes for non-fixed installations, and it can also be difficult to operate at the top of the building.
Therefore, I was wondering if anyone has experience setting up full-size GP or Vertical Polarity antennas on a camera tripod? What is the wind resistance and overall stability like? And, given my current situation, which direction would you recommend upgrading to? Or are there other types of antennas that are recommended for temporary installation on a rooftop?