[600MRG] Could my antenna be a very large Dummy Load ? - Long Reading

[Andy - KU4XR]

Greetings Gents: 

I am beginning to wonder if I am approaching a Giant " Dummy-Load " with my antenna. I have 4 top load wires,
ranging from 100 feet to just over 200 feet. 2 of the top wires have a termination wire connected between them.
I estimate that I have close to 600 feet of - close to the earth ( 25' AGL ) Horizontal wire in the air, and just 
purchased another 750 feet, with the expectation of adding more top wires, and termination wire where possible.
I will never have a Ground Radial system that will amount to anything, so nothing but mother earth underneath
the top load wires. My Vertical height is 30 feet, and I hope to go up to 40 feet. That will be about all I can do.
The next comments are based on watching my S-meter, and listening to background noise and believing that
I am improving the antenna. ( I know the more vertical height, the better, but I am limited ).. Here's what I 
have noticed. In the past I had a 160 OCF up 30' AGL - strapped as a " T " antenna. It was as noisy as a nascar
race. The short leg, went across the powerline service entrance - tied off to a tree. Constant powerline buzz.
I decided to tie the center, and shield of the coax together at the dipole, and bend the short leg in another
direction - away from the powerline. Instant reduction in line buzz ! - AND - reduction in received signal
levels also. A previous question on this list informed me that powerline coupling effect is an issue, thus 
the loss in received signal strengths when I moved the wire away from the powerline. But not living with 
a constant 20 over S-9 line buzz was worth a reduction in signal strength. The S-meter dropped to S-9 after
moving the wire. No noticable change in the needed L  to peak the antenna. I added a 3rd top wire, 
and right away saw a difference. After adjusting for Less - L ; the S-meter was resting on S-8. Signals
on 630 meters got better. Later on, I added a 4th top wire. This one unfortunately is running at a heavy 
sloping angle and is very close to earth over much of its length. Another instant change ! After adjusting 
for less - L ; the S-meter was resting around S-6.5 to S-7. What was the short leg of the OCF was 
lengthened to within 3 feet of the pine tree limb it is tied off to, and I connected a termination wire from
it, over to the heavily sloping wire ( 65 feet ). This is what I have in the air at the moment.. After adjusting
for Less - L again, my S-meter is now resting on S-5, and bouncing up to S-6.5 on peaks. I have not been 
using a Shunt element until just the past 3 weeks or so. Through experimentation; I added a Shunt - LC on
the radio side of the loading coil and after adjusting; the S-meter rose 1 S-unit on resting noise and now
rests at S-6.5 and bounces to S-7.5 on peaks. The level varies due to neighborhood noise makers, and when 
it is " dead quiet " , the S-meter rests at S-5, and bounces to S-6.5, BUT, that is not the norm unfortunately.
Here are my present values - measured as best I can do. (( Starting point was the OCF at 30' AGL, and 
260 feet top load... I used 152 microHenries of coil with no shunt element ( my oversight there ). ))
The present setup is 30' AGL Vertical APEX, with very close to 600 feet of top load wire going in 4 directions,
and varying land slopes. My Series " L " is 82 microHenries, and the Shunt LC on the radio end of the coil
is 93 microHenries - L ( Fixed ) , and 1,142 pF - C ( Air Variable ) . Of course, Dryground - Wet ground does
affect the tuning. *** NOW The Big Question for me is: with all the losses over earth - no radials - and 
everything else lossy that can be factored in; when I eventually try to put RF into this Monstrosity; will I 
possibly be transmitting into a Very Large - Dummy Load ? It Hears, and pretty good in my opinion, but,
that doesn't mean it will radiate RF in the same fashion. My hope is to add 3 more top load wires, and 
terminate the ones that can be. I am starting to wonder if this may be an exercise in futility.
Thanks for reading this, and comment if you wish - on the list might be good - for others to benefit from it.

73: Andy - KU4XR Friendsville, TN. - EM75xr