I am very fortunate that my home is located on 5 acres of land in the country. This make for a very low noise environment.
The problem I may have is my house is located on about 21/2 acres of landscaped land that is surrounded by a forest in the remainder of the 5 acres. The forest consists of very old trees that are 50 to 100 feet tall, some of them having a diameter of 24 inches. The question I have is to what extent can there be mutual coupling between a vertical antenna and one or more of my trees? The answer to this question will determine if I can effectively use vertical antennas on my property, and if so, how close they can be to these large trees without altering the performance of the antenna. The ARRL Antenna Book states: "It is important to remember that mutual coupling exists between any two conductors that are located near one another." So, the question is, i think, to what extent is a living tree a conductor? I have done a lot of reading about verticals, but I have not seen this issue addressed. Your comments would be greatly appreciated. 73, and Happy New Year, Wayne KK6BT _______________________________________________ Stew Perry Topband Distance Challenge coming on December 29th.
