Bi-directional Two wire Beverage

Bi-directional Two wire Beverage by OK2ZAW

The beverage is a long wire antenna installed very close to the ground. The antenna should be longer than 1 wavelength and installed at a height of less than 0,05 wavelength above ground. The beverage is usually terminated in a resistance at the end (opposite the feedpoint).
Beverage antennas provide one of the least expensive and most reliable ways to improve DX capabilities on the low frequencies.
With careful attention to design and construction, a single beverage antenna can be made to cover two directions with excellent performance over a very wide frequency range.
The transformer at the end of the beverage is designed to match impedance of the antenna.
A two-wire bi-directional beverage requires the antenna element to operate a balanced transmission line, as well as a conventional long wire antenna. The parallel wire line used to construct the antenna must be excited under near-perfect balanced transmission line conditions.
This is why each of the parallel transmission line wires must be parallel to the ground. A line should not be constructed in a vertical fashion, using single support poles with one wire under the other. The closer the wire spacing of the line, the lower the impedance of the line, and the less critical installation-related unbalances become. The higher you install the line above ground, the less unbalance any unequal coupling to earth creates.
Source: W8JI, ON4UN

NOTE: TWO coax output beverage antenna works right only, when both ports are loaded with right impedance on the same band. It means that you cannot leave second port open or short! Also if you use first port on 160m and second on 80m than second port have to have load impedance on 160m and first port on 80m. Picture. Right RX antenna switch

Nice article about the Bi-dir principles by ZL3IX

Main functions:

RX antenna

Broadband
Bi directional
Low noise
Twinlead or open wire line
50/75 ohm feed line version

Two output versions
1. Switchable outputs to one coax
2. Two coax outputs
Two constructio versions
1. Antenna element in the air
2. Antenna element on ground = BOG more info in WiKi
Single or two coax outputs.
Free configuration for your beverage parameters (assembled version).
Transformer calculator in wiki.
One coax version is switchable by positive voltage (+12V) - negative voltage on request.
Common-mode coax choke icluded. Compare to others on market
Electrostatic protection with glim lamps.
Controlled over the coax feed line for one coax version or two coax outputs.
Stainless connections screws.
Quality PTFE SO-239 connector or N or F connector on request.
IP56 box. Recommended to protect it against water and snow.
Size 10x10 cm (feeder), 5x6 cm (terminator).
Available as
- KIT - all parts + PCB + box
- PCB - feeder + terminator
- Assembled for:

Parameters:

Info:
- Impedance 50 or 75 Ohm
- Common-mode choke isolation more than 30 dB
- Element in air or BOG
- One coax output with internal relaz switch in feeder
- Two coax outputs for both directions at the same time - SO2R or Multi
- One coax version switch needs + 12 V / 0.1 A, Switch with positive voltage
- One coax version - REVERS direction with 0 V

Use:

Low bands RX low noise antenna
Two directions with one antenna

Versions:

KIT or Assembled

Example with Bias-tee AC/DC BOX and 4-way switch:

Download

Beverage
One coax switchable	sch	eagle284
Two coax	sch	eagle229
Terminator	sch	eagle199

We believe open source is a better way of doing things. View and download the Shield Schematic and PCB Kicad/Eagle CAD files, LibreCAD .DXF, or Inkscape .SVG files. The hardware designs are released under the Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic

Users implementation photos

OE2CRM

EA6VQ

OT5A

Dennis KA0SWR