How a Beverage works
A Beverage is a long wire, typically one to two wavelengths, run 2 to 3 m above the ground and pointed in the direction you want to hear. The end towards the DX is terminated with a resistor to ground equal to the wire's impedance, and the near end feeds a transformer to your receiver. Signals arriving from the front build up along the wire, while those from the back are absorbed in the resistor. It's inefficient, but on 160m and 80m the band noise is so high that what matters is the signal-to-noise ratio, and a Beverage often improves that dramatically.
Building tips
- Length: at least one wavelength, ideally 1.5 to 2. On 160m that's 160 to 320 m, so it needs space.
- Termination: a resistor of about 400 to 600 Ω to a good ground rod. Without it, the antenna receives both ways.
- Transformer: typically 9:1, a 1:3 turns ratio, on a ferrite core, to match about 450 Ω to 50 Ω.
- Keep it away from transmit antennas and use a choke on the feeder, and a receive protection device if you transmit nearby.
Where there isn't space, a Beverage on the ground (BOG), a shorter wire laid on the ground, or a small receiving loop with a preamp are good alternatives. The transformer calculator works out the turns ratio.
Questions
How long should a 160m Beverage be?
At least 160 m, one wavelength, and ideally 250 to 320 m.
What termination resistor does a Beverage need?
About 400 to 600 Ω, matching the wire's impedance, to a good ground.
Can I transmit on a Beverage?
No. It's a receiving antenna only. Protect your receiver from your own transmitter.
Why use a Beverage when it's so inefficient?
On the low bands, noise is the limit, not signal strength. A Beverage rejects noise from other directions, so weak signals become readable.