Vertical and Horizontal Antenna Noise Comparison

Atmospheric noise is generally vertically-polarized. This is the noise you hear when there is no signal present at the frequency you are tuned to. Atmospheric noise is a combination of noise from such sources as lightning strikes around the globe (especially cloud-to-cloud strikes) and cosmic noise (aka galactic noise).
Don’t confuse this with the noise you might be receiving from a man-made device, such as a plasma TV, wireless phone charger, wall-wart power supply, laptop power supply, etc.
Atmospheric noise will always be present in the HF radio spectrum, to varying degrees. The noise is more intense at the lower frequencies (40m and lower) and diminishes more and more as you move up from 14 MHz. The noise is practically gone in the VHF spectrum and above. That’s when you start hearing the thermal noise generated by your receiver. And that’s when a squelch comes in handy.
Since atmospheric noise is vertically-polarized, a vertical HF antenna will naturally receive more of it. A horizontal dipole antenna will not receive as much atmospheric noise, since the horizontal dipole is horizontally-polarized.
So why use a vertical antenna? The vertical antenna produces a low angle of radiation, concentrating more of your signal toward the horizon. Your signal will travel a greater distance before being refracted (bent) back toward the Earth. The vertical antenna can do this even if it is ground-mounted. Note that, for safety reasons, I prefer to install my vertical antenna around 12 to 15 feet above ground. I use a vertical antenna that includes radials, so I don’t need to bury wire radials in my yard.
The other advantage of a vertical antenna is that it usually takes up very little horizontal space, compared to a horizontal dipole. So the vertical is great when you are limited by the size of your property.
Wouldn’t it be great to have the lower noise of a horizontal dipole with the lower angle of radiation (aka takeoff angle) of a vertical antenna? That’s why we need to install a horizontal dipole at 1/2 wavelength or higher above the ground beneath it. In the case of a multiband dipole, install it 1/2 wavelength above the ground according the the lowest band it will operate on.
In this video I’m tuned to the 15-meter band. The 15 meter band usually has less atmospheric noise than lower frequency bands. Remember, the lower the frequency the higher the amount of atmospheric noise. But a vertically polarized antenna will tend to pick up more atmospheric noise than a horizontal antenna does, even at 21 MHz. I tuned in to listen to a DX station on the 15m band and I noticed the band was more noisy than usual, primarily due to intense lightning activity in my region and beyond. This video will illustrate how I can improve the S/N ratio by switching to a dipole.
You will also see an example of the vertical picking up the most noise and the least signal. But don’t interpret that as meaning the vertical never wins. Sometimes, under certain propagation conditions, the vertical wins the signal strength contest, especially on 10, 12, and 15 meters. It just tends to bring in more noise with the signal.
I could use the dipole for RX and TX with the vertical. But I should mention that the dipole in this video (ZS6BKW) can sometimes even outperform my 160m Doublet on the 15m band. There is an example of that in the video. But of course the ZS6BKW is in the doublet family. It isn’t 250 feet of wire, like the doublet; it’s around 94 feet of wire. My ZS6BKW came from www.NI4L.com. Chris Fox makes the best version of that antenna that I’ve seen. It is resonant at 29.6 to 29.7 MHz, plus the 12, 17, 20, and 40 meter bands. With a wide-range antenna match, it can function on 6 through 80 meters.
Note that the vertical in this video, the Cushcraft R-5, was discontinued many years ago. The nearest match that is available today is the Cushcraft R-6000. It adds the 6-meter band to the mix.
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73, de N4HNH

[@davidc5027]

I made a 10 Meter quarter wave antenna with radials, and compared to my loop, and it showed basically the same results. Even DX commander has a 2nd antenna for receive and it's horizontally polarized loop. David Casler as claims the same results as well, though downplays the difference a bit more. Yeah, nice comparisons here and thanks for sharing.

[@n4hnhradio]

Band conditions can vary the results. Part of that video was shot midday and the rest was in the late evening. But, we can say that generally a vertical will receive more atmospheric noise. A horizontal dipole can often beat a vertical, on noise and signal strength, but the dipole has to be at least 1/2 wavelength above ground for the band it is cut for. 73, de N4HNH

[@apeculiarpeople5891]

Have the ZS6BKW on order from NI4L. Hopefully I’ll will have similar results . I enjoy the videos!

[@n4hnhradio]

Let us know how it works for you. It is a fact that the ground beneath the antenna, the slope of the terrain or not, and surrounding objects, can skew the results. So the same antenna in one location might not perform as well at a different location. 73, de N4HNH

[@Pascal-F11DRE]

Thank you for your video dear OM. Too bad the FTdx-10 does not offer 2 antenna inputs for diversity! Besides, I don't know if the FTdx-101 offers diversity? Best regards to you 73's

[@n4hnhradio]

I have my antenna switch close by. The FTdx5000 and FTdx101 have simultaneous dual-receive as well as a dedicated RX antenna port. 73, de N4HNH

[@kb9jqu]

Don’t buck the trend! Very impressive comparison video Doug and nice open and honest commentary that whilst this is true today, it may not always be true. But the trend says the SZ6BKW is frequently the winner in your experience. I have similar experiences with my MyAntennas 75-10m EFHW. However as you know I now have a SZ6BKW so I can do my own comparisons. That makes me also think about one more dimension to this test. What about on transmit? I have noticed in the past that the antenna that “hears” the best, may not be the one that “speaks” the best. This of course is where the expensive rigs with diversified receiving I think it is called, the ability to blend 2 receive antennas together to get the best signal, must be awesome. But is the antenna that hears the best always the one that speaks the best? Hum…

[@n4hnhradio]

Great point, Curt! I sometimes receive with the ZS6BKW and transmit with the doublet, and sometimes the vertical. I like to transmit with the antenna that shows the highest signal on RX, but I will switch the antenna switch to the antenna with the best S/N ratio for receive, which is usually the ZS6BKW. With the FTdx5000 I can connect a dedicated RX antenna and the radio will automatically change over to it when I un-key. But having my antenna switch within arm’s reach allows me to choose a TX and RX antenna pair on the fly. 73, Doug

[@Pascal-F11DRE]

One idea to test on a vertical or a doublet would be using a 1:1 balun with a shock balun can funnel noise to ground and improve C/N 73's

[@JamesOrcutt]

Shock balun? Gotta look into that :)

[@andrewfiertek5937]

Wow look at all the LIKES 👍🏻 I made it 71. Thanks for the comparison Doug.

[@n4hnhradio]

Thank you so much, Andrew! 73, Doug

[@billholt5573]

The specs on one version of the ZS6BKW says the ladder line is 41’ long. Does all that need to be vertical or can it be run along the ground or house if your support height is, say, only 30’?

[@n4hnhradio]

The NI4L version (best of the bunch) uses approximately 40 feet of 420-Ohm window line. Chris Fox personally builds these to order and they are optimized for the most broadband coverage across 12, 17, 20, and 40 meters without needing an antenna tuner. His version also covers 29.6 to 29.7 MHz without needing an antenna tuner. It is recommended that the window line be kept vertical. The ZS6BKW is in the doublet family of antenna systems. It is best to keep the ladder/window line vertical with a doublet. A slight angle toward your shack is okay. You just want to avoid having the window line go horizontal from the feedpoint. Now, I’ve said many times that antennas don’t always seem to understand the rules they are supposed to follow. I know two operators who couldn’t erect their NI4L version of the ZS6BKW a full 40 feet or higher and they are getting great results from the antenna. One of the operators has the feedpoint of his NI4L version ZS6BKW at 17 feet up, with the ends at 6 feet. He has approximately 23 feet of window line stretched across his back yard, plus the 75 feet of coax that is required to complete the match. He worked Indonesia without trying. He was trying to talk to regional friends and the DX station called CQ. The other operator I know who uses a NI4L version ZS6BKW lives in a neighborhood that doesn’t allow antennas. He suspended the feedpoint insulator (the LadderLoc) from the pointy part of his roof, at 28 feet above the ground beneath. He ran the antenna wires down parallel to the slope of the roof. The ends are approximately 6 to 8 feet above the ground, attached to what appears to be bird feeder posts. He has approximately 12 feet of the window line running horizontally across the patio beneath the roof where the center point is suspended. He gets out everywhere with his ZS6BKW. Last night we had a QSO on the 60 meter band. He was 59+15dB to me. We were both running the 100W legal limit for 60m, letting our antenna tuner provide a match, since 60m is not a resonant band for the ZS6BKW. 73, de N4HNH

[@arthurgumbus3969]

I have a home brewed 75-10M EFHW and a 80-10 280 foot square-ish Horizontal Loop. Both at about 50 feet above ground and held up by trees. The loop is a bit quieter on all bands than the EFHW. I have a ZS6BKW new in the box (NI4l's) but have yet to put it up.... Fearing interaction with the other two wire antennas.... However, I do notice your antennas are in close proximity to each other.... Do you think my fears are well founded? I know you are going to say... "Just put it up and see what the ZS6BKW will do"...

[@n4hnhradio]

Try to keep the antennas perpendicular, but that isn’t always possible. Antennas are much more forgiving than we think. My doublet and ZS6BKW run parallel to one another. They are approximately 20-25 feet apart. Don’t tell them they shouldn’t work so well though. They perform very well for me. In my case the proximity effect has proven to be good. The truth is that you can have issues from surrounding objects, the type of terrain the antenna is erected over, and even the kind of soil. Don’t sweat it. Just put the antenna up. 73, de N4HNH

[@arthurgumbus3969]

Ok, I will give it a go.... have to set up the remote antenna switch first as I will be using a single coax line.... fingers crossed... Thanks 73 Art W1SWL

[@randyvaughankn4wbh998]

my only consern is i have a diapole up on a steel mast.. and the window line and metal dont mix if i am correct?.. i also have a 40' vertical .. top height on diapole is about 30ft.. its a 80m length on a pie shaped lot in a dead end circle ..

[@n4hnhradio]

You are correct about the ladder line. Don’t let it get too close to a tower, metal mast, downspout, etc. It is generally recommended that we maintain 12” to 18” minimum of separation between ladder line and a metal object. Sometimes that just isn’t practical. My ladder line gets to within 6” to 8” of my gutter in one spot, but they run perpendicular to one another, which helps. It doesn’t seem to adverse affect my doublet. Most vertical antennas radiate from the feedpoint up so you can ground-mount a vertical and get good performance. The dipole needs elevation though. I started using my ZS6BKW and my doublet at 35 feet. The tree that supports the center of my doublet has grown over the years. The feedpoint is now nearing 45 feet. The limb that originally supported the center of my ZS6BKW got blown down by Hurricane Zeta. I shot a video about it. I used my slingshot antenna hanger to deploy the rope to a higher limb that I couldn’t reach before. The feedpoint is now at approximately 48 feet. But, even when it was at 35 feet it performed remarkably well. It wasn’t high enough to get a great DX takeoff angle on 40, 60, or 80 meters, but on 60 and 80 I’m mostly talking regionally anyway. I still routinely worked DX on 40m with it at 35 feet. Antennas are more forgiving than we sometimes think. At 14 MHz and higher, the ZS6BKW was high enough at 35 feet to provide a good takeoff angle for DX. It gets even better for 18 MHz and higher. I always say…Shhh… don’t tell my antennas they aren’t installed perfectly. They don’t perform like they know that, and I want to keep it that way. 73, de N4HNH

[@g0fvt]

In my situation the opposite was true. Possibly as the ZS6BKW had one end near the house, both had common:mode chokes etc. Certainly the vertical has surprised me here.

[@n4hnhradio]

If your ZS6BKW is near a power line, it might pick up more noise than a vertical. It’s worse if your ZS6BKW runs parallel to the power wire, and even worse if they are both at approximately the same height above ground. My vertical is less susceptible to power line noise but more susceptible to atmospheric noise. 73, de N4HNH

[@g0fvt]

@@n4hnhradio we don’t have power lines above ground but of course stuff in the house radiates. The vertical is able to be further from the house. The ZS6BKW worked well but the noise in this situation was intolerable. We do have overhead phone lines carrying VDSL which may be a factor…

[@n4hnhradio]

The noise from digital sources can be bad also. We had an issue in my neighborhood with cable TV signals leaking from faulty hardware. It was eventually fixed. Nothing in the amateur arsenal could eliminate it. I’ve had issues with certain wall wart power supplies and a wireless cellphone charger too. And of course our infamous computer-controlled washing machine and my laptop power brick, which I have videos about. It’s becoming more and more difficult to enjoy HF, given all the man-made noise sources. 73, de N4HNH

[@jochenkrebs9685]

the ZS6bkw is a great Antenna, i made some Tests with 2 additional radials, but on 15m it´s still a little critical with the swr. I use the 27m version in 20m height with 10m RG213 behind a 1 KW Balun. For tuning the Antenna i use an old Dentron Super Tuner, works perfect. 73´s DH1KJ

[@n4hnhradio]

You added radials to a ZS6BKW dipole? I’m not sure I understand.

[@jochenkrebs9685]

@@n4hnhradio No, no misunderstanding at the base, 2 additional radiators which then result in the resonance on 15m. Unfortunately, I don't know the exact length anymore, it probably also depends on the location, but I think it was half Lambda. It helped me. About 45 degrees below the main radiator then it should fit. 73 de Joe DH1KJ

[@n4hnhradio]

So you made a type of fan dipole arrangement. I see. Well, my antenna match has no problem making the ZS6BKW work on 15m. It works very well in fact. It often beats my vertical, which is perfectly resonant. It’s no different than using a doublet to operate across the spectrum, using an antenna match. The ZS6BKW is, after all, in the doublet family. 73, de N4HNH

[@kb8vom]

4:08 the station you are listening to talks about hearing W6LG. I know this isn't the reason for the video, just a hidden bonus!! 73, Adam KB8VOM

[@n4hnhradio]

I like Jim. He has a great channel.

[@rogershults5607]

I like your KZbin channel

[@n4hnhradio]

Thank you, Roger! I like your channel too. You have a very nice collection of radios, antennas, etc. 73, de N4HNH

[@NatesRandomVideo]

Very dependent on environment. Out where I live in the boonies with 30 1/4 wave radials under the 6BTV the difference is negligible. The vertical is noisier but not by the amount shown in your setup. A loop on the ground will beat it but that indicates the neighbors are a significant source of power supply noise, being that we are on acreage that keeps their houses far enough away the loop can’t really “see” their junky consumer devices.

[@n4hnhradio]

Yes, for QRM. But verticals are naturally more prone to QRN. QRN is predominantly vertically-polarized. In my case, there might have been a bit of QRM, but at the time of that recording, the local QRM was negligible. And the local QRM tends to affect the horizontal antennas as much as the vertical, sometimes worse. I covered that in another video.

[@pauls8456]

It’s not the Horizontal Vs Vertical it’s having a second antenna to compare with sometimes it will be the other way around particularly if the vertical is away from local noise and the horizontal due to length is nearer to local noise. It’s related to the arriving signal angle as well.

[@n4hnhradio]

This is not a local noise video. That is atmospheric noise, from lightning. Vertical antennas naturally pick up more atmospheric noise, because atmospheric noise is predominantly vertically polarized. There is another video coming in the next month or so that shows the difference between the vertical and horizontal when it comes to local noise. I have videos loaded out to August. I can’t remember when that one will go live. Edit: I looked it up and the video about local noise, as it relates to antenna polarization, goes live on August 5, 2022. 73, de N4HNH

[@pauls8456]

@@n4hnhradio yes fair enough I wasn’t talking specifically about the video, just antennas in general. It’s rare to have two good antennas connected and not see an Improvement in signal of one over the other in some circumstances. I had a 40m vert once and it was so rarely better in its location than a higher full wavelength wire I took it down, but it was, sometimes, significantly better depending on a specific angle and direction of signal. Love antennas always lots to consider, thanks for the videos.

[@n4hnhradio]

You said it, Paul. That is so very true almost all the time. My vertical rarely beats my wire, except in a direction where the dipole has a null. But the dipole needs to be 1/2 wavelength above the ground beneath it, in order to compete with the takeoff angle of the vertical. That rule gets somewhat skewed when I’m operating SOTA. The slope of the mountain improves the height above average ground and I get a nice takeoff angle, even if my wire is only 15 feet above the ground immediately below it. My vertical mainly begins to rival the wire on 12 and 10 meters. But there is still more atmospheric noise from the vertical. I sometimes receive with the wire and transmit with the vertical, when the vertical has the highest S-meter reading. That’s why I like my antenna switch with arm’s reach. If I think I will operate for a while like that, I connect the dipole to the RX antenna port on the FTdx5000 and use it for RX only, transmitting with the vertical. I appreciate your comments. I hope that more viewers will read these. We can share additional information and bounce ideas off one another in the comments. 73, de N4HNH

[@ShaneKA5GSS]

Where can I buy the zs6bkw?

[@n4hnhradio]

I have an entire playlist dedicated to the ZS6BKW. I like the version that NI4L.com builds. He doesn’t always have the ZS6BKW in stock. Each one is hand-made. But it’s worth the wait. Tell him I referred you. Maybe he will rush the order. He knows that I prefer his version of the ZS6BKW. Here is a direct link: www.ni4l.com/zs6bkw-g5rv-optimized-multi-band-hf-dipole-antenna-poly-stealth/

[@pd9rd]

Very interesting! Thanks! 73

[@n4hnhradio]

You’re very welcome! 73, de N4HNH

[@forgetyourlife]

Smashed.

[@n4hnhradio]

Thank you! 73, de N4HNH

[@patrickbuick5459]

Coming at this from a science or engineering perpective, I'm a bit concerned when I see a direct comparison between two completely different antennas trying to make a point about things like noise. You know, too many variables changing confounds or obscures results. It would be akin to trying to prove whether liquid or tablet medication routes were better, but the liquid was given to rats and the tablets to chimpanzees. How do you know the species isn't the cause of any effectiveness differences? If the *same* antenna was mounted at the exact same height and location (fold-over?) and compared horizontal versus vertical, that might be more in line with the scientific method if horizontal vs vertical noise floors was all you wanted to compare. Or even signal strength for the same. Granted, as you mention, the radiation / reception patterns change as well doing that. Ok, as I was taught... don't just talk bad. So now, I want to see how the ball mount on my Jeep rotates from near vertical (some rearward slant, blame the installer of the mount!) to horizontal. If it is away from, rather than parallel to the body, it would be much closer to an apples to apples comparison. I can try that later, though the acid test would be during the 80m net that right now is at greyline that they do here. Super noisy. I don't have that nice setup that you do though, just the radios S meter.

[@n4hnhradio]

You’re over analyzing this. It is an illustration that atmospheric noise is predominantly vertically-polarized, thus the horizontal dipole is less affected by it.