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« on: September 10, 2010, 1451 UTC »
A bev antenna is used for LW and AM BCB bands because signals approach it at very low angles. If you use a bev for 7 megs, the signals will be coming in from a much higher angle, and you will actually have negative 'gain' compared to a dipole at the high angles.
However, this is a good time to point out that experimentation is what it's all about. So, if you want to find out for yourself, go for it!
The best antennas I have used for 7 MHz. area SWLing are-
Large inverted L (over lots of ground wires, fed with 9:1 balun)
T2FD (horizontal, flat config.)
1/2 wave wire dipole (with 1:1 balun feed)
Verticals are OK, if you have LOTS of ground radials and are in a quiet location (I am). But, even the simplest dipoles outperform a vertical for SWLing, hands down.
Seriously, I know the 'expert hams' hate T2FD antennas, we hashed it out a little here not too long ago. However, for SWLing, they are really quiet, and really pull in the signals! Sometimes, I can hear things on the T2FD that I cannot hear on the other 5 antennas. I don't care how they transmit, just talking about SWL applications here.
73!