Question E9H01:
When constructing a Beverage antenna, which of the following factors should be included in the design to achieve good performance at the desired frequency?  

Choices:  
A: Its overall length must not exceed 1/4 wavelength  
B: It must be mounted more than 1 wavelength above ground  
C: It should be configured as a four-sided loop  
D: It should be at least one wavelength long    

Correct Answer is  D: It should be at least one wavelength long  

A Beverage is a long, low, terminated wire used mainly for low-band receiving. Its directivity and effectiveness come from being a traveling-wave antenna with substantial length over ground.

Why D is correct (It should be at least one wavelength long)
- A Beverage needs significant electrical length to develop a strong end-fire (single-direction) pattern. As a rule of thumb, make it at least $1\lambda$ long at the desired (center) frequency; $2$–$3\lambda$ (or more) gives better directivity and lower sidelobes.

Useful formulas and rules of thumb
- Wavelength: 
  $$\lambda = \frac{300}{f_{\text{MHz}}}\ \text{meters}$$
- Beverage length: $L \gtrsim 1\lambda$ (better at $2$–$3\lambda$ or more)
- Height above ground: $h \approx 0.03$–$0.1\lambda$ (often just a few meters on the low bands)
- Termination: a resistor (typically a few hundred ohms) at the far end for unidirectional response

Why the other choices are incorrect
- A: “Its overall length must not exceed 1/4 wavelength”
  - Incorrect. A 1/4-wave Beverage would be too short to provide good directivity. Longer is better; you want $L \ge 1\lambda$.
- B: “It must be mounted more than 1 wavelength above ground”
  - Incorrect. Beverages are intentionally low (a small fraction of a wavelength above ground). Mounting at $>1\lambda$ defeats the intended traveling-wave, ground-coupled operation.
- C: “It should be configured as a four-sided loop”
  - Incorrect. That describes a loop antenna, not a Beverage. A Beverage is a straight, long wire with a termination to ground at the far end.

Bottom line: For good performance at your target frequency, size the Beverage to at least one wavelength in length, keep it low over ground, and use proper termination.