Simple Ham Radio Antennas: M0VST's 50 meter longwire antenna set up. Post #307.

This short video by M0VST covers most of the basics involved in making an effective longwire antenna, covering the amateur radio bands between 160 to 10 meters. I've built several of these "longwire" antennas and have found that an ATU (antenna tuner) and a good counterpoise system really help to produce a quality signal. Unlike M0VST's "longwire antenna", my version was cut to a length of 67-ft/20.42 meters, enough to cover amateur radio bands between 80 and 10 meters. My counterpoise system was a compromise arrangement consisting of four, quarter wave radial wires for each band of use (80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters). I also attached a "quarter wave radial bundle" to the ground lug of my trusty Drake MN-4 ATU. I used approximately 60 ft/18.29 meters of 450 ohm ladder line as the antenna feed line. The ladder line was attached to a W9INN 4:1 balun. A 6-ft/1.82 meters length of RG-8X with UHF connectors ran from the balun to the window patch panel. Another 6 ft/1.82 meters piece of RG-8X with UHF connectors ran to the Drake MN-4. Shorter lengths of coax interconnected the Ten-Tec Argosy II, low-pass filter, and dummy load to the Drake MN-4 ATU. The "longwire" antenna was tied to a 100 ft/30.48 meters length of nylon cord with a fishing sinker attached and shot over a tree branch approximately 50 ft/15.24 meters above ground. Once I tied off the antenna to a nearby tree stump and adjusted the antenna for tension, I was ready to operate. With the use of 450 ohm ladder line, a 4:1 balun, and a good ATU, I was able to work many mainland U.S. and Pacific stations using less than 50 watts output. The Drake MN-4 kept SWR below 1.5 to 1 on all amateur bands between 80 and 10 meters. This is an excellent antenna for portable or home use. Just be sure to use a counterpoise system and a good antenna ATU with this antenna. For the latest Amateur Radio News and Events, please check out the blog sidebar. These news feeds are updated daily. You can also get more Amateur Radio news and upcoming events by visiting my amateur radio news site--http://kh6jrm.com. Thanks for being with us today!Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).