Simple Ham Radio Antennas

Thanks to Peter Roberage for providing this copy of "Amateur  Radio Today", narrated by the late CBS news anchor, Walter Cronkite (KB2GSD). Cronkite produced several popular promotional videos for the ARRL. This last effort is a moving tribute to the Amateur Radio Community and the service it renders to our cities, counties, states, and nations. Although I didn't always agree with Mr. Cronkite's commentary on the daily news, I respected his cool professionalism and candor. He was a perfect "salesman" for Amateur Radio. He will be missed, and "that's the way it is..." For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

SDR (RTL-2832U) runs in CHROME browser | Southgate Amateur Radio News : This page is brought to you in association with The Southgate Amateur Radio Club and AMSAT-UK. QRZ Callsign Search. Page last updated on: Sunday, March 29, 2015.  SDR (RTL-2832U) runs in CHROME browser.  There is also now a javascript SDR app for the Chrome browser 'Radio Receiver' by Jacobo Tarrio.  Stereo FM. Scan for stations. Record what you hear on the radio. Built-in bands: International and Japanese FM bands. Weather band (US and Canada). Medium Wave AM (requires an upconverter). Free-tuning mode to use the program as a multi-band radio and listen to anything: short wave, air band, marine band, etc. Supported modes: Wideband FM, Narrowband FM, AM, SSB. Compatible hardware and software Radio Receiver was written to work with an RTL-2832U-based DVB-T (European digital TV) USB receiver, with a R820T tuner chip. You can easily buy one for $15 or less by searching for [RTL2832U R820T] ...

If you have difficulty viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser: https://youtu.be/fEdy7mbZ5ms. Pityu Nagy (YO6PNQ) has assembled a beautiful and effective 2-meter J-Pole antenna from some copper tubing, a steel wire from a CB mobile antenna, some PVC pipe sections, and some parts from his shack. His loading coil at the base of the antenna is quite interesting. If you have some simple tools and access to a home improvement or hardware store, you should be able to assemble this antenna for whatever portion of 2-meters most suits your purpose. This antenna has a low angle of radiation (around 16-degrees) and should exhibit a gain over a 1/4 whip of about 3dB. Have fun! For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebar. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM). KH6JRM'...

If you have difficulty in viewing this video, please enter the title link into your browser: https://www.youtu.be/KZrhifKY-9g. There are many niches or aspects to Amateur Radio. Chasing DX is just one of them, working contacts for contests, DXpeditions to remote areas of the globe, or just linking up with friends overseas. The "Radio Ham Guy" shows you a few random contacts he made from his home amateur radio station. Working DX is a lot of fun! For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

A wonderfully simple, hardy, and cheap portable antenna from "Tinker John" (W5CYF). Most of the parts are probably in your "junk" box or are available at the nearest home improvement outlet or neighborhood hardware store. I've built similar antennas for use in portable and emergency situations. These basic, no frills antennas work and they will get you plenty of contacts. You could even use this antenna as a temporary "skyhook" at your home station. Half the fun of amateur radio is building your own wire antennas. You learn something at minimum cost that will last for years. Have fun! For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. For more Amateur Radio News, please visit my news site: http://kh6jrm.net. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM). K...

Another excellent, well-presented tutorial covering radio wave propagation. N7TFP discusses how radio waves travel around the world by "skip" or sky-wave propagation. This tutorial was part of a two-part series, but the second part has not appeared on the web. Too bad, since N7FTP has done a good job of explaining a difficult subject. This is good reference material for those studying for an Amateur Radio license. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM). KH6JRM's Amateur Radio Antenna Topics.

If you have trouble viewing this video, please enter this URL into your browser search bar: https://youtu.be/yShIAI2kMZw. Exceptionally clear, concise, and well-illustrated tutorial on the basics of radio propagation from Dan Vanevenhoven. Dan covers the basics of sun spots, solar flares, and the K and A factors. This video would be useful in a beginning Amateur Radio class or for review by those seeking General and Amateur Extra Class licenses. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. For more Amateur Radio news, please visit my Amateur Radio news site--http://kh6jrm.com. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM). KH6JRM's Amateur Radio Antenna Topics.

Here's a basic, effective, and efficient antenna transmatch ("tuner") for feeding random length wires, especially half-wave, end-fed wires. Stan Gibilisco (W1GV) explains the design, construction, and use of this simple device. If you don't feel like building your own random wire tuner, you can buy a MFJ-971 Travel Tuner, which incorporates most of the features Stan describes. I have one of these tuners and it works well for portable or emergency operations. If you have trouble loading this video, please enter the title link into your browser: https://youtu.be/6QwBiz_LB9M. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM). KH6JRM's Amateur Radio Antenna Topics.

This is a great weekend 2 meter antenna project from Dave Tadlock (KG0ZZ). If you can't find a metal coffee can (most coffee appears to be sold in large plastic containers), you can use a clean paint can. I found some at the local Ace Hardware Store in Hilo, Hawaii. You could also design this antenna for NOAA weather broadcasts and other public service agency radio traffic. The vertical element could also be a segmented antenna rod found on an old portable radio or part of a "rabbit ears" antenna from an old television set. Dave's antenna could also be designed for the 1.25 meter and 70 cm ham bands. His design resembles a "sleeve dipole" in some respects. I've built a few of these antennas and they work very well. A few basic tools and some coaxial cable are all you need to build a simple and somewhat unusual antenna for 2 meters. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated d...

If you have the space, a long-wire or random wire antenna, coupled with an antenna tuning unit (ATU) and a counterpoise wire system, can perform very well. In this video, M0VST explains how he built and used this simple antenna for his amateur radio station. He used 50 meters/164 feet of wire that came from the Clansman Radio System that was used by the British Army. The wire was supported about 7.62 meters/25 feet above ground and used an ATU and a counterpoise ground system to make the antenna work properly. His counterpoise system consisted of a 1.52 meters/5-foot copper ground rod attached to "lots and lots of ground radials." The key elements of the long-wire antenna are the antenna tuning unit and the counterpoise system. The counterpoise system will keep RF out of your shack. As for antenna tuners (ATUs), I used an old MFJ-902 Travel Tuner with good results. My "long-wire" antenna was cut for 40 meters (135-feet/41.5 meters). The #12 AWG wire was at...

This 21-element 2 meter/70 cm yagi will let you work the popular SO-50 amateur radio satellite, the International Space Station, and a bunch of low-Earth orbiting amateur radio satellites. Dave Tadlock (KG0ZZ) shows you how to set up, orient, and use this super sensitive antenna designed for amateur radio satellite communication. I'm tempted to get one of these Excalibur antennas. This antenna surely beats what I'm using now (a homebrewed yagi made from a metal tape measure I bought at Ace Hardware last year). For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today! If you have difficulty seeing Dave's video, please enter this title link in your brower: http://youtu.be/sTKI97e3uX8. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

If you have difficulty viewing the video, please enter the title link in your browser (https://youtu.be/n0eYB5AWGvY). Here's nice, easy 2 meter J-Pole antenna made from 60 inches to 61 inches (152.4 cm to 154.9 cm) of 450 ohm Ladder Line. The instructional video from KD0RVY is clear and easy to follow. All you need to complete the project is some king of mast or pole to support the J-Pole. You should get about 3dB gain over a simple 2 meter vertical. I've built a few of these antennas for portable and emergency operations. I find a simple MFJ 2 meter "tuner" helpful in some cases. This would make an excellent club project. Make a few of these simple 2 meter antennas, one for your radio room and the other for your vehicle. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joi...

. If you have difficulty viewing this video, please enter this title link in your browser: http://youtu.be/3j3BsYbzwvw. Excellent, basic introduction to the design, construction, and use of the Double Extended Zepp Antenna from Stan Gibilisco (W1GV). This antenna delivers approximately 3dB gain over a dipole antenna at the same height above ground. The antenna works best when it is fed with 450 ohm ladder line or 300 ohm TV twinlead. You will need a balanced antenna transmatch (i.e. "tuner") or a tuner/4:1 balun combination to present the proper impedance to your transceiver. According to Stan, the extended double zepp antenna is "a collinear array of two 5/8 waves in phase." You can design the EDZ antenna for any HF amateur radio band you chose. To determine the proper length of the EDZ, you can use the general formula 585/f(MHz). Divide this by 2 to find the length of each element. You can determine the length in meters by dividing your length by 3.28....

An easy to understand tutorial from Dave Tadlock (KG0ZZ) on how to design, build, and test a simple dual band (2 meter/70 cm) radio antenna for contacting amateur radio satellites. There are many low-Earth orbiting amateur and educational satellites that can be found with this antenna. You could mount this antenna on a camera tripod and adjust it manually as your favorite satellite crosses the horizon. A dual-band HT will work fine with this antenna and will give you many enjoyable contacts on a free afternoon. For more Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

An enjoyable musical slideshow featuring various portable amateur radio stations from VK5SW. Although winter holds much of the mainland United States in its grip, spring and summer are on their way. Perhaps this video will give you some ideas on how to set up your station and antennas in the field. Doing portable operations with your amateur radio "go kit" is a good way to practice emergency communications or to prepare for the upcoming ARRL Field Day during the last full weekend of June. Enjoy the show. Music Credit: "Geronimo (2004 Digital Remix)" by The Shadows (Google Play, iTunes, and Amazon MP3). For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebar. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

. Here's another great operating idea from "Tinker John" (W5CYF). This time, John uses a slightly modified 2 inch clamp for an easy and handy antenna mount for the "Hamstick" type of antenna. John uses a counterpoise wire on the clamp to help bring SWR under control. Tuning of "Hamstick" antennas can be difficult if you don't adjust the "stinger" quite right. With the proper adjustments and the use of a counterpoise wire, this antenna will serve your campsite very well. This is a great weekend project. Good luck! For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Nice video from KP4COD on the operation of the Swan 260/270 Amateur Radio Transceiver. During my first years as an amateur radio operator, I owned a few old tube and hybrid rigs, because that was all I could afford at the time. Among my early rigs was a well-used Swan 260 Cygnet transceiver I bought from my mentor, Dean Manley (KH6B). I carried that old rig to field days, portable operations, and even into my garage room ham shack. After I let the old girl warm up for 30 minutes or so, it was fairly steady with very little drift. Combined with a simple 40 meter inverted vee, some ladder line, a 4:1 balun, and an old Drake MN-4 antenna transmatch, I worked the world. I always got good audio reports, both CW and SSB. I usually ran the rig at 50 watts or less in order to save the final tube, which was one of those TV horizontal oscillator tubes that couldn't take a lot of abuse. I later gave the rig to a newly licensed ham who had as much fun with this old classic as I did. KP...

Rain Gutter Antennas : Rain Gutter Antennas (http://www.eham.net/articles/33775). from Greg Danes, KJ4DGE on February 22, 2015 View comments about this article! Rain Gutter Antennas Pic courtesy of N6CC website By Grey Wolf I got this idea about writing about my antenna because I had one once in the condo that worked very well down to about 40 meters. First YOU have to use a tuner! Mine was a MFJ “travel tuner”. Very simple and the system worked for me. I ran a open length of coax cable to the aluminum gutter and to a screw at the base, no ground was used as this caused noise on the feed line. It was really resonant at 20 meters and higher. I made my first European contacts on 15 or 17 meters using the gutter antenna. The whole length was close to 125 feet in an inverted “U-shaped” configuration. Since I could not turn the condo around with a rotator it worked a nice North-South path. It also worked greyline East-West fairly well also making contacts in NM, NV, WA and CA....