Simple Ham Radio Antennas--Building Ladder Line by N4LQ. Post #519.


If you have trouble viewing this video, please insert the following URL into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/qzFKGB6qkXs.  Steve Ellington (N4LQ) show us a simple, inexpensive way to build and install insulators in ladder line.  Choose your own spacing.  Wire ties should be at least twice the length of the spacer.  Steve uses 11 inch/27.94 cm ties found at Loew's Stores.  You can also use various types of plastics for the spreaders.  For amateur radio purposes, #14 AWG household wire can be used for each leg of the ladder line. Once you've made the spacers and adjusted the spreaders, you can attach each leg of the ladder line to its respective antenna element.  Feed this combination into a balanced "tuner" and you're ready to go.  If you don't have a balanced "tuner", you can run a short length of 50-ohm coaxial cable from your "tuner" to the 4:1 balun,which will then be connected to the ladder line.  With this arrangement, you can get multi-band performance with one antenna.  I have a 40-meter inverted vee antenna using homebrewed ladder line connected to a 4:1 balun and then to a short length of coax from the balun into my Drake MN-4 "tuner."  I can use this antenna/feed line combination to work 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters.  Steve's video is easy to understand and should help you make your own antenna feed line with a minimum of stress.  For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars.  These news feeds are updated daily. Thanks for joining us today!  Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Related articles

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for visiting my Amateur Radio Blog. I value your comments and suggestions. For Amateur Radio Antenna Topics and Discussions, stay here. For Amateur Radio News and Trends, please visit my news site at https://bigislandarrlnews.com.
Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Popular posts from this blog

G5RV Multi Band HF Dipole Antenna. Post #1555.

Image
If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeNHIQ_j4Dk This well-produced and richly illustrated tutorial on the classic G5RV HF Dipole Antenna was presented to the Brandon Amateur Radio Society in Brandon, Florida in 2017 by Bernie Huth (W4BGH).  Bernie does an excellent job of  explaining the pros and cons of this popular HF antenna from the late Louis Varney (G5RV).  Although Varney envisioned his design primarily as a 3/2 wavelength antenna for the 20 meter Amateur Radio band, radio amateurs have used the antenna for multiband use.  The G5RV is an excellent choice for the 20 meter band.  Performance on other HF Amateur Radio bands is good enough to qualify as stand alone HF antenna if you can only erect one HF antenna. For the latest Amateur/Ham Radio news and information, please visit these websites: http://www.HawaiiARRL.info. http://www.arrl.org. http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news (a wee
Read more

Antenna for Condo Backyard-Stealth. Post #1542.

Image
If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXTYTytR56A. Don't let deed-restricted properties (HOA/CC&R) stop you from enjoying Amateur Radio.  In this video from AC2RJ, we see how some well-placed trees, a camera tripod, a telescoping fiberglass mast, and a "V" antenna can get you on the air without a lot of effort.  Add an antenna "tuner", a sturdy rig, such as the Yaesu FT-817, a microphone/cw key, and a simple grounding system, and you have a fully functional, nearly invisible ham station in your backyard. For the latest Amateur/Ham Radio news and information, please visit these web sites: http://www.HawaiiARRL.info. http://www.arrl.org. http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news (a weekly podcast which is updated each Friday afternoon). https://hamradiohawaii.wordpress.com. https://bigislandarrlnews.com. https://amateurradionewsinformation.com (Amateur Radio News &
Read more

Amateur Radio Bicycle Mobile Setup. Post #1554.

Image
If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zWb-KnkGdY. Here's a way to use Amatuer/Ham Radio while you work on shedding a few pounds in useful exercise.  Why not equip your bicycle for 2 meter/70 cm mobile operation? In this short, well-made video, "taverned" shows us how he used a mag mount antenna, a simple C clamp, and a basic ground system to convert his mountain bike into a mobile station.  The project is straight forward, simple, and gives you emergency communications while you peddle down the road. For the latest Amateur/Ham Radio news and information, please visit these websites: http://www.HawaiiARRL.info. http://www.arrl.org. http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news (a weekly podcast which is updated each Friday afternoon). https://hamradiohawaii.wordpress.com. https://bigislandarrlnews.com. https://amateurradionewsinformation.com (Amateur Radio News & Information).
Read more