Simple Ham Radio Antennas

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/TI_8msSbpDQ.  This video from "Shlomofir" will show you a simple way to make a voltage fed 4:1 balun for your multiband dipole antenna .  Most of the materials can be obtained from the nearest hardware store or building supply outlet.  The only quibble I have with this otherwise excellent video is the use of a black PVC pipe section for the balun.  Black PVC pipe may contain carbon which could alter the characteristics of the balun.  Stick with a white PVC section for the balun and run low power, and you should be alright.  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 email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today!  Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM). Related articles...

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/wH0RNIr9cqE.  Here's another simple, cheap, and easily constructed dipole antenna for your backyard, courtesy of "Daz" 026-PS-001) of the UK .  Working with readily available materials, Daz made a dipole antenna from a wire 108-feet/32.92 meters long, suspended it from supports in his backyard, and fed the antenna with 50- ohm coaxial cable terminating in an air-wound coil (7 turns of coaxial cable).  The coil was then connected to his antenna transmatch (i.e. "tuner").  Daz says the antenna works well on all Amateur Radio bands from 80 through 10 meters.  The only change I would make in this arrangement would be to fed the antenna with 300 ohm television twin lead, 450 ohm ladder line , or some homebrewed balanced line . Attach the feed to a balanced tuner (or to a 4:1 balun and then connect the balun to your tuner), and you'...

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/zkbWT0MZ3QU.  What a great idea for a club project!  Randy Hall (K7AGE) and his fellow radio amateurs of the Pelican Bay Amateur Radio Club in Brookings, Oregon recently held an antenna building day for those who have never built an amateur radio antenna or have never used a soldering iron for a homebrew radio project.  The activity was a huge success, with participants learning a lot about antennas and having the opportunity to use an antenna they built themselves.  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 email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed.  Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Receiving Antennas Will Be Focus of Free Webinar : Receiving Antennas Will Be Focus of Free Webinar. Source:  http://www.arrl.org/news/views/receiving- antennas -will-be-focus-of-free- webinar . Accessed on 27 Februrary 2016, 01;35 hrs, UTC . Special thanks to Ken Claerbout (K4ZW) and The Daily DX. TAGS: Carlos, Daily DX, evening, experiences, foundation, free webinar, Jose, Ken Claerbout, low-band receiving antennas, place, Registration, thanks, Thursday, time zones , topic, utc, Waller Flag, Wide Radio Operators, World, WWROF 02/26/2016 “High Performance RX Antennas for a Small Lot” will be the topic of a free webinar by Jose “JC” Carlos, N4IS, and sponsored by the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation (WWROF). Carlos will explore basic concepts of receiving antennas and share his experiences with low-band receiving antennas on a small lot, including the Waller Flag. The webinar will take place on March 4 at 0200 UTC (the evening of Thursday, March 3, in US time zones...

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https//youtu.be/I144kzJxzDA.  How would you like to build a stealthy 2m/70 cm stealth antenna by using the ubiquitous satellite receiving dish?  Thanks to James Sanders (AG6IF), you can convert that unneeded or extra satellite dish into something more useful without incurring the ire of noisy neighbors--namely, a totally disguised antenna for VHF/UHF antenna.  Jim cut a 40 inch/110.60 cm slot within a parabolic dish fed with a SO-239 jumper about 4.5 inches/11.43 cm from the end of the slot.  The antenna is vertically polarized and should be able to work repeaters in your neighborhood. A nice, simple, cheap, and largely invisible VHF/UHF antenna for HOA/CC&R situations. 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 email subscription o...

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiVrgq10BFE. A professionally produced video tutorial on short dipoles , prepared for a junior electromagnetics course in electrical engineering at Bucknell University . The video is being used as supplementary course material for future electrical and broadcast engineering students.  The video covers the basics of short or Hertzian dipole antennas with an emphasis on antenna theory , classification of antennas (current and aperture), general properties of short dipole antennas, and design considerations.  Although the mathematics used in this video are a bit complex, the explanation and diagrams are easy to understand.  Understanding the complexities of dipole antennas may involve a learning curve, but, when you do understand the theory behind this simple antenna, you will get a better grasp of why antennas behave as they do. ...

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/qPIcT9SXNPs.  This is post #697.  I've always dreaded attaching PL259 connectors to coaxial cable.  I'm not the most coordinated guy, so close-in work like this often leaves me nervous. Now that I've seen this excellent video by Robert Sumpton, most of my fears are gone.  In this tutorial, Bob show us how to install a PL259 coax connector without soldering the shield braid, a proven method used by hams for over 35 years, by an Extra Class radio amateur, who has been a ham for 58 years. In this video, Bob uses copper braid RG-8 coaxial cable.  A nicely done, easily understandable presentation.  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 email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining ...

HF Antennas 101 (http://www.sgcworld.com/Publications/Downloads/antennas.pdf. Accessed on 23 February 2016, 03:07 hrs, UTC. Author:  Van Field (W2OQI). Special thanks to Dean (KH6B) for running off a copy of this outstanding article. Please click title link or URL address to read the full article. I'm always searching for interesting antenna articles to add to my reference library.  Sometimes, the greatest antenna articles can be found in the " QST " archives.  Such is the case here. "HF Antennas 101" by Van Field (W2OQI) appeared in the September 2004 issue of "QST" published by the ARRL. Van's concise, accurate article lists "10 tips and truisms that every ham should know." Here's the list for easy reference: An antenna doesn't have to be resonant to work.  According to Van, a non-resonant dipole fed with television twin lead, 450-ohm ladder line, or homemade open-wire and an antenna transmatch (i.e. "tuner...

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/leriedzr1Es.  Here's an easily made and versatile portable HF amateur radio antenna that covers the 20 meter, 12 meter, 10 meter, and 11 meter (CB) bands.  This antenna is based on a design by Frank W. King (KM4IE). Most of the antenna materials can be found at a hardware store or building supply outlet.  Initial SWR data indicate that tuning this antenna shouldn't be major issue:  20 meters (14.300 mHz--1.11:1); 12 meters (24.95 mHz--1.23:1); 11 meters (28.4 mHz--1.01:1); and 10 meters (28.4 mHz--1.0:1). Results are pending for 15 meters and 17 meters.  If you use this antenna, be sure to attach a counterpoise wire or a ground radial system. You can get detailed plans for this portable HF Antenna by visiting this website: http://www.arrl.org/files/Technology/tis/info/pdf/00043033.pdf.  For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, pl...

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/X6FYQc0vyVw.  Here's another great antenna using common materials found at the nearest hardware store or building supply outlet.  In this video, Cody Kaecker assembles a simple, inexpensive, and portable 2 meter antenna out of PVC pipe and steel measuring tapes.  Like the HF dipole antenna described in Post #693, steel measuring tapes are used for the antenna elements and PVC pipe is repurposed for antenna support.  This antenna is useful for transmitter hunts ("fox hunts"), portable use, and emergency operations.  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. You can follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed.  Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

/ If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/WMPk45MVFpY.  In this video, Stan Gibilisco (W1GV) shows us how to design, build, and use one of the simplist, most efficient, and easy-to-make HF antennas for radio amateurs.  With the use of open-wire, ladder line, or television twin lead and a balanced antenna transmatch ("tuner"), you can use any amateur radio band between 80 meters and 10 meters without cumbersome traps, add-ons, or difficult tuning procedures.  If you don't have a balanced tuner, you can run the ladder line into a 4:1 balun, and connect the junction to your antenna transmatch with a short length of 50 ohm coaxial cable.  To cover 80 through 10 meters, each segment of the open-wire dipole antenna should be approximately 20 meters/65.6 feet long.  This antenna is often called a "doublet".  Get this antenna as high as possible for the best DX coverage.  If y...

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/PiU6x9aZT7A.  Here's another interesting way to build a simple, effective HF dipole antenna covering 6 meters to 40 meters.  The antenna elements are steel measuring tapes, which can be varied in length to control the resonant frequency of the antenna.  KI4PMI and NC4TB do an excellent job of designing and building this antenna.  Most of the materials can be purchased from the nearest hardware store or building supply outlet. 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 email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed.  Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Of Hyperbands and Hams (http://www.radiomagazine.com/deep-dig/0005/of-hyperbands-and-hams-37408). Accessed on 17 February 2016, 22:45 hrs, UTC. Author: "The Wandering Engineer." Please click link or insert address into you browser search box. Comment: As a former broadcast news director and part-time broadcast engineer , I still remain fascinated by the communications wonder known as AM radio.  This article by the anonymous "Wandering Engineer"  struck a familiar chord and reinforced a wonderful memory.  According to this experienced radio engineer, not enough of us in the Amateur Radio Community talk about the "hyperband" and its standard medium wave broadcast cousin or the role ham radio plays in our profession. The author believes it was the "romance" of AM radio many years ago that spurred our interest in becoming amateur radio operators and, eventually, broadcast engineers.  You can get a feel for what the standard broadcast band ...

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/rTMMG0AeKMg.  Great video from Alex (PA1FOX) on how to install the popular ZS6BKW antenna on an ordinary city lot. This antenna is an improved and more efficient variant of the G5RV HF antenna.  Alex's instructions are simple, direct, and nearly fool-proof.  Just be careful if your antenna installation will be attached to a steep-sloping roof such as Alex's. 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 email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today!  Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/PaxSetTYIh8.  This is part 3 of Randy Hall's (K7AGE) New Ham Shack project.  Randy recently moved to coastal Oregon and has been documenting his efforts to set up new antennas, build a new ham shack, and more efficiently connect all of his equipment.  In this superbly done video, Randy begins the set up of his audio system.  He first shows us how to deal with the DIN connectors at the rear of his Kenwood TS-2000 for audio and input and output.  The connections are made easier by using a homemade audio connector breakout box that he made for his transceiver.  There are lots of good ideas in this video series.  To access parts 1 and 2, please visit https://www.youtube.com/user/K7AGE/videos.  For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars.  These news feeds are updated daily.  Thanks ...

W5DXP's Antenna Web Page (http://www.w5dxp.com). Accessed on 15 February 2016, 03:37 hrs, UTC . Author:  Cecil Moore (W5DXP). Cecil Moore (W5DXP) offers the homebrew antenna enthusiast some innovative and cleverly-made antenna projects.  Here are some of Cecil's great projects: W5DXP's  no tuner All- HF Band Antenna. Useful modifications to the popular ZS6BKW Antenna. A multi-Band 33-foot / 10.06-meters Dipole Antenna . Half-extended Double Zepp Dual Band Antenna. NoTuner Shortened Folded Dipole Antenna. Rotatable Dipole for 40 m-6m. Current Distribution on Antenna Systems . Cecil also has included several articles on mobile antennas and antenna transmission systems.  Lots of good ideas in this section. 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 email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed . Thanks for joini...