WB9DLC Antenna-WB9DLC.com. Post #1595.

WB9DLC Antennas-WB9DLC.com

http://wb9dlc.com/Portable_Vertical_Antenna.htm.

Author:  WB9DLC.

Accessed on 24 August 2018, 2229 UTC, Post #1595.

Comment:

Taking your ham station on the road or to a park, beach, or campground is an enjoyable experience if you can solve the antenna problem. With a little creativity and a few parts bought at your neighborhood home improvement or hardware store, you can make a lightweight, portable antenna that will be welcome in your backpack or vehicle trunk.

WB9DLC addresses the portable antenna issue with a homebrew vertical antenna that provides coverage of the 40, 30, and 20 meter Amateur/Ham Radio bands without taking up much space.

WB9DLC provides some excellent photos of the project to get you from design to finished product in a short time.  You can either search for these antenna parts or opt to buy MFJ's "Ultimate HF Vertical" kit (MFJ-1954K), which comes with the necessary coil, antenna element, radial system, and tripod support.  According to WB9DLC, this antenna does fairly well, considering its size and bandwidth limitations.

If you need a simple, lightweight portable antenna for field or emergency use, please consider this design from WB9DLC.

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://www.eham.net.
http://www.southgatearc.org.

Thanks for joining us today.

Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

With a single 1/4 wave counterpoise wire I have easily been able to achieve less than 1.5:1 SWR on 40, 30, and 20 meters.  Other bands are well within reach by adjusting the coil tap, mast configuration, whip length, etc.  The counterpoise wire is an important part of tuning the antenna.  I have had best luck with the counterpoise wire  about 2 foot above ground on each end and the length at 1/4 wavelength.  There are many things to adjust and try.  But then, that is the fun of it.

I had good luck with the antenna on my recent trip to Bro

I have developed a saying when it comes to antennas:

"It is what it is"

It is a center load, shortened ground plain vertical antenna.  As a ground plane it should be fairly efficient.  There will be some loss in the coil versus a full 1/4 wave vertical ground plane, but this is a large diameter, 10 turn per inch, heavy coil - so losses shouldn't be too bad.

The ease of setup and the portability make this an antenna that will be fun to use and make contacts with, especially when wire supports are not available.

Photo shows 1.1:1 SWR on 7.045 mhz