Cheap SOTA or Stealth 40m Antenna for 1,000m Footprint - Ham Radio Aerials. Post 1893.

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Do you need a simple, inexpensive antenna for SOTA operations, ARRL Field Day, or a quick mini-DX pedition to a nearby park?  Then this 40 meter antenna from Callum (M0MCX), may suit your needs.

The antenna also serves as a "stealth" antenna for those living in deed restricted properties such as HOAs and CC&Rs.  Although the antenna is only 5-feet/1.524meters above ground, it can provide effective communication up to 1000 miles/1,601 kilometers depending on propagation.

This basic antenna probably should be called a NVIS (Near Vertical Incidence Skywave) dipole--a design used by ARES, RACES, Amateur Radio Net Controls, and those primarily interested in local, state, or regional "rag chews."

Callum shows us how to make and use the amazingly effective antenna without drawing the attention on nosey neighbors.  Granted, this antenna won't provide a lot of DX, but it will get you on the air with plenty of local contacts.  The material requirements are basic, with most materials probably located in your shack or at the nearest building supply outlet.

You can add an antenna transmatch (i.e. "tuner") to get multiband performance depending on local conditions.  Later on, you can use this project to create an inverted vee dipole, which should improve performance.  You could also use the antenna to snag daytime Field Day contacts on 40 meters. 

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://bigislandarrlnews.com.
https://oahuarrlnews.wordpress.com.
https://hamradiohawaii.wordpress.com.
https://www.eham.net.
http://www.southgatearc.org.

Thanks for joining us today.

Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).