Portable HF Vertical Antenna, The Easy Way

If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofmUK8o7Jxg.  This is post 2196 in a continuing series of simple ham radio antennas.

Thanks to "rcobo101" for this intriguing, simple, and inexpensive multiband vertical antenna.  Apart from the Yaesu-FT817, all parts for this portable HF antenna came from the operator's home.

The basic parts for this antenna include a 20-ft/6.097-m fiberglass pole, 35-ft/10.67m of speaker wire, a portable power supply, a homemade cw key, and a camera tripod for mast support.

At its simplest, the antenna is a vertical helix wrapped with 1/2 wavelength of wire for the chosen frequency.  The antenna works as a crude 1/4 vertical at the given frequency. You can add an antenna "tuner" to access bands above the design frequency.  Of course, a ground radial system will improve efficiency and will do a bit to keep your "tuner" and rig happy.

At my QTH, I have a similar vertical cut for 80 meters, with a half-wavelength (135-ft/41.158m) wound around a 33-ft/10.06m) telescoping fiberglass mast.  With a "tuner", balanced feedline, and a simple ground radial system (16 quarterwave wires), I can work between 80m and 10m very well. The only drawback is a rather narrow bandwidth.

Try this project from "rcobo101". You may be surprised at just how well this antenna works.
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Thanks for joining us today.

Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).