Simple Ham Radio Antennas--the 40 meter NVIS loop. Post #244
In this age of natural and man made disasters, it's important to have back up equipment, antennas, and power available during periods of emergencies. A set of homebrewed wire antennas can keep you on the air when your beam or tower have been damaged by forces beyond our control. One of the best standby antennas is the NVIS antenna, which, because of its portability and ease of operation, can be tucked away in a convenient spot for future use. NVIS (near vertical incident skywave) antennas are perfect for local or regional use out to about 300 miles/480 kilometers. NVIS antennas are close to the ground (between 1/10 to 1/5 wavelength above ground) and shoot most of their signals straight up. Sometimes called "scatter beams" or "cloudwarmers", these antennas can cover a wide area (especially mountainous terrain) with little power. A NVIS antenna can be configured in several ways, including low-level 1/2 wavelength dipoles or low-level full wave loops. If...