Simple Ham Radio Antennas

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzFJ=KGB6qkXs. Making your own ladder line to feed your antennas is easy if you follow Steve Ellington's (N4LQ) step-by-step video.  Most of the wire and ties can be bought at your neighborhood hardware store or building supply outlet. You can use your home made ladder line and a balanced antenna transmatch (i.e. "tuner") to turn your dipole into a multi-band antenna.  You can also use a 4:1 current balun to connect your ladder line to your regular "tuner".  Be sure to spray all connections with a UV-resistant paint. For the latest Amateur Radio news and information, please visit my news site at http://www.kh6jrm.info. Hawaii hams are also invited to check into my Hawaii ARRL News site at http://bigislandarrlnews.wordpress.com. Opinions expressed in this blog are mine unless otherwise stated. Be sure to check out ...

If you have trouble viewing this video, please insert the following URL into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/qzFKGB6qkXs.  Steve Ellington (N4LQ) show us a simple, inexpensive way to build and install insulators in ladder line .  Choose your own spacing.  Wire ties should be at least twice the length of the spacer.  Steve uses 11 inch/27.94 cm ties found at Loew 's Stores.  You can also use various types of plastics for the spreaders.  For amateur radio purposes, #14 AWG household wire can be used for each leg of the ladder line. Once you've made the spacers and adjusted the spreaders, you can attach each leg of the ladder line to its respective antenna element.  Feed this combination into a balanced " tuner " and you're ready to go.  If you don't have a balanced "tuner", you can run a short length of 50-ohm coaxial cable from your "tuner" to the 4:1 balun,which will then be connected to the ladder line.  With this arrangeme...

Nice, simple tutorial from Steve Ellington (N4LQ) on how to build and install spreader insulators for ladder line. Choose your own spacing. Wire ties should be at lease twice the length of the spacer. If UV damage is a concern, spray the assembly with Krylon UV paint. Although the construction of homemade ladder line is a bit tedious, the reward is having a feed line that can transform a single band dipole into a multiband antenna. With the ladder line connected to a 4:1 balun and then attached to your rig with a short length of RG-8 coaxial cable, you will have an antenna that can cover several HF bands. At my QTH, I have a 40 meter inverted V antenna that covers 7.000 MHz through 29.990 MHz by using homemade ladder line, a 4:1 W9INN balun, and my trusty Drake MN-4 antenna transmatch. You can also buy 450 ohm ladder line through the various Amateur Radio store outlets, but it's more fun "to roll your own." My ladder line is made from #12 AWG house wire, old pla...