Design your own 5/8 wave vertical antenna. Post #1650.
Design your own 5/8 wave vertical antenna. https://www.qsl.net/w4sat/five8th.htm. Author: W4SAT. Please click link to read the full article. Comment: Here's a handy calculator for those who wish to experiment with 5/8 wavelength antennas, both for HF and VHF/UHF. Despite some matching and loading issues, the 5/8 wave antenna can deliver approximately 3 dB gain over a 1/4 wave vertical and exhibits a low angel of radiation (approximately 16 degrees)--something that will help you snag more DX contacts. The article outlines some of the design considerations necessary to make this type of vertical antenna work properly. The discussion ends with an easy plug in program that figures element lengths in both feet and meters. The program uses the standard formula of 585/f for feet and 178.308/f for meters. With a properly designed coil, a decent ground plane element, and some stiff wire, you can have an efficient 5/8 wave vertical antenna in just a few hour...