Simple Ham Radio Antennas

Nicely paced video from author/instructor Gordon West (WB6NOA) on mobile HF antennas . Gordon does a good job of covering the basics of mobile operations, including the type of HF mobile antennas available, the importance of grounding, and how to get a match close to 50 ohms for your rig. Much of what Gordon discusses here can be applied to other compromised antenna situations, such as HOAs and CC&Rs. If you live in this type of situation, some of the mobile HF tips suggested by Mr. West could give you a way of getting on the air with a good signal and still remain mostly hidden. In fact, you may want to design your home antenna around a mobile antenna. Some of the newer mobile antenna designs are quite stealthy and put out a good signal. Perhaps a "Little Tar-Heal Antenna" or an ATAS-120 would get you on the air with a minimum of space and nosey neighbors. It's worth a try. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. T