Simple Ham Radio Antennas

Thanks to "TinkerJohn (W5CYF) for this intriguing HF dipole antenna made from a child's slinky toy. John takes us step-by-step through the design and construction phases of this relatively cheap homebrew antenna. If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo0QB83tdkQ Here are a few comments from "TinkerJohn" (W5CYF): A step-by-step look at building a low cost (under $10) dipole antenna. The question is...will it work? Suggested items that may be related to this video: https://www.amazon.com/shop/w5cyftink... ----- Thanks for joining us today. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM),  

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this address into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/Jo0QB83tdkQ.  Here's an interesting antenna design for those of us who like to experiment with unconventional antennas. Tinker John (W5CYF) introduces us to the Slinky Antenna in a clear step-by-step process that's easy to follow. I've found feeding the Slinky with television twin lead or 450 ohm ladder line into a 4:1 balun and then into your antenna transmatch with a short piece of RG-8X coaxial cable will enable you to get multiband coverage from 40 to 10 meters.  I've built a few of these Slinky Antennas for 20 meters and for general SWL activities with my old Hallicrafters SX-62A receiver.  Given its limitations, the Slinky Antenna works fairly well. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. Thanks for joining us today. You can follow our blog community with a free...

Here's a nice weekend antenna idea from "Tinker John" (W5CYF). John gives us a step by step look at building a low cost (under $10) dipole antenna for 20 and 40 meters using the popular "Slinky" toy from Walmart. Add a few pieces of PVC pipe, some coax connectors, nuts and bolts, and a suitable length of 50 ohm coax and you're almost ready to go. Trim for the best SWR. I've built a few of these antennas and I've found 450 ohm ladder line into a balanced tuner (or into a 4:1 balun and then into an antenna tuner with short piece of RG-8X coax) works very well for this portable antenna. The slinky antenna works best on the higher HF bands (20 through 10 meters). Have fun! For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. For more Amateur Radio news, please visit my two news s...