Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Broad Bandwidth Ham Radio Antenna Demonstration. Post #363.
A fun and not necessarily "scientific" demonstration on how larger diameter radiating elements of an antenna will provide wider bandwidth coverage. To keep weight and structure support under control, Larry (WD0AKX) chose the 2-meter band for his fascinating experiment. Using a frequency of 147.861 MHz as the design frequency, Larry makes antenna elements ranging from 1/16-inch to 3-inches in diameter to test his theory. His rudimentary tests confirm that larger diameter antenna elements do widen the bandwidth a bit on 2-meters. The same principle applies to HF operation, where classic "cage" dipoles, folded dipoles made from 300-ohm tv ribbon line, and fan dipoles often are used to broaden bandwidth. Overall, the video is well done and shows how simple antennas can be improved with just a few simple tools and instruments. If the video doesn't cue up immediately, direct your browser to: http://youtu.be/sLHOIG7O7w. You can also enter the title directly to ge