Simple Ham Radio Antennas

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...

Nepal earthquake report #6 | Southgate Amateur Radio News : This page is brought to you in association with The Southgate Amateur Radio Club and the Communications Gateway, Limited.  Page last updated on: Thursday, April 30, 2015 . Nepal earthquake report #6. The Nepal Amateur Radio Society continues to provide emergency communications during the ongoing rescue effort, despite power cuts and damaged communication infrastructure. Satish 9N1AA along with daughter Tej 9N1DX are using solar power in coordination with the Nepal police in Kathmandu. Also sharing the emcomm work using handhelds and 20m, was Suresh 9N1HA, Pravin 9N1KK and Akarsha 9N1ZZ. Missing persons inquiries are being handled, and these need to be checked against lists held by the Red Cross at these links. http://google.org/personfinder/2015-nepal-earthquake/ http://familylinks.icrc.org/nepal-earthquake/en/pages/home.aspx There will be a more complete casualty list available as the Red Cross increases rel...

Nepal Grants Operating Permission, Call Signs to Visiting Hams, as Earthquake Recovery Continues : TAGS: Amateur Radio HF, amateur radio society, cell phones, ham radio, ham radio operation, hams, Jayu Bhide, Nepal, recovery effort, rescue teams, telecommunication infrastructure 04/29/2015. In the wake of the devastating April 25 earthquake, hams in Nepal, already in limited supply, have been turning out to help in the ongoing recovery. The Nepalese government also is reported to be cutting some of the red tape that has prevented hams from outside the country from operating within Nepal. Several hams from India are among those who have arrived in Nepal to help facilitate communication. Word earlier this week via Amateur Radio Society of India President Gopal Madhavan, VU2GMN, was that visiting hams would not be permitted to operate in Nepal, unless they were part of a government team.On the other hand, getting needed Amateur Radio equipment into Nepal has been problematic. “ARRL...

A nicely built 2-element 10 meter yagi antenna for field day or for portable use. Dave Tadlock (KG0ZZ) does his usually good job in explaning the theory behind the antenna, the kind of materials needed for construction, and how to use the antenna to your best advantage. Dave says it's also possible to build the yagi out of pvc pipe and wire, "but the pvc pipe will need a 1" x 8' wood dowel or 'closet pole' for a stiffener." Good luck in this upcoming Field Day during the last full weekend of June. I'll have more Field Day antenna suggestions in forthcoming posts. There's nothing quite as satisfying as building your own antenna and seeing it "do its stuff." 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. You can get more Amateur Radio news by visiting my ne...

Well-produced video from "The Radio Hobbyist" showing the unpacking, set up, and use of the MFJ-1786 Magnetic Loop Antenna. The set up seems straight forward and fairly easy. This particular loop was installed about 5-ft/1.52 meters above ground level and performed about as well as the operator's dipole. This antenna would make an ideal portable or emergency antenna. Those living in deed-restricted areas (HOAs and CC&Rs) could find this antenna useful in getting on the air without being seen. The MFJ-1786 Magnetic Loop Antenna is a bit expensive (around $450), so you may want to "roll your own" following a design such as the "Alex Loop Walk Ham Antenna." My use of loop antennas has been on the larger size--my current HF antenna is an 80-meter delta loop fed with 450 ohm ladder line into a 4:1 balun and then into my Drake MN-4 antenna transmatch. I get 80-10 meter coverage and a very quite receive antenna. For the latest Amateur Radio ne...

Here's part II of James Dann's tutorial on standing waves and harmonics. Dann explains the derivation of the harmonic frquencies on a string attached at both ends. He shows by experiment how the appropriate formulas are created. A well-presented and thoroughly understandable physics lesson. As mentioned earlier, this video could be used in a high school physics class or in an Amateur Radio Technician Class program. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated frequently. You can follow our blog community with a free e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. You can also visit my news site at http://kh6jrm.net. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

A basic knowledge of standing waves and their harmonics is key to understanding antenna theory. Instructor James Dann presents the basic facts of standing waves in this outstanding, easily digestible video using the simplest of tools. This video could be used in a high school physics class or in a presentation to people preparing for the Amateur Radio Technician Class License exam. 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. You can get more Amateur Radio news from my news site: http://kh6jrm.net. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).