Simple Ham Radio Antennas

If you're having trouble viewing this program, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwKM7OEzdAM. I enjoyed this video from "commsprepper" showing how a father and his children can enjoy a ham radio activity together, despite the weather.  In this case, the project was a simple 1/2 wave length dipole antenna that let everyone on the "construction" crew take part.  This antenna was cheap, easy to build, and highly portable.  Given some decent height, a resonant dipole antenna will perform very well and will get you many interesting contacts.  It's important that parents share their hobbies with their children.  Hopefully, the children of "commsprepper" will get their amateur radio licenses and join their father on the air. For the latest Amateur Radio news and information, please visit my news site: http://www.kh6jrm.info. Be sure to check out the blog sidebars for more antenna and propagat...

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHkg7PVIJ1Y.  An excellent video tutorial from VK6CS on the various types of antenna tuning and matching devices.  This video covers the L match, T match, SPC, Pi, and other matching arrangements to make your antenna impedance compatible with your transceiver's 50 ohm impedance.  Antenna transmatches or "tuners" should be used with balanced feed lines such as 300 ohm television twin lead, 450 ohm ladder line, or homebrewed 600 ohm feed line. For the latest Amateur Radio news and information, please visit my news site at http://www.kh6jrm.info. Be sure to check out the blog sidebars for additional antenna articles. Opinions expressed in this blog are mine unless otherwise stated. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK0KX0YcvH0. If you need a simple, durable, and easily-made antenna for your HT, then this video from "electronicsNmore" may be what you're looking for.  This variant of the "sleeve dipole" antenna will be more efficient and give you more gain than the "rubber duckie" antenna that comes with most HTs.  This video clearly explains the steps and materials needed to complete this useful antenna. For the latest Amateur Radio news and information, please visit my news site at http://www.kh6jrm.info. I also maintain a blog for Hawaii radio amateurs at http://bigislandarrlnews.com. Be sure to check out the blog sidebars for more antenna articles. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Terminated Inverted U low noise antenna. (http://www.crosscountrywireless.net/terminated_inverted_u.html). Accessed on 26 September 2016, 19:55 hrs, UTC. Author:  Chris Moulding (G4HYG). Please click title link or insert title URL into your browser search box to read the full report. Comment: Do you live in a high-noise environment that makes HF operations difficult? Then, this article from Chris Moulding (G4HYG) may be your way out of received noise and into a better HF operating experience. Chris has come up with something he calls the "Terminated Inverted U low noise antenna."  The concept is based on the EWE antenna designed by Floyd Koontz (WA2WVL), who published an article in "QST" back in 1995. Chris says his adapted design is low noise on receive, covers a wide bandwidth between 1.8 MHz and 70 MHz, and can handle around 200 watts of power. Chris does a good job of covering the theory, construction, and use of this antenna.  He provides useful ...

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5U2_D_G5zE. Nice, compact tutorial from Stan Gibilisco (W1GV) on the theory, design, and use of HF Discone Antennas.  Although most discone antennas seem to be used on the amateur radio VHF/UHF bands and by public service agencies, there are a few HF discone antennas in use, particularly in military or government service.  The antenna is broadbanded and offers coverage from 40 meters through 10 meters. A HF discone antenna may be an interesting project. For the latest Amateur Radio news and information, please visit my news site at: http://www.kh6jrm.info. Opinions expressed in this blog are mine unless otherwise stated. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

U.S. Sharpens Surveillance of Crippling Solar Storms (http://www.nature.com/news/us-sharpens-surveillance-of-crippling-solar-storms-1.20630). Accessed on 24 September 2016, 01:15 hrs, UTC. Reporter:  Alexandra Witze Please click link or insert title URL into your browser search box to read the full article. Comment: It's only a matter of time before a X-Class solar flare or strong Coronal Mass Ejection hits Earth head on with devastating results to our power grids, communications, and our digitally managed economies.  If we're not prepared for the inevitable, we could wake up the next morning in the 19th century. By early October 2016, NOAA should have a better idea of just how dangerous X-Class flares and CMEs are, thanks to a new method of predicting the intensity of solar geomagnetic storms.  Scientists have successfully integrated the data gained from sun-orbiting satellites into a new model that "spells out which power grids are at risk" from intense s...

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMexeDPeRIM. I've heard of fan dipole antennas, but this video shows something different in the "fan dipole family"--the fan vertical HF antenna. Corey Klumper (N0ECK) of Russell, MN show us how he modified the fan dipole concept into something useful for those of us using vertical HF antennas.  The nicely done video shows us the complete design and assembly process.  Corey says his fan HF vertical covers the 40-80 and -160 meter bands.  He used this antenna successfully in the 2015 contest season.  You may want to build a version of this intriguing antenna for your station. For the latest Amateur Radio news and information, please visit my news site at: http://www.kh6jrm.info. If you're an amateur radio operator in my home state of Hawaii, please check into my Hawaii ARRL news site:  http://bigislandarrlnews.wordpress.co...