A Hawaii-based Amateur Radio Antenna Blog focusing on the theory, design, and use of homemade antennas.
A no nonsense portable antenna for SOTA & POTA
Get link
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
Here's another great post from Montana ham Dennis Lane (KR7Q).
In this beautiful video, Dennis discusses his early ham radio "career" and how his ideas about HF antennas have changed over the years.
After Dennis shows us his beam antenna, he explains how he got into Parks on the Air (POTA) and SOTA (Summits on the Air) activities.
During these outdoor operations, Dennis realized he need a simple, " nonsense", cost effective HF antenna for the great outdoors. In Dennis's opinion, the End Fed Half Wave (EFHW) is the best solution to the portable antenna challenge.
Dennis offers many suggestions for creating the EFHW, some of which you may find useful in your situation.
If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEgUvVFwqSQ.
Here are some comments from Dennis (KR7Q):
In this video I share some photos of my early days in ham radio. I also give you a glimpse of what a beautiful place we live in, here in Western MT.
This video and my comments are based upon what I have experienced. I am just showing how I built this antenna and the results. My design criteria for this antenna is based upon an extreme distaste for non-resonate antennas fed with coax and a tuner at THE transmitter. Only my opinion here... YOUR CRITERIA FOR AN EFFECTIVE ANTENNA MAY BE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. I believe that A TUNER AT THE BASE (FEED POINT) OF THE ANTENNNA WILL ALSO BE MORE EFFECTIVE than a tuner at the transmitter. Non resonate antennas will work fine, if that's all you have. However, It seems to me that using a resonate antenna with either a tuner or transformer at the feed point is more efficient. The links in this antenna provide resonance for each band. If I am operating QRP, or very low power, why should I waste power to the losses in coax with an SWR on it and power dissipated in a tuner, even if the tuner is built into the rig?
Recently, I had a new ham ask me why I use this antenna arrangement, when there are simpler antennas that do pretty well for field work. My answer was simple; “best RF practices”. When I know about loss in compromised antennas, why should I use them? I said to the new ham; “When propagation is great, you can work the world on a wet noodle. But does that mean you have a great antenna? No, it means you have great propagation”. Remember, the ionosphere is the great equalizer when it comes to antennas. Regardless of what antenna you use, just put up what ever you can and then go have fun! This is just another option for you to consider. Feel free to contact me if you have questions. I’ll do my best to share my what I know about this great multi-band, portable antenna. This is the wire I used. I found it on Amazon ***BNTECHO #22 Silicone Wire – 250’, red flexible – stranded Tinned Copper Wire. (250’ for $34)
73, de KR7Q kr7q@outlook.com
If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXTYTytR56A. Don't let deed-restricted properties (HOA/CC&R) stop you from enjoying Amateur Radio. In this video from AC2RJ, we see how some well-placed trees, a camera tripod, a telescoping fiberglass mast, and a "V" antenna can get you on the air without a lot of effort. Add an antenna "tuner", a sturdy rig, such as the Yaesu FT-817, a microphone/cw key, and a simple grounding system, and you have a fully functional, nearly invisible ham station in your backyard. For the latest Amateur/Ham Radio news and information, please visit these web sites: http://www.HawaiiARRL.info. http://www.arrl.org. http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news (a weekly podcast which is updated each Friday afternoon). https://hamradiohawaii.wordpress.com. https://bigislandarrlnews.com. https://amateurradionewsinformation.com (Amateur Radio News &
If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeNHIQ_j4Dk This well-produced and richly illustrated tutorial on the classic G5RV HF Dipole Antenna was presented to the Brandon Amateur Radio Society in Brandon, Florida in 2017 by Bernie Huth (W4BGH). Bernie does an excellent job of explaining the pros and cons of this popular HF antenna from the late Louis Varney (G5RV). Although Varney envisioned his design primarily as a 3/2 wavelength antenna for the 20 meter Amateur Radio band, radio amateurs have used the antenna for multiband use. The G5RV is an excellent choice for the 20 meter band. Performance on other HF Amateur Radio bands is good enough to qualify as stand alone HF antenna if you can only erect one HF antenna. For the latest Amateur/Ham Radio news and information, please visit these websites: http://www.HawaiiARRL.info. http://www.arrl.org. http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news (a wee
If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zWb-KnkGdY. Here's a way to use Amatuer/Ham Radio while you work on shedding a few pounds in useful exercise. Why not equip your bicycle for 2 meter/70 cm mobile operation? In this short, well-made video, "taverned" shows us how he used a mag mount antenna, a simple C clamp, and a basic ground system to convert his mountain bike into a mobile station. The project is straight forward, simple, and gives you emergency communications while you peddle down the road. For the latest Amateur/Ham Radio news and information, please visit these websites: http://www.HawaiiARRL.info. http://www.arrl.org. http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news (a weekly podcast which is updated each Friday afternoon). https://hamradiohawaii.wordpress.com. https://bigislandarrlnews.com. https://amateurradionewsinformation.com (Amateur Radio News & Information).
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for visiting my Amateur Radio Blog. I value your comments and suggestions. For Amateur Radio Antenna Topics and Discussions, stay here. For Amateur Radio News and Trends, please visit my news site at https://bigislandarrlnews.com.
Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).