Simple Ham Radio Antennas

Excellent video tutorial from Randy (K7AGE) on how to build a simple, yet effective antenna for the 6 meter Amateur Radio Band. I have a similar antenna mounted on my garage roof. Although there isn't much 6 meter activity on Hawaii Island, some DX comes through when the sun gets active. Now that most lower television channels have moved away from the 50 MHz band (mostly the old analog channel 2), the band is a lot better for amateur radio contacts. Randy's instructions are clear and easy to follow. 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 email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. You can find more Amateur Radio happenings at my news site--http://kh6jrm.net. Thanks for joining us today! If you have trouble loading the video, please enter the title link in your browser and try again--http://youtu.be/4K5Vj6wtpE0.  Aloha de Russ (KH6JRM

Excellent video from Kevin Reeve (N7RXE) on how to set up a MESH node for Amateur Radio using the Linksys WRT54G wireless router. Kevin says there have been a few changes since the video was produced. In late 2013, a new version of the firmware for HSMM-MESH was released. The name was also changed to Broadband-Hamnet, and there are a few changes from what is described in this video. You can get the changes here: http://hsmm-mesh.org/images/stories/hsmmmesh-step-by-step.pdf. Otherwise, the video is easy to follow and will get you and your MESH Node operating in a minimum of time. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can also follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Another challenging and desperate year for "CQ" Magazine. "CQ" editor Rich Moseson (W2VU) discusses the future of the troubled publication with HamRadioNow reporter Gary Pearce (KN4AQ). Moseson "comes clean" and admits there are no easy solutions to "CQ's" list of problems. As the amateur radio community has reported, "CQ" has delivery problems, unpaid authors, and a disappointed ham community within the United States. Perhaps, "CQ" needs to better identify its audience and seek readers just outside the amateur radio community, such as electronics enthusiasts, "preppers", do-it-yourselfers, computer techs, and "makers." The magazine could also do some more retro articles, focusing on restoration of old equipment and emergency communications. Perhaps "CQ" has lost its way in the rapidly expanding digital communications explosion. ARRL's "QST" has found its niche in contest

I like this antenna idea from AF5DN. If you're stuck in a CC&R/HOA situation, this simple copper J-Pole antenna can get you on 2-meters with out attracting notice from nosey neighbors. Many years ago, I used a "homebrewed" 2-meter J-Pole made from 300 ohm television twin lead. It was ugly, but it worked. I also fitted this quickly-made antenna to a collapsable fiberglass fishing pole for portable or emergency use. AF5DN's craftsmanship and disguise routine are much better than my attempt at a "stealth" antenna. This would make an excellent weekend project. 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 email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. For more Amateur Radio news, visit my news site at http://kh6jrm.net. Thanks for joining me today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

This is the final installment of Dave Tadlock's (KG0ZZ) 10 meter loop antenna project. With the aid of his daughter Lisa (KC0OHQ), the antenna was tested in the June 2013 ARRL Field Day. Although propagation at that time wasn't very good, Lisa managed to collect quite a few contacts during the daytime hours. This simple loop antenna would make an excellent weekend project. If you feel more ambitious, you could design a loop for any amateur radio band. I have an 80 meter delta loop fed with 450 ohm ladder line that does an excellent job from 80-10 meters. Good luck in your next antenna project. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebar. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

An excellent video tutorial by Dave Sarti on how to support your wire antenna in a tree without snapping the antenna elements. Dave uses counterweights on each end to keep the wire taught, allowing trees to move in the wind without breaking the wire. Your choice of antenna wire will also contribute to the durability of the antenna. When I've launched similar antennas into trees, I've used #12 AWG house wire as the antenna elements. That wire thickness seems to hold up under many weather conditions . 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 email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed . For more Amateur Radio news, please visit my news blog: http://kh6jrm.net. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM). Related articles ARTSAT2:DESPATCH 3D Printed QSL Card Antenna Theory For Wardriving And Penetration Testin

Study ordered for controversial ham radio antenna : " MIKE BLASKY mblasky@napanews.com(9) Comments City puts curbs on towering backyard antenna For several residents of Coombs Street in Napa, Jeff Hullquist is their least favorite neighbor – or rather, the 55-foot-tall antenna outside … Read more Neighbors protest radio antenna in historic district When Napa resident Kathleen Wolf returned to her Randolph Street home in April, following a three-month trip to France, she was surprised to s… Read more A yearlong neighborhood dispute over the appropriateness of a 55-foot amateur radio antenna in the backyard of an Old Town home will drag on for at least a few more months. The City Council on Tuesday asked for a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review to determine what impact – if any – Jeff Hullquist’s tower at his Coombs Street home has on the cultural integrity of the historical Napa community. “I believe there is some substantial evidence in the record tha

An excellent tutorial on how to make a waterproof and weatherproof feed-point connector for an Inverted V dipole antenna . Dave Turlock takes you through a simple series of mechanical steps which will give you a professional looking center connector. Of course, you could always buy dipole center connectors if you don't have the necessary materials around your QTH. I have several Budwig HQ-1 center connectors that I keep just in case I need to build a dipole or inverted V quickly. But, in keeping with the homebrew theme of Dave's antennas, an on-site center connector built with a few tools, a pvc cap, and  a few stainless steel eye-bolts will give you the satisfaction of building your own wire antenna from start to finish. Dave's instructions are clear and easy to follow. 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 email subscription or by t

Nice, easy to understand tutorial on Full-Wave Loops antennas from Stan Gibilisco (W1GV). I've used full-wave loop antennas for many years and have found them to be simple, effective, and efficient. Full 80-10 meter coverage can be gained if you design your full-wave loop for 80 meters and use 450 ohm ladder line as your feed line . The ladder line then goes into a balanced tuner , which is connected to your rig by a short length of coaxial cable . If you don't have a balanced tuner, you can connect the ladder line to a 4:1 balun and use a short piece of coaxial cable to connect the balun to your tuner. You can use a variety of shapes for your full-wave loop, with the square and delta loop being popular options. 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 email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed . Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

QRZ Seeking Experienced Web Programmer : " QRZ Seeking Experienced Web Programmer QRZ is looking for a skilled, experienced web programmer to join our team and become a part of ham radio history. QRZ is an internet-based virtual company and so this is an opportunity for a work-at-home position. It doesn't matter where you live so long as you have a great internet connection and can interact with other team members who are on the Mountain Standard Time schedule. This is a salaried, full time position that offers competitive pay, benefits, vacation as well as sick leave. You are free to move about the country and connect in from exotic places while you work. Like I said, it doesn't matter where you are located, or even if you're mobile, so long as you are able to login, work, make deadlines, and have frequent interaction with the rest of the team on Skype . QRZ's technical infrastructure is cloud-based using industry standard LAMP practices. You'll need expe

Let's Do Ground Planes Again : "Let's Do Ground Planes Again from Alan Applegate, K0BG on January 24, 2015." Editor's Note : Due to the popularity of some of eHam's older articles, many of which you may not have read, the eHam.net team has decided to rerun some of the best articles that we have received since eHam's inception. These articles will be reprinted to add to the quality of eHam's content and in a show of appreciation to the authors of these articles." This article was originally published on: 07/02/2007 Let's Do Ground Planes Again The Spanish language has a whole bunch of words which mean hot, while English gropes around with about two or three. Spanish gets a little fuzzier with the word Ground, but not nearly as much as English. We have the ground we walk on, hollowed ground, DC grounds, AC grounds, RF grounds, and grounds for divorce! We also have polo grounds , capital grounds, football grounds, common grounds, pro

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

Free online magazine Antentop 01- 2014 is ready. : " Free online magazine Antentop 01- 2014 is ready. Hi. Free online magazine Antentop 01- 2014 is ready. It contains 41+ topics, including: Antenna Theory : Linear Array Theory- Part II; HF - Antenna Practice: 44 Feet Dipole. Where is theTruth?: Lawn Antenna: Buried Antennas for  Emergency Communications: Simple Broadband Antenna for the 40- meter Band : Directional Antenna UA6AGWV. 7.00: Antenna UA6AGW in Experimenters byRU1OZ : Antenna UA6AGW V.40.20:Field Antenna UA6AGW V.40.21: Shortened Antenna G5RV for 14- 50- MHz Bands: Shortened Dipole Balcony Antenna for the 20- meter Band : Simple Window Loop Antenna : Simple Folded Dipole Antenna for the 20- meter Band: Simple Wire Antenna for All HF- Bands: Twin Triangle Antenna for the 10- meter Band: Compact Twin Delta Antenna for the 80- and 40- meter Bands: Delta Antenna for 80-. 40-, 20- and 15- meter Bands:Windom UA6CA for 80-, 40-, 20- and 10- meter Bands: Air Plane HF

TVTechnology: Low-Level RF Signals Allow Hackers to Grab Data From Laptops : "Low-Level RF Signals Allow Hackers to Grab Data From Laptops. No Wi-Fi required. As anyone who has tried to use a portable AM or shortwave radio near a computer knows, computers emit a variety of RF signals over a wide range of frequencies. The emissions can extend into the VHF bands. Although these emissions are considered noise or interference, the reality is they contain information about what's happening inside the computer. Researchers at the George Institute of Technology are studying these emissions to help hardware and software designers develop strategies to plug these RF data leaks. Alenka Zajic, an assistant professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, explains, “People are focused on security for the Internet and on the wireless communication side, but we are concerned with what can be learned from your computer without it intentionally sending anything

Nicely paced video from author/instructor Gordon West (WB6NOA) on mobile HF antennas . Gordon does a good job of covering the basics of mobile operations, including the type of HF mobile antennas available, the importance of grounding, and how to get a match close to 50 ohms for your rig. Much of what Gordon discusses here can be applied to other compromised antenna situations, such as HOAs and CC&Rs. If you live in this type of situation, some of the mobile HF tips suggested by Mr. West could give you a way of getting on the air with a good signal and still remain mostly hidden. In fact, you may want to design your home antenna around a mobile antenna. Some of the newer mobile antenna designs are quite stealthy and put out a good signal. Perhaps a "Little Tar-Heal Antenna" or an ATAS-120 would get you on the air with a minimum of space and nosey neighbors. It's worth a try. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. T

The ALEXLOOP antenna is a well-made HF portable antenna designed for emergency and portable use. The ALEXLOOP Walk ham radio antenna is well-respected by the QRP community and is gaining in popularity as an emergency antenna for home use. This video by Randall (N4SAX) is hillarious and a bit "off center", but the message is clear: The ALEXLOOP magnetic portable antenna is a real gem worth keeping. Although I prefer to build my own wire antennas, I may deviate from that principle and buy one of these "effective solutions" for my own portable use. Great video! For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebar. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. For more Amateur Radio news, please visit my news site at http://kh6jrm.net. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

For my first project of the New Year, I decided to build a simple dipole antenna that could be used at the home QTH or at some portable location, such as a public park or a club Field Day. Although, I've built many dipole antennas, I felt a review of some basic antenna theory would "clear out some of the rust" incurred over the New Year's Eve celebration. I found this interesting video antenna tutorial from http://www.antenna-theory.com. The instruction was very clear and the basic forumlas were explained in plain language. This video would make good supplementary study material for those desiring an amateur radio license. In the end, I opted for a simple 40/15 meter inverted vee supported by a 33 foot/10.06 meters telescoping fiberglass mast. My feedline was some RG-8X I had stored in the garage of my vacation home in the Puna District of Hawaii Island. The antenna works very well on 40 and 15 meters. I have also fed the antenna with 450-ohm ladder line con

I ran across this excellent "homebrewed" antenna video by Australian amateur radio operator Margaret (VK4MH) while I was searching for a replacement for my old Larsen 2 meter mobile antenna which has seen better days. The project appears to be a simple, basic design that can be made from readily available parts available at a home improvement or hardware store. If you want to take a shortcut, you could use an old Firestick CB antenna as the fiberglass form for the antenna. Just unwrap the old wire, leaving the fiberglass rod intact. You can use the base to attach to a CB mount and the adjustable tip at the top for tuning the antenna. Wind your coil and helix along the rod as specified in the video. Adjust the "stinger" at the top for tuning, and you're ready to go. Nice project from a few years ago (2008). 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 commun

A nice, simple, uncomplicated, and easy to understand tutorial on how to make a "Non-Resonant Random Wire" Antenna from Stan Gibiliso (W1GV). I've built a few of these non-resonant antennas of varying lengths, each using materials I found around the shack or at the nearest home improvement outlet. For the purpose of Stan's lesson, he chose a length of wire measuring approximately 250 feet/76.21 meters. If you follow Stan's simple instructions, you'll find this distant relative of the beverage antenna works very well on 160, 80/75, 40, and even 30 meters. Stan stresses the importance of having both a good electrical ground and a RF ground. Stan shows you how to avoid current loops and nodes, things that create RF problems in the shack. You will need an antenna transmatch ("tuner") to make this antenna work properly. I have a similar antenna at my vacation home in the Puna District of Hawaii Island and it works very well on 80, 75, and 40 met

This is an excellent antenna tuner tutorial from Gaynell Larson (KK4WW) and Dave Larson (N4USA). Dave covers all the basics, including SWR, basic tuner design, and proper use of antenna tuners. This video is a useful addition to your Amateur Radio Library. While it's possible to make antennas that don't require some kind of system to match the antenna impedance to your rig's impedance, most amateur radio operators I know use antenna transmatches ("tuners") to provide the best possible match between rig and antenna. This is especially important if the antenna is used for several amateur radio bands. The use of an antenna tuner is required if you use balanced feed lines, such as 450 ohm ladder line, 300 ohm television twin lead, or homebrewed balanced feed lines. A balanced tuner will do the job of matching antenna to rig. You could also run your balanced feed line into a 4:1 balun and then onto your tuner with a small length of 50 ohm coaxial cable, such a