Posts

Showing posts with the label Zip-cord antennas

Simple Antennas for the Amateur Radio Operator--a continuing series

More emergency antennas for hams: There is a wealth of wonderful and somewhat curious antenna ideas in the amateur radio library.  I have several books published by the ARRL which I 've found useful in my restricted space environment. As I was paging through "More Wire Antenna Classics, Volume 2" (Copyright 1999-2006 by the ARRL), I ran across two articles on using ordinary lamp cord for both antenna feedlines and antenna elements. "A Zip-Cord Special Antenna" on page 1-6, Chapter 1 (taken from the "QST", May 1972) describes how one ham pressed about 80-feet of ordinary lamp cord into service as both feedline and radiator for  a 75-meter  schedule he was running with some of his friends.  Apparently, this operator was on vacation and lacked some materials to maintain his contacts with  his hometown.  He found that the emergency dipole performed well in his temporary location.  He also fashioned a version for 40-meters, which he found useful on 1