Simple Ham Radio Antennas

If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_0-jBKGNTs. It's not too early to think about your ARRL Field Day antenna.  Why not try something new, such as this helium balloon supported 40 meter vertical antenna? "HamRadioConcepts" shows how a group of radio amateurs built an HF long wire balloon antenna for the 2016 ARRL Field Day near Vero Beach, Florida. Using only 25 watts into a MFJ-993B antenna "tuner", this group made a lot of interesting contacts.  Al long as you have helium, a sturdy weather balloon, a good tuner, and a suitable counterpoise or ground radial system, you should do very well.  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://oahuarrlnews.wordpress.com. https://h

If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-DPVuyU8Pg. Another excellent and easy-to-understand video tutorial from Dave Tadlock (KG0ZZ).  In this video, Dave shows us a simple step-by-step procedure to make a dual-band 2 meter and 70 centimeter ground plane antenna.  This antenna will let you connect with both 2 meter and 70 cm repeaters in your area.  The antenna is fairly easy to make with locally available materials.  This homebrew dual-band antenna is suitable for both home and portable use.  Dave's video would make an excellent club presentation. 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://oahuarrlnews.wordpress.com. https://hamradiohawaii.wordpress.com. https://bigislandarrlnews.com. https:/

If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQfj9879K_c. Nicely done video tutorial by Bob Plank (KK4DV) on how to design, build, and use a multi-band dipole antenna.  Bob's dipole covers the 40, 20, 17, and 10 meter amateur radio bands.  According to Bob, this antenna is "an easy project done in 1 day."  He used the customary formula for half wavelength dipoles and a simple antenna program called N2IMP from hamuniverse.com. Although I have no issues with the antenna design or its construction, a far simpler way to get multi-band HF performance would be to use a 40 meter dipole antenna fed by open line wire such as 300 ohm television twin lead or 450 ohm ladder line coupled to a 1:1 or 4:1 balun and run into an antenna "tuner" with a short length of 50 ohm coaxial cable (RG-8,RG-8X, or even RG-58). Either way, you'll have an antenna that will perform on several amateur ra

If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-cUNs274rU. If you need a strong, sturdy, and weatherproof center connector for your home or portable dipole antenna, then this video from Ed (W4EDF) is what you need. Ed does a surplurative job of taking us through the design and construction of this center connector, using commonly available parts from the nearest home improvement or hardware store.  This dipole antenna center connector is perfect for the portable antenna described in the video (credit to KF7ETX). 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://oahuarrlnews.wordpress.com. https://hamradiohawaii.wordpress.com. https://bigislandarrlnews.com. https://www.eham.net. http://www.southgatearc.org. Tha

If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzWfeQVdtzY In this video, Stan Gibilisco (W1GV) explains some of the quirks found in two popular HF amateur/ham radio antennas--the coax fed dipole and the zepp. Although the title of this post is somewhat sarcastic, the basic theory, construction, and operation behind the common dipole and zepp antenna are sound and easily grasped.  Stan pays particular attention to how these antennas are fed and what to expect from voltage and current fed antennas.  These topics are important if you wish to reduce SWR and avoid problems associated with a mismatched antenna system. 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://oahuarrlnews.wordpress.com. https://hamradiohawaii.w