Simple antennas for the Hawaii Amateur, part 8
Homebrew antennas are an endless source of experiment, creativity, and occasional frustration. Armed with a few good antenna books from the ARRL,CQ Publications, and the RSGB, I've built a variety of verticals, dipoles, and loops which work most of the time. Since I'm not an electronics wizard, there have been a few ideas that just didn't pan out, including a homebrew 1/2 end-fed hertz that developed a bad case of corona discharge at the end of the antenna. That 40-meter project was a disaster, but it taught a few valuable lessons about matching devices, baluns, and swr. I think the next time I want to use an end-fed hertz, I'll violate my long-standing rule of "rolling my own" in favor of a commercial product by Par Electronics, Radiowavz, or Comet. I'm alright when it comes to simple verticals, dipoles, and loops. Anything beyond that calls for more study and careful attention to detail. I'm still in the learning process--something that will