Simple Ham Radio Antennas

Are you dissatisfied with the performance of your HT? Perhaps the cause of your concern is the "rubber duckie" antenna supplied with your radio. Larry Shaunce (WD0AKX) shows how adding a simple counterpoise wire to the base of your HT's antenna can supply the missing half of a dipole antenna. This simple addition can add just enough "push" to hit that distant repeater without resorting to higher power or an amplifier. I tried Larry's idea on my old Kenwood Th-21A FM transceiver. I kept the old "rubber duckie" antenna and added a 19-inch/48.26 cm length of #22 AWG hookup wire as a counterpoise. With this cheap, easily made modification, I was able to hit all of the 2 meter repeaters in the Hilo, Hawaii area with full quieting. This antenna is sometimes called a "Tiger Tail". You can find variations of this antenna on several web sites. Larry's explanation is excellent and down-to-earth. Great video. For the latest Amateur

Tyler, N7TFP, exlplains how radio waves travel around the world via "skip" or skywave propagation. An informative and useful video. This video would be good to show to people studying for their first amateur radio license. Good job! 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. Thanks for joining us today! Until next time, Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Shortly after the passage of Tropical Storm Iselle (07-08 August 2014) through Hawaii Island, I rebuilt part of my damaged antenna farm with a simple, cheap, and portable 20 meter vertical antenna that could be used at home or in a portable or emergency situation. I adapted the design presented by W0ZF by making it suitable for a permanent operation at the QTH. I used a 33-ft/10.06 meter MFJ telescoping fiberglass mast secured to the edge of my garage. The center pin of my RG-8X feedline was attached to the vertical element, while the coax braid was attached to the garage's 30-ft/9.14 meters by 16-ft/4.87 meters metal roof using a stainless steel nut/bolt and a battery clip. The roof connection was coated with a caulking compound and varnish to protect the attachment point from the weather. The antenna works very well on 20 meters. My old Drake MN-4 antenna transmatch (tuner) can make this antenna work on 15, 17, 12, and 10 meters with a low SWR. The video is well-done an

This is post #298. Fugate spoke before some 800 guests at the Friday evening ARRL Centennial Convention banquet in Hartford, Connecticut. Earlier that day, he and ARRL President Kay Craigie (N3KN), signed a memorandum of Agreement (MOA) aimed at enhancing cooperation between the ARRL and FEMA in the area of disaster communication. In his remarks at the banquet, Fugate said that before he even became FEMA administrator, it became clear to him that Amateur Radio could support ad hoc and innovative communication without relying on conventional telecommunications systems. In his remarks, Fugate noted that "The more sophisticated our systems become, the more fragile they become...the relevancy of ham radio only grows...Amateur Radio is taking that hobby and turning it into saving lives." Earlier, Fugate upgraded to the General Class Amateur Radio License. After Fugate's talk, President Craigie presented him with the ARRL Medal of Honor. Aloha de Russ (KH6JRM).

Excellent, concise, and well-produced video about yagi antennas from Diana Eng (KC2UHB). The use of a flashlight to explain how beams work is quite effective. This video could be used in an introductory Amateur Radio course. Nice job! Aloha de Russ (KH6JRM).