Simple Ham Radio Antennas

Well-done documentary and brief history of the Morse Code and why our oldest digital mode is growing in popularity in the Amateur Radio Community. There's also a nice shot of John Lyon's (K4CNV) amateur radio station in this video. Although I learned enough enough code to pass my novice license back in 1977, I never really used CW extensively until I became an Amateur Extra Class licensee back in 2005. When I retired from the broadcast business and became a substitute teacher, I had plenty of time to sharpen those dulled CW skills. Besides, much of the world's best DX lies hidden in the lower 25 kHz of the ham bands--places reserved for Extra Class license holders. I found CW a great break from the rigors of the day and enjoyed the conversational contacts with my fellow CW enthusiasts. Lately, I've been hanging out in the old novice/technician parts of the ham bands, talking with newly licensed amateur radio operators. Perhaps, I've developed an appreciatio

If you have trouble viewing this video, please enter this URL into your browser: http://youtu.be/642N0oWgY5I. A nice, simple tutorial from W0ZF on how to make an inexpensive portable vertical antenna for the 20 meter Amateur Radio Band. I've made a few of these antennas using a fiberglass telescoping mast, some #18 AWG speaker wire, a few insulators, a simple ground radial systems, an appropriate length of RG-8X coaxial cable as feed line, and an antenna transmatch (i.e. "tuner") to keep the SWR to a low level. If you wish multiband use of this 20 meter vertical antenna, you can feed the antenna with balanced line (450-ohm window line or 300 ohm tv twinlead). The balanced line would go into a 4:1 balun and then onto your antenna transmatch using a short length of RG-8X coaxial cable. This simple antenna works. 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 comprehensive, well-organized video tutorial on the popular reflector antenna used in satellite dishes. The video from "Pete's Free Information Center" describes the basic physics and theory involved in this type of commercial and amateur radio antenna. The video discusses aperture efficiency, gain estimates, and a little bit about satellite dish design, along with geometric optics approximations used in the analysis of these reflector antennas. A useful reference for those into EME or amateur satellite operations. 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 e-mail subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today!. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

With the approach of summer and the longer days and warmer temperatures that the season brings, many amateur radio operators will be taking portable stations to the field, local parks, and even along hiking trails to enjoy their hobby in the great outdoors. Often times, many of us go off into the "wilderness" with equipment that is a bit too heavy, needs too much power, and requires sophisticated antennas. If you have to carry a lot of weight in addition to your day pack, your pleasant hike may turn into a chore. Dennis Blanchard (K1YPP) recommends going the low-power route (QRP), with a light rig (Elecraft KX-1, Yaesu-817, or even a homebrew cw rig built into an Altoids mint can), and a few light weight dipoles you can string from a tree or other tall structure. Power can be provided by a set of alkaline batteries or a gel-cell battery. In this well-made video tutorial, Dennis reviews what has been historically popular and shows us what he has found to be a workable, e

If you have trouble viewing this video, please enter this URL into your browser: http://youtu.be/aOizaRd3Qtk. Another excellent antenna tutorial by Stan Gibilisco (W1GV). This time, Stan discusses the theory, construction, and use of a 40 meter vertical antenna for DX. Vertical antennas perform well if they are used in conjunction with a good ground radial system. The radial system supplies the missing half of the vertical element. With a decent radial system, this vertical directs most of its radiation toward the horizon. If you cut the vertical and radial wire lengths for a frequency in the lower portion of the 40 meter band (below 7.100 MHz), the antenna will work very well in the SSB portion of 15 meters as a 3/4 length antenna. This assumes you are feeding the antenna with 50 ohm coaxial cable. If you want multiband use between 40 and 10 meters, feed the antenna with ladder line or tv twinlead. The balanced feeders would then go into a balanced tuner and then on to your