Simple Ham Radio Antennas

If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this address into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/FwXq1XkhHU.  This video is part two of Dave Tadlock's (KG0ZZ) 2 meter Backpack Quad Antenna project. In this well-done and easy-to-follow presentation, Dave adds some special features that will increase the efficiency and directivity of this simple quad antenna.  Dave adds two parasitic elements (a reflector and a director) to the driven element to get more gain and directivity from the antenna.  Dave supplies all of the necessary forumulas and design advice needed to cut the wire and assemble this 3-element quad for the 2 meter band.  This antenna can be used for portable, emergency, or at home use. Good luck!  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!

If you're having difficulty viewing this video, please insert this address into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/IAiilzV8NpI.  Here's a simple 2 meter quad antenna you can use for portable, emergency, or even home use.  In this excellent video tutorial, Dave Tadlock (KG0ZZ) takes you step-by-step through the design and construction of this easy-to-make backpack antenna. Most of the materials, such as PVC pipe , spreader rods, PVC caps, and wire can be found at the nearest home improvement store or hardware outlet.  The spreader can be made from many materials, as long as the spreaders aren't made of metal.  In this project, the boom is approximately 30 7/8 inches/78.40 cm long and the spreaders are 30 inches/76.2 cm long.  In part two of this series, Dave shows us how to add parasitic elements to increase the gain and directivity of this simple quad antenna.  For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars.  These news feeds a

W3EDP antenna illustrations (https://www.google.com/search?q=w3edp+antenna+illustrations). Accessed on 24 January 2016, 01:29 hrs, UTC . Please click title or URL to view the complete set of illustrations for the W3EDP antenna. Other resources: http://www.nc4fb.org/wordpress/w3edp-multi-band-antenna. http://www.ok1rr.com. If you're in an experimental mood, try one of these W3EDP antenna projects illustrated by these slides. The original design was published in the March 1936 issue of " QST " by Yardley Beers (W3AWH).  The antenna was developed and tested by his good friend H.G. Siegel (W3EDP).  The distant cousin of this antenna was patented in 1909 by Hans Beggerow and was later used on Zeppelin airships for a communications antenna. The W3EDP antenna and its variants are simple, compact, and easy to deploy--a perfect match for QRP portable and emergency operations.  I've used a W3EDP design several times and have found it quite satisfactory with no m

This is post #666. If you're having difficulty viewing this video, please insert this address into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/5B0wCP2Tsdw. Here's another simple antenna idea that will give you hours of enjoyment at minimul expense.  In this video, W5XJ show us how to build a 110-foot/33.53 meters center-fed dipole that covers the 80 meter to 6 meter amateur radio bands .  According to W5XK, "materials are easy to find and inexpensive to the function and fun this antenna brings to the table."  All you need is a small piece of PVC pipe , a suitable length of #14 AWG copper wire , some 450 ohm ladder line , a balun , and an antenna transmatch (i.e. tuner).  W5XJ uses a nearby tree to support the center of the antenna.  You could also use a telescoping fiberglass mast to support the antenna as an inverted V or as a half-wavelength sloper antenna.  This antenna is versatile, easy to make, covers several amateur radio bands, and is suitable as an emer

If you're having difficulty viewing this video, please insert this address into your browser search box: https://youtu.be/FUV4dqhQvYA.  Here's a simple way to get a little more gain out of a 20 meter vertical antenna .  Rob turns his 20 meter vertical antenna into a beam using a reflector wire from the top.  For 20 meters , he used a wire a little more than a half wavelength on 20 meters.  The vertical portion of the antenna is 5 meters/16.4 feet, with the top wire measuring 5.1 meters/16.7 feet running horizontally.  Rob says not to ground the reflector wire. Keep the reflector wire approximately 30 cm/11.81 inches above ground.  You should see some improvement in the performance of your 20 meter vertical antenna after you make the changes suggested by Rob.  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 fe