Simple Ham Radio Antennas

If you can't view this video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4jGNFGN-RQ. Here's a handy item that will make using an end-fed random length wire antenna easier and more efficient.  A 9-1 unun used in combination with an antenna "tuner" and a good ground radial or counterpoise system will make that random wire perform better than expected. This short video tutorial from "mk1tina" guides you through the process of designing, building, and using a 9-1 unun for your end-fed antennas.  According to "mk1tina", the core used is a T200-2 with 9 trifilar turns of enamel wire. The case is fairly small, measuring 120mm by 80mm.  Although the unit is rated at 400 watts, it may be best to run power levels below 100 watts to keep components cool.  You may want to bring one of these 9-1 ununs with you to the ARRL Field Day, just in case you may be using a random length wire antenna. For the late

If you can't view this video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK6oxWVtGI. While there is no "perfect" antenna, this simple, proven design for a monoband HF vertical using a 1/4 wavelength vertical radiator and four, 1/4 wavelength sloping radial wires comes very close to being a foolproof design that will give you many hours of operating pleasure.  In effect, this antenna is a variation of the familiar ground plane antenna seen in many omnidirectional VHF and UHF antennas.  A ground plane antenna designed for any HF band from 20 meters to 6 meters should work very well with locally made materials. I have a 20 meter version of this antenna fed with RG-8 coaxial cable, and it works quite well, considering the poor state of HF propagation these days.  I use an old Drake MN-4 antenna "tuner" to reduce the small amount of SWR found in this antenna. For the latest Amateur Radio news and information, ple

Parallel Circular Conductor Transmission Line Calculator (http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=31023). Author:  Serge Y. Stroobandt (ON4AN). Please click link to read the full article. Accessed on 04 May 2017, 05:30 hrs, UTC. Comment: Thanks to Serge Y. Stroobandt (ON4AN) for this excellent tutorial on how to make a balanced transmission line out of circular conductors, such as common speaker wire.  He provides a simple fill-in-the-blanks tool that will simplify your calculations for making "homebrew" balanced feed line.  He also provides a good mathematical analysis of the construction process and offers appropriate formulas for those who wish to study the theory in more detail. Serge provides a practical example of a parallel circular conductor transmission line from Leon Salden (VK3VG). For the latest Amateur Radio news and information, please visit these websites: http://www.HawaiiARRL.info. https://oahuarrlnews.wordpress.com. https://bigislandarr

If you can't view this video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZkWPP13S6k. A professionally produced step-by-step tutorial from Martin (M0MZF) on how to design, build, and use a 6 meter delta loop antenna.  Martin gives you a complete list of tools, supplies, and construction techniques that will be required to build this sturdy, weather-resistant 6 meter antenna.  Most of the materials can be found at the nearest hardware or building supply outlet.  This antenna will be a welcome addition to your antenna "farm". For the latest Amateur Radio news and information, please visit these websites: http://www.HawaiiARRL.info. https://oahuarrlnews.wordpress.com. https://bigislandarrlnews.wordpress.com. http://www.kh6jrm.info (breaking news for radio amateurs). Other sites of interest: http://hawaiisciencedigest.com https://hawaiiintelligencedigest.com (trends in geopolitical intelligence, strategic foreca

Ferrite Rod TX Antennas-G3XBM QRP WEBSITE (https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/antennas/ferrite_tx). Author:  Roger (G3XBM). Accessed on 01 May 2017, 20:30 hrs, UTC. Please click link to read the full article. Comment: I found this intriguing article from Roger (G3XBM) while I was searching for some experimental antenna ideas.  I must admit that using a ferrite rod as a transmitting antenna never really crossed my mind.  I've used ferrite rods as antennas in small transistor radio projects, but never in a transmitting capacity. Roger's ferrite rod antenna consists of 80 turns of 0.5 mm diameter wire with a 365 pF air-spaced variable capacitor in parallel with about 60 turns of the wire and in the 50 ohm range of one of the lower taps.  Roger says he was able to get a 1:1 SWR on 40 meters using a Yaesu-817 running 5 watts of power. Roger adds that the antenna was tried in a vertical position, and received many reports of his WSPR signal throughout Europe. Roge