Posts

Simple Ham Radio Antennas--N4KC's Top Five Multiband Antennas. Post #973.

Image
N4KC's Top Five Multiband Antennas (http://www.eham.net/articles/37986). Author:  Don Keith (N4KC). Accessed on 06 December 2016, 00:25 hrs, UTC . Please click link or insert title link into your browser search box to read the article. Comment: Don Keith (N4KC) is one of my favorite amateur radio authors.  He has a genuine talent for making the overly complex simple for us non-technical folks. Such is the case for his latest article on the eham.net website.  In this article, Don lists what he considers the top five five multiband HF antennas for radio amateurs.  He also includes two honorable mentions that are gaining in popularity.  The best part of this essay is Don's encouragement for you "roll your own" antenna and just have fun experimenting with antenna designs. Based on Don's personal experience, here are the top five HF multiband antennas for ham radio operators: The G5RV antenna designed by the late Louis Varney (G5RV). While this antenna

Simple Ham Radio Antennas--7dB Collinear Antenna. Post #972

Image
7dB Collinear Antenna (213.114.137.49/ antenna /7db-collinear.htm). Author:  Harry Lythall (SM0VPO). Accessed on 05 December 2016, 00:50 hrs, UTC . Please click link or enter the title URL to read the article. Comment: Are you having trouble reaching that distant 2 meter repeater or finding parts of your "geographically challenged" neighborhood living in a VHF "dead zone?" This high-gain VHF Collinear Antenna from Harry Lythall (SM0VPO) will help you eliminate weak signal reports in your shack. According to Harry, this easily made VHF Collinear Antenna can be assembled with material available at the nearest hardware store or building supply outlet. All you need are some stranded power cable , 3 sections of PVC pipe , four coil forms, a balun, small lengths of 50 ohm coaxial cable , and a length of coax for your feed line . Harry explains the design and construction process step-by-step, complete with photographs, illustrations, and a full list of mate

Simple Ham Radio Antennas--Ultra-compact Multi-band Wire Antenna. Post #971.

Image
Ultra-compact Multi-band Wire Antenna (http://www.nc4b.org/wordpress.org/ultra-compact-multi-band-wire-antenna). Author:  NC4B. Accessed on 03 December 2016, 17:30 hrs, UTC . Please click link or insert title URL into your browser search box to read the full article. Comment: Here's a fascinating multi-band HF antenna for those radio amateurs facing severe space restrictions or who live in HOA/CC&R-controlled housing. According to NC4B, as long as you have at least 12 feet/3.65 meters of free horizontal or vertical space, you can build an antenna that will get you on the air at minimal expense and exposure.  The design is based on an antenna originally built by WB2JNA and can be found in various Amateur Radio publications. The antenna is simple and can be made from locally available PVC pipe , #14-#16 AWG wire, various screws, and alligator clips.  NC4B says an automatic antenna "tuner" will help tame SWR , although adjusting the coil tap and the leng

Simple Ham Radio Antennas--EFHW-8010 8-band End Fed Half Wave Antenna. Post #970

Image
EFHW-8010 8-band End Fed Half Wave Antenna (http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/12423#144831). Accessed on 02 December 2016, 17:45 hrs. Source:  http://www.eham.net. Please click link or insert title URL into your browser search box to read the full review of this antenna. Comment: Although I prefer to build most of my antennas , this antenna from http://myantennas.com may change my mind--at least where portable or emergency antennas are concerned. In this article from http://www.eham.net, we see a wide selection of reviews concerning the EFHW 8010 8-band End Fed Half Wave Antenna.  All of the reviews give a positive  reaction to the antenna which covers the 80-40-30-17-15-12, and 10 meter Amateur Radio bands without an antenna "tuner."  Several reviews claim the antenna is workable on 160 and 6 meters as well. The antenna comes pre-assembled and can be used in a variety of configurations, depending on your operating requirements.  The antenna is also "steal

Simple Ham Radio Antennas--80m END FED NVIS FIELD ANTENNA

Image
If you're having trouble viewing this video, please insert this title link into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiaHtmOB57Y. This is post #969 in a continuing series of simple ham radio antennas . Near Vertical Incidence Skywave Antennas (NVIS) are ideal for local or regional contacts, especially during times of natural or human-caused disasters.   HF NVIS antennas form the emergency "backbone" to the VHF/UHF bands usually used for local emergencies.  If repeaters are lost or greater distance is required to contact emergency management officials, then simple, portable NVIS antennas can provide the necessary "gap filler."  A properly designed NVIS antenna can provide reliable communications up to 300 miles/480 km or more depending on propagation. In this video, NG9D describes a basic, easily-made 80 meter NVIS antenna suitable for portable or emergency use.  NG9D provides installation details, theory of operation, and a brief demo