What was your *very* first antenna starting out?

[KG4LMZ]

I started with a ground plane 2m made of some brass wire and an SO-239 panel connector. My buddy made it, then I made one for 440 to go with it.

[WX3DX]

my first was 200 feet of #12 stranded insulated wire hung about 20 feet up between two trees, and i ran it straight in my window and hooked it up to my IC-735 via the automatic antenna tuner that goes with the 735. i worked most of the US and even northern russia and alot of europe with that antenna. this was in 2005 and I was only 13 at the time but now that i've learned so much more about antenna's it amazes me that I made so many contacts world wide.
it also made a GREAT antenna for my crystal radio's

[W6ECE]

First transmitting antena was a 64 foot end fed wire used at various locations on 40, 20 and 10 meters. Never used a ground and it worked great. Did not know until recently that it could not work without a ground, or counterpoise. Ignorance is great.

Bernie

[AG6JU]

I started with

144 MHz --- 5/8 over 5/8 wave collinear , 6dBi gain, vertical
HF --- indoor antenna with MFJ artificial ground, MFJ antenna tuner, FT-747GX radio

[KJ4VOV]

It seems that those of us who started out with mobiles got left right out of this survey.

[N5YPJ]

An end fed random length wire with a ground rod for a RF ground. It was better than no antenna at all.

[NM7L]

Gotham V-80 vertical
(yeah...I was a sucker!)

[W0VYE]

When I "started" I was about 12, and strictly an SWL using a Hallicrafters S-38E I got for Christmas. I started running wire and eventually had about 300 feet of it airborn. When I got my first ticket at about 25, I bought a used Hy-Gain 14AVQ from my Elmer that I used with my HW-16. 73

[N0NCO]

My very first ham antenna was a home-brew 6 element quad for 2m SSB. I calculated the dimensions using the info in William Orr's book - "All About Cubical Quad Antennas". I chose PVC pipe for the boom & spreaders, 10 gauge solid copper for the elements, and I put ferrite sleeves on a section of RG214 to form a 1:1 current balun. I put it up @ 60' AGL (horizontally polarized, of course), and fed it with 1/2 Heliax. I used a Ham II rotor. I drove it with my first ham rig - a Yaesu FT-290 MKII all-mode, running into a 350W home-brew cavity amp. The noise floor on 2m was very at my QTH up in northern MN. I had a lot of fun with that setup on 2m SSB.

[VE3FMC]

In 1992 before I had my Basic No Code I built a phased 5 element beam for 2 meters. The driven elements were closed loops, plus reflector and 3 directors. Can't recall the details of the phasing harness.

Once I got my ticket a friend brought his 2 M HT and SWR meter over for me to try the beam out with. SWR was damn near flat and that beam worked very well.

In fact it was still in use by another ham up til 2 years ago. I replaced with a 13 element 17 foot boom yagi that I bought. Then that was replaced with a 5 element quad that I built. Used that quad for 14 years before I replaced it with a dual band vertical.

My first HF antenna was a full wave horizontal loop. Highest point was 30 feet, then it went down from there. Managed to get WAS 75 M SSB with that loop and 100 watts. Also worked some VK's and some Euro's with it. Not the best for DX'ing by man I had a potent signal 300-400 miles from here!