New to Shortwave (HF)? Daunted By Antenna Choices?

Is a Perfect Antenna Necessary for the New-To-HF Ham Operator?



Are you new to operating on the shortwave frequencies (or, high-frequencies--HF; 3 MHz to 30 MHz; 80m, 75m, 60m, 40m, 30m, 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m, 10m)? Is the prospect of figuring out a good HF antenna a bit daunting?

Here’s a question that might be relevant: Does an amateur radio operator need to design a perfect antenna, in order to get on HF?

Consider: It might not take as much antenna as you may think necessary to make two-way contacts on shortwave radio.

Often, makeshift antennae are effective enough to be viable. This is proven by those who go to parks, mountain tops, or go mobile with HF. They use compromise antenna designs. Simple dipoles, end-feed wires, and sometimes loops or a vertical antenna. Those are far from the perfect antenna. Is there even such a thing as a perfect antenna? No.

My advice? Start with SOMETHING just to get on the air.

Start with what you can, and then start to enhance, improve, and learn the secrets of HF communications (hint: most of your success will come by improving your antenna system, including a good ground system).



The bottom line: just get something up in the air and start communicating. Improve things over time. You'll have much fun that way. (Check out: Fiddle Factor - Get on the air!)

Case in point: here's a look at my makeshift antenna that I put up just to get on the air from my new residence in Ohio:



With this antenna, I've made successful two-way voice and Morse code contacts (QSOs) with stations in Europe and across North America. I am able to tune it on the 80-, 75-, 60-, 40-, 30-, 20-, 15-, 17-, 12-, and 10-Meter bands. Reverse beacon detection pick up my Morse-code CW signals, especially on 40 meters (the band on which it is tuned physically). Watch: https://g.nw7us.us/3ldoa8K

Don't mind the first part of the video, in which I show you my new QTH (residence). I just moved here from Nebraska. There's plenty of room for antennas, and there are some tall trees!

I'm excited, and I plan on improving this antenna and getting it up higher--somewhere around 40 or 50 feet up in the air--in time for the November CQ WW contest at the end of the month.

Of course, I want to make a proper dipole out of this example antenna. But, while I wait for the rest of the parts I need to complete this antenna project (pulleys and a ladder, and maybe a rope launcher), I've put this makeshift antenna on the air. It is just high enough so that I can enjoy some time on the shortwave bands.

73 de NW7US

..

 

And, let me chime in with: Don't be afraid to put something in your attic.
A few years ago, I put an MFJ-2010 off center feed quad-band (40/20/10/6m) dipole in my attic. My attic is nowhere near 67' long, though, so I ran the feed and the main part of the dipole along the ridge and ran the legs down the hips and then snaked what remained of the conductors around as best I could. I used this out-of-the-box configuration for a while and then adjusted the length a bit to improve the performance in the low portion of the bands where I work digital modes. I really wanted 15m and 30m, so earlier this year I added a parasitic resonator below the main antenna. Although I had usable SWRs on all bands, they weren't as low as I wanted, so I finally added a remote LDG tuner. With the tuner, I've got <1.5:1 SWR on 80,40,30,20,15,10 and 6. In the last few months I've worked 49 states on FT8 w/this antenna and my 5w Flex-1500.

-Phil

 

Loved your «...sometimes loop or vertical...» as third, ersatz, worst ever choices!!
What if the ONLY SOLUTION left to you to get on HF is a HB/MLA?
(Un)truly yours, 88

 

Heck, today I thought I was on my 40-meter full wave delta loop for a QSO, I realized after the QSO that I did not change the switch to that. I was on my G5RV LOL.....QSO was great. And that was with the tuner bypassed.

As long as it does not blow up your transceiver and you do not interfere with anything or anyone else......use the antenna ya got!

 

Agree with you -- just do it!! Be perfect later.

 

I've only had my license for just over a year. I started out with a commercial End Fed that covers 6-80m with an LDG 100PROII Tuner. That antenna starts at 25' and goes up to about 55' over it's length. I'm 7 countries shy of DXCC with 100w on that antenna. I built a 160m end fed based on the first one I bought. I also built a 30m Delta Loop on a Saturday afternoon cause I was bored. NA4RR Hex Beam should be arriving today 6-40m. This is one of the things I love about this hobby is experimenting with and trying out new antennas.

 

Have as many arrows in your quiver as you can muster. That's how I think of what to put up wherever I am at the time. I keep a folder just for HF antenna ideas and builds so I can tackle any situation that rises. Near as thick as the handbook now.

 

"Antenna here is a retired boat trailer light harness..."
https://alienjeff.net/radiorandom.html#vacation_antenna

 

You ever see that thing where they use a lightbulb as an antenna?

 

If that coil in the photo is in your final, no wonder it doesn't make any difference what antenna you put up!

73 de Dave, K4TO

 

Some great thoughts here. I have always been amazed at how well a "make-do" wire can perform. While the home station features a tower and SteppIR plus several resonate wire antennas, it is always fun to use something much more simple. We spend much of the winter months in Aruba in a rented house with limited space which makes stringing some wire a challenge. This past winter, I wound up with an arrangement that I will call a "Lazy-Z" which was 130 feet of wire strung from the ground up to a 40' fiberglass mast then through some palm trees to a corner of the house and then back on itself to another palm tree. With an SGC Autotuner end feeding this wire and a short wire on the ground as a counterpoise, I managed over 3000 QSO's with my IC-7300 on all bands from 160 thru 10 meters. made DXCC and worked some very nice DX on the lower bands that I have yet to work from the home station., These Q's involved CW, SSB, RTTY and digital modes. No doubt the "P4/" callsign helped a bit. Bottom line is that if you can get the wire to take RF and you make some noise on the bands, you will work some amazing stuff. I will again be operating as P4/K3DMG this winter beginning Jan 14 from a new location on the island, so getting a hunk of wire in the air will again take some imagination. The down side is that the XYL keeps wondering why a tower is needed at home when the rig works so well with an invisible piece of wire strung in some trees.

 

I started by radiating my gutters. Isolated them from the ground and used a tuner. Made contacts coast-to-coast and into South America on 40m.

 

EFHW, doublet fed with ladder line or an OCF fed with coax. All work nicely as multiband noobham antennas.

 

I have been quite successful on 160-10 meters operating with an indoor antenna on a first floor apartment. I just looped the antenna back and forth on two of the walls up near the ceiling. End-fed wire with an LDG automatic tuner. I did have to use some RF choking to keep the signal out of the radio. However, using 30 watt FT8/JS8 Digital modes I have 62+ countries going as far out as Russia. 2000+ QSOs. Not bad with the poor sunspot propagation and the restrictions I have. I once worked Japan on a converted CB with a mostly outdoor vertical dummy load when I really didn't know what I was doing (LOL).

Since sunspot activity can only get better in the coming years and you are likely to be surprised at what you can do with minimal equipment.

 

Couple things to add that are good for anyone new to working with antennas. Start with a good manual tuner and get one of the nanoVNA units. These two items together will show you a lot about what your antennas are doing and help make tuning way easier...and that's one of the early difficulties that can be discouraging. It's pretty frustrating when you try working on an antenna and you're not sure which way to go or how far and all you have is a SWR meter. And an autotuner gives you no feedback. It just sits there and rattles annoyingly. Tie the VNA to the output of the tuner and it will show you the needed settings...and that's good information.