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

This is a "Catch 22" if you're a new ham and just now putting up your first antenna, but understanding how to operate your equipment for best performance, understanding propagation, and setting appropriate expectations, are just as important as the antenna. My first antenna was a G5RV, and I didn't think I was getting good results with it. Part of this was due to negative comments other hams made when I told them I was using a G5RV. But a big part of my disappointment came from expecting to talk to anyone, anytime, anywhere even though I hadn't done enough research to know if the propagation conditions were good or bad, for each band, and for different parts of the world. Also, I had not yet figured out how to take advantage of my rig's noise reduction features, bandpass filters, and mic gain and audio compression settings. Once I figured out all of those things (and it took me weeks to do so), I gradually found out that the G5RV was not so bad after all. In fact, I started getting good signal reports as long as I didn't mention I was using a G5RV. Since those early experiences, I have been able to make a lot of contacts on a lot of different pieces of wire, and I continue to do so as long as I have an appropriate balun and a decent antenna tuner (when needed).

 

Picking an antenna? Easy.

Finding something to hang it on? That's a bit more challenging.

 

Without dimensions of your plot it's difficult to help in that regard. When I get to a new location I whip out the tape measure and go to town. That starts me thinking what could fit where. I then remeasure with the idea of what I am trying to hang, If it doesn't fit then on to the next idea an so on. I will tell you though if I was having the garden installed I would consider laying down galvy wire cloth and ground rods before sodding and place the vertical mount. Some 1" id pvc to the house too so you can place coax and don't forget mule tape. If you think radials are better then lay those down, Saves a ton of hassle later. You can decide on what vertical later as the hard work is done.
Just try to form a plan and be ready to adapt it. That's really the first step. This last location took several antenna trials over a year of testing till I was happy with it. I tend to prefer a vertical and several wires for HF. Conditions vary and different antennas cater to that.

 

What serves as the counter poise?

 

Asking permission to share this article with Credit in our Clubs newsletter?

 

If you're daunted by antenna choices, just move to an urban area like mine. Your antenna options will disappear faster than DX at solar minimum.

 

Even if you just get length of #14 wire, say about 50 feet or so, take it and connect it to the back of the tuner where is says WIRE and run that out the window and run it up in the trees,acrossed the yard, along the house,anywhere and attach the of it to insulator and then attach short peace of wire to where it says GROUND and then to a cold water pipe, out the window to ground rod and then fire up the rig. A long wire is the most easiest antenna to install. I have over my 44 years of hamming,have had rhombics,verticals,quads,beams,towers,dipoles and i am now using a inverted L. A little more than a long wire, but it works. I use to have beam on my house and other hams would complain and say " OH CLYDE..YOU GOTTA GET THAT UP HIGHER,YOU WORK MORE DX! " ya..i had over 300 countries worked at that low height. But when working hf, height don't mean nothing. good luck....oh by the way....best time to up an antenna is in howling windy snow storm, heavy rain with lighting dancing all around, or bitter cold,-10f with a wind chill of -40f...no black flies.

 

Thanks for the tip about grounding. I had thought about it, but not the galvy wire cloth.

Being eager to get on the air I threw up a 10 metre end fed "long" wire with a 9:1 un un, about 4 metres high, and knocked a ground rod into the earth. First contact was Bulgaria from IO92kx. Since then I have worked 19 countries on 20 watts or less, mainly W&E European, but it has helped to keep me sane during this lockdown period. The G90 built-in ATU and SWR meter works very well. Considering a temporary Slim Jim for 40m to get by without a ground for now. It shouldn't be more than 3m overall.

Can't wait to erect decent antennas. Glad I'm back. Roll on January.

 

I lay it our then silver solder the pieces in several places for a good bond. Today a good mapp torch will do the job. Just plan on a slightly windy day as galvy is nasty stuff when it comes to off gasses. Even a muffin fan near the welds works well. Last time I tore up a patch it was good some 12 years after I laid it down. Lot of debate whether radials out perform a grid but in my experience the galvy grid works well. Only thing better is a four square in a salt marsh.

 

That is virtually identical to the antenna I had up here at home from Saturday till yesterday (4 days). I don't have a fixed station at home and generally get my operating in via SOTA, and now POTA activating. I was stuck at home Saturday waiting for a delivery, so I tossed up an antenna just like yours, but without the ground rod, from a 2nd story window. The LDG 9:1 UnUn was mounted to a board (painted the same color as the house, so it doesn't stand out) and connected to a coax bulkhead pass-through. From the Unun I ran one 35ish foot wire (roughly measured) to the cherry tree in our front yard, then straight down. The vertical section was about 7' long and the horizontal (ish) portion just under 29'. Max height was about 12' at the high end and 7' at the low end. I connected a 13' "counterpoise" to the other terminal of the UnUn and let it dangle straight down. Indoors, I ran 12' of coax under the couch to the other end where I'd operate here and there as time allowed. My KX2's tuner was able to get a match on every band it supports, though I mainly operated on 40m and 20m. It wasn't very obvious from the street and quick to deploy.

Would it titillate antenna purists? Nope. But it worked. I was able to work a bunch of POTA activators from my couch. Signal reports were good, supported by the fact I didn't have to repeat myself (none of that, "could you repeat your callsign...you're a strong 59" nonsense).

When I took it down yesterday, I rolled the two wires around the board and stashed it away, ready for the next time I get a desire to run the radio at home.

Chris

 

While working in a remote portion of BC in the late 90's I had brought my HF Icom and antenna and MFJ tuner along. One rainy night I wanted to get on the air, but too squeamish to get wet. I ran a lead up to the Grumman canoe on the roof of my camper, grounded to the frame of the camper van, and checked into the BC Public service net on 3.729 mhz. It got a lot of laughs when I told them my antenna was a canoe!

 

Question: I received a coil from an AM broadcast station doghouse. It's made of coax, about 4 feet long, about a foot in diameter with the coax wound about 3/4" apart around the supports. Was it used strictly as an inductor for nighttime pattern adjustment, or as a filter (LPF, HPF)? How could it be used in an amateur radio setting or only to enhance SWL?
A way to make a 40m antenna work on 160m? Suggestions?

 

hi all, as you can see in one of the photos that I inserted in my page for the low bands 30/40 // 60/80 I installed some homemade inverted V dipoles, all 1/2 wave with 120 ° opening balun 1: 1. the results are very satisfactory despite my geographical position, especially in 40 and 80 with QSOs in all continents.

 

Hi, I just wonder, as you write, it is made of coax - isn't it an ugly balun, like one of these: BUILD AN AIR WOUND 1:1 CHOKE BALUN FOR HF - THE UGLY BALUN! (hamuniverse.com)? ... no better idea.
A coil would help making a shorter wire resonate on 160m, but as the coil is made of coax, you should connect only the shield. And it well depends on the antenna as well, e.g. for a dipole you will need two coils. Trying it with an analyzer would not harm.

 

not as an antenna, but we used to use them as dummy loads for tuning up our low powered novice tube rigs.