Quality, relatively inexpensive vertical Antennas?

Good day,

I am looking to set up a HF station and was wondering if anyone had any good ideas for a vertical around $150-$250 that would do good for 40 meters as well as some higher HF bands (say between 10 and 20). I like the MFJ 1795 but, there must be more. It would be great if it where available at HRO or another place that ships.

73

de KJ7CDF

 

Hustler 4BTV

 

Than you for the antenna idea. I think this will work!

 

Easy...Hustler 6BTV. 80/40/30/20/15/10M for $235.99 shipped at DX Engineering.

 

I have the $190 10-40 Trap Vertical, AV-14AVQ. I've had it up for 3 years, and it has survived a near miss with a tornado. It performs very well, I've worked Asia, Europe, and all over South America from Houston running 90 watts from my IC-718. I have (only) two sets of cut radials. The antenna is mounted on a fence post, 10 feet off the ground. The radials were made from 4 conductor ribbon cable, cut to 1/4 wl for each band. They are just draped out from the antenna base. Simple, cheap, and easy to move if needed.

Bruce
KC5NCZ

 

Thank you all for the ideas! I think the AV-14AVQ will be ideal considering the price-to-performance ratio.

73

KJ7CDF

 

Try building one. Many designs can be found on the internet. You can make a good antenna for less than you are prepared to spend on a manufactured one. Or try an end fed wire multi-band antenna.

 

Skip the 6BTV and the HUGE 80m trap on top ... You can string up a dipole for 80 ...

That big blob of a trap for 80 is a wind-catcher, and the BW pretty narrow to start with too on 80.

 

I actually ended up putting up a wire dipole antenna, I was just thinking of possible options for a resonant antenna. As sv0sgs said, DIY antennas seem like a decent option. It would be a bit of a challenge but, I'd think it would be a good experience.

 

I live on a very small lot in a duplex, definitely real estate challenged. My first antenna was a non-resonant long wire antenna, about 26 meters long, configured, more or less, as an inverted "L." The correct length is important. Can't be resonant on any band. There are tables found on internet that show these lengths. The wire was surplus field telephone wire that my club had lying around. One end of the wire was supported by an 8 meter tall telescope fishing pole on top of my garage roof. The wire. went up to the top of my house, attached to another fishing pole, which in turn was lashed to my sat dish mount. The rest of the wire went to the corner of the back yard, again, attached to a fishing pole. The antenna wire was attached to an MFJ auto tuner (my only "expensive" component). I laid out a half a dozen random length steel radials in a fan pattern, buried a few inches in the ground and attached to the tuner. I did put a ground rod in, attached the radials and the ground screw of the tuner to it.

An auto tuner at the antenna is a very good investment. I have had good experience with the MFJ tuner. I did do additional water proofing on it. This antenna has actually out performed my store bought antennas,. I had SSB contacts with the east coast US and Caribbean on 160 meters (I live in north central Germany) as well as with many other countries on all bands.

I finally had to take it down because my XYL complained about it too much. Although the neighbors didn't say anything to me directly about it, they did let it be known they were unhappy.

I did buy a five band end fed antenna (no tuner needed) and a 12m telescope pole from Spiderbeam. I set the pole up in an empty lot next door and ran the wire horizontally to my house. That also worked well, but still not as good as the home brewed one. I told my wife and neighbors I was testing the configuration to be able to take the antenna portable and it would only be temporary. "Temporary" lasted six months! Hah!

Now, I am consigned to portable only work. I can hang a half wave end fed antenna for 20 meters vertically from my telescope pole. The multi band antenna I configure as a sloper. See pix. At my vacation QTH in Greece I do the same. I have been able to put all essential components into a small backpack (EFHWA for 20 meters, Yaesu FT-891, 12Ah LiFePO4 battery, 5m RG58 coax, throw line and an old sock (insert rock, attach to line, throw). Sometimes I have the Spiderbeam pole along if I am not walking far.

Bottom line is, you can spend lots of money on store bought antennas. The manufacturers promise you amazing things (I got burned badly as a neophyte by one of them). Most of it is snake oil. You can make nice wire antennas cheaply, even a beam/yagi ,for little money. Amateur radio is an experimental hobby. Most of us don't build our own equipment anymore, but we can build antennas, THE most important part of any system.

Good luck!
David DM3BC and SV0SGS