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Showing posts from 2014

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: A 5/8 wavelength 2 meter mobile antenna. Post # 353

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I ran across this excellent "homebrewed" antenna video by Australian amateur radio operator Margaret (VK4MH) while I was searching for a replacement for my old Larsen 2 meter mobile antenna which has seen better days. The project appears to be a simple, basic design that can be made from readily available parts available at a home improvement or hardware store. If you want to take a shortcut, you could use an old Firestick CB antenna as the fiberglass form for the antenna. Just unwrap the old wire, leaving the fiberglass rod intact. You can use the base to attach to a CB mount and the adjustable tip at the top for tuning the antenna. Wind your coil and helix along the rod as specified in the video. Adjust the "stinger" at the top for tuning, and you're ready to go. Nice project from a few years ago (2008). For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog commun

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Non-Resonant Random Wire Antenna. Post #352

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A nice, simple, uncomplicated, and easy to understand tutorial on how to make a "Non-Resonant Random Wire" Antenna from Stan Gibiliso (W1GV). I've built a few of these non-resonant antennas of varying lengths, each using materials I found around the shack or at the nearest home improvement outlet. For the purpose of Stan's lesson, he chose a length of wire measuring approximately 250 feet/76.21 meters. If you follow Stan's simple instructions, you'll find this distant relative of the beverage antenna works very well on 160, 80/75, 40, and even 30 meters. Stan stresses the importance of having both a good electrical ground and a RF ground. Stan shows you how to avoid current loops and nodes, things that create RF problems in the shack. You will need an antenna transmatch ("tuner") to make this antenna work properly. I have a similar antenna at my vacation home in the Puna District of Hawaii Island and it works very well on 80, 75, and 40 met

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: How Antenna Tuners Work - KK4WW & N4USA. Post #351

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This is an excellent antenna tuner tutorial from Gaynell Larson (KK4WW) and Dave Larson (N4USA). Dave covers all the basics, including SWR, basic tuner design, and proper use of antenna tuners. This video is a useful addition to your Amateur Radio Library. While it's possible to make antennas that don't require some kind of system to match the antenna impedance to your rig's impedance, most amateur radio operators I know use antenna transmatches ("tuners") to provide the best possible match between rig and antenna. This is especially important if the antenna is used for several amateur radio bands. The use of an antenna tuner is required if you use balanced feed lines, such as 450 ohm ladder line, 300 ohm television twin lead, or homebrewed balanced feed lines. A balanced tuner will do the job of matching antenna to rig. You could also run your balanced feed line into a 4:1 balun and then onto your tuner with a small length of 50 ohm coaxial cable, such a

Graphene-Based Nano-Antennas May Enable Networks of Tiny Machines - Department of Electrical Engineering. Post #350

Graphene-Based Nano-Antennas May Enable Networks of Tiny Machines - Department of Electrical Engineering : "Graphene-Based Nano-Antennas May Enable Networks of Tiny Machines Networks of nanometer-scale machines offer exciting potential applications in medicine, industry, environmental protection and defense, but until now there’s been one very small problem: the limited capability of nanoscale antennas fabricated from traditional metallic components. Assistant Professor Josep Jornet's research with his advisor, Professor Ian Akyildiz on graphene based nano antennas has been featured by the Science andTechnology News Center of Georgia Tech. The project shows that "the concept of graphene-based nano-antennas is feasible, especially when taking into account very accurate models of electron transport in graphene. Many challenges remain open, but this is a first step toward creating advanced nanomachines with many applications in the biomedical, environmental, industri

Pyramid nanoscale antennas beam light up and down. Post #349

Pyramid nanoscale antennas beam light up and down : "Researchers from FOM Institute AMOLF and Philips Research have designed and fabricated a new type of nanoscale antenna. The new antennas look like pyramids, rather than the more commonly used straight pillars. The pyramid shape enhances the interference between the magnetic and electric fields of light. This makes the pyramid-shaped antenna capable of enhancing light emission and beaming different colours of light towards opposite directions. This finding could lead to more efficient light emitting devices (LEDs). The researchers published their results online on 12 December 2014 in Physical Review Letters. Individual antennas A straight nanoscale antenna will mainly respond to the electric field of light. This means that the effects of the magnetic field of light, which holds half of the energy of light, are disregarded. For a long time this was not considered as an issue that could be solved, because most of the metals use

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Antenna Fundamentals 3 Bandwidth. Post #348

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Thanks to Javier Anderson for sharing this classic military training film on antennas. This video is the final segment of an antenna study course produced by the National Film Board of Canada for the Royal Canadian Air Force. This film dates from the mid to late 1950s and contains the basic information necessary to discuss antenna bandwidth. The explanation is clear, uncluttered, and thoroughly understandable. This video could be made part of a basic Amateur Radio License Course. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated frequently. You can find more Amateur Radio News at my news blog: http://kh6jrm.net. Thanks for joining us today! Happy Holidays to you and your family. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Antenna Fundamentals 2 Directivity. Post #347

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This video is part of a Royal Canadian Air Force Training Film series produced by the National Film Board of Canada. Thanks to Javier Anderson for the tip. This classic film, most likely produced in the mid to late 1950s, does an excellent job of explaining important reception basics when using a radio. This series of videos would make an excellent feature for Amateur Radio License Classes. The dialogue is direct, uncomplicated, and thoroughly understandable. Great video. For the latest Amateur Radio News and Events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. If you want more Amateur Radio news, please visit my news site at http://kh6jrm.net. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Antenna Fundamentals 1 Propagation. Post #346

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I'm surprised just how good some of these old armed forces technical training films were. This video, probably dating from the late 1950s, gives a brief, well-organized overview of important propagation fundamentals when using radios. This excellent, simple, and completely understandable film was produced by the Film Board of Canada for The Royal Canadian Air Force. I'll keep a copy of this video for my reference library and for helping new ham operators get "a handle" on propagation basics. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. For more Amateur Radio news, please visit my news site--http://kh6jrm.net. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Don Wallace W6AM 1984. Post #345

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I'm afraid the title of this post is a bit misleading...nothing about Don Wallace's (W6AM--SK) life was simple. He lived a huge life and was one of the top DX chasers of all time. Until his death, he operated a multiantenna "farm" from the old Press Wireless site overlooking Palos Verdes, California. As a youngster, I remember his "booming" signal into Hawaii during the day. As this video shows, his station was better equipped and maintained than most commercial AM stations of that time. In this video from the California Radio Historical Society, Wayne Overback interviews Don Wallace for the PBS series "Radio Collector." The highlight of the interview is a tour of Don's mammouth antenna system. Nowadays, the antenna site once used by Wallace is now a condo development. I learned a lot about dedication and determination from viewing this video. I wish I could have met Don Wallace face-to-face. He sounded like a truly unique individual

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Ham Radio General Class Lesson 6.2, Dipoles, Ground-planes, and Random Wires. Post #344

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Here is another one of Dave Casler's (KE0OG) excellent, well-paced tutorials on amateur radio antennas. This time, Dave discusses antenna theory and design basic to passing the FCC Amateur Radio General Class License exam. Dave focuses his attention on Ground-Planes, Random Wires, and Dipoles--all of which can deliver plenty of contacts if they are built correctly. While Dave's advice on coaxial cable feedlines is quite good, I feel the use of balanced feeders (450 ohm ladder line or 300 ohm TV ribbon cable), coupled with a balanced antenna transmatch ("tuner"), will deliver comparable performance at less cost. A 135-foot/41.15 meters doublet (dipole) fed with 450 ohm ladder line or 300 ohm TV ribbon cable connected to a balanced tuner will cover all amateur radio bands between 80 and 10 meters. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free e

Ham Radio - Ancestor of the Internet | Southgate Amateur Radio News. Post #343.

Ham Radio - Ancestor of the Internet | Southgate Amateur Radio News This video by producer Mark Svoboda is one of the better historical programs related to Amateur Radio.  In this video, Svoboda provides a fascinating overview of Amateur Radio--its history and relevance to communication today.  Svoboda uses interviews with amateur radio operators and selected voice overs to show how Ham Radio became the first social network uniting electronics enthusiasts in the early 20th Century...a precursor to what we know today as the Internet. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Lesson 4.3 Feed Lines and SWR. Post 342

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This is part of a continuing series of antenna videos produced by Dave Casler (KE0OG). This discussion on Feed Lines and SWR is aimed at newly licensed hams or those thinking about taking the Technician Class License Exam. Dave's presentation is smooth, simple, and completely understandable. This video would be an excellent way to supplement the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual (Technician Class). For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please visit the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed . Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM). Related articles ARRL Introduces Kindle Edition of Ham Radio License Manual Ham Radio Morse Code Channel! New ham radio promotional video

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: 4.3 Antenna Properties & Terminology. Post #341.

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This excellent, well-paced video was part of a junior electromagnetics course for electrical engineering students at Bucknell University . The video is designed to be used as the out-of-the-classroom component and combined with active learning exercises in class. The video covers some of the terminology and basic equations that engineers will use to define the properties of antennas . This antenna tutorial should be part of your reference library . The video could also be used in Amateur Radio License classes to supplement live instruction. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. For more Amateur Radio news, you can visit my news site at http://kh6jrm.net. You can follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed . Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM). Related articles Melting Glacier Threatens Population of Rare Aquatic

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Lesson 4.2 Antenna Fundamentals. Post #340

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Nice, basic antenna tutorial for those aspiring to a Technician Class Amateur Radio License. Dave Casler (KE0OG) has produced a comfortably paced antenna introduction that follows closely the ARRL Technician Class License Manual. This video is part of an antenna series designed for newly licensed amateur radio operators or for those thinking about becoming amateur radio licensees. For more information, visit Dave's website at http://ke0og.net/training. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. For more Amateur Radio News, please visit my news site at http://kh6jrm.net. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: 4.1 Antenna Basics. Post #339

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. Excellent antenna tutorial. The video is part of a series covering electromagnetics given to electrical engineering students at Bucknell University . The video is clear, well-organized, and thoroughly understandable. This video would make an excellent self-study assignment for those preparing for Amateur Radio License examinations. You could also download a copy of this video for your own antenna reference library . All of us get a little "fuzzy" on antenna theory as time marches on, and this video will serve to reaquaint you with some of the antenna basics needed to enjoy Amateur Radio. For the latest in Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed . For a more detailed look at Amateur Radio News, please check out my Amateur Radio News Blog--http://kh6jrm.net. Thanks for joining me today! Aloha es

How About a New 12 Volt Automotive Connector? - The K0NR Radio Site. Post #338

How About a New 12 Volt Automotive Connector? - The K0NR Radio Site : How About a New 12 Volt Automotive Connector? Posted on 2 December 2014 by K0NR — 3 Comments ↓ Standard power connections are a great thing. A while back, I wrote about how the micro-USB connector became the standard power/data connector for mobile phones. (Well, that is unless you own an iPhone .) The good news is that we do have a standard power connector for 12 VDC in automobiles. The bad news is that it is an ugly behemoth derived from — can you believe it? — a cigarette lighter . For some background and history, see the Wikipedia article.The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) even has a standard that describes this power connector (SAE J563). Alan K0BG correctly warns us to “never, ever use existing vehicle wiring to power any amateur radio gear” including the 12 volt accessory plug. (I always follow this advice, except in the cases when I don’t.) I also found this piece by Bill W8LV on eham.net that

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Lesson 6.1 Antenna Basics. Post #337

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This antenna tutorial from David Casler is one of the better explanations of antenna theory on the internet. David made this video to prepare potential ham operators for the General License Class FCC test. His graphics and presentation are first-rate. This video should be part of your Amateur Radio library. For more information, visit http://ke0og.net/general. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Thanks for joining us today! Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Rebuild MFJ 1622 Apartment Antenna for Ham Radio HF. Post #336

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The MFJ-1622 is a close copy of an apartment antenna originally marketed by Barker & Williamson (B & K). I bought one of these after I was first licensed as a novice operator (circa 1977). Like the author, "North Carolina Prepper", I replaced some components after a short period of use and found the antenna performed well as small, based-loaded vertical. An angled mounting bracket enables you to stick the antenna from an apartement window or balcony. To cut losses, replace the original coaxial cable with RG-8 or RG-8X and add a separate "counterpoise" wire for each band. The counterpoise wire can be spread around your apartment or along the ground if you're running your rig from a public park or beach. Performance will be enhanced if you add several radials or "counterpoise wires" for each band of use. This video can help you increase performance of this simple, fairly inexpensive apartment antenna. This antenna is inconspicuous, easy to

The Long Road to Maxwell’s Equations. Post #335

The Long Road to Maxwell’s Equations Source: http://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/wireless/the-long-road-to-maxwells-equations. Comment: A fascinating article on the life and times of James Clerk Maxwell, who developed the first unified theory of physics and who showed that "electricity and magnetism are intimately connected." The article also discusses the work of his contemporaries (Lodge, Heavyside, and Hertz) and how they used some of Maxwell's ideas to formulate their own theories of electromagnetism. Shortly before he died in 1879, Maxwell encapsulated his ideas into four equations which formed the basis of modern-day communications. The contributions of James Clerk Maxwell make him, in my humble opinion, one of the giants of radio. He belongs on the same podium as Tesla, Marconi, and Popov. For the latest in Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free ema

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: A Stealth Gutter Antenna for Ham Radio or Short Wave. Post #334

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Excellent idea for a stealth antenna for those of us operating under burdensome HOA rules and CC&Rs. Just make sure the gutter is bonded together with pop rivets or screws to maintain integrity and electrical conductivity. I've built several versions of this antenna for various bands, all fed with fairly cheap RG-6 coaxial cable available as "end of reel" pieces from cable company installers. This 75-ohm coax is also available from the TV or cable accessories department of Walmart. My old Drake MN-4 antenna transmatch ("tuner") handled the slight mismatch between the cable impedance and the nominal 50-ohm impedance of my trusty Ten-Tec Argosy II. I also attached "counterpoise" wires (one for each band of use) to the ground lug of the Drake MN-4. This antenna is simple and it works. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a f

- How will the 5G network change the world? - via Eagle Averro - Newsvine. Post #333

- How will the 5G network change the world? - via Eagle Averro - Newsvine : 1 December 2014 How will the 5G network change the world? By Ed Ram BBC News The global race is on to develop 5G, the fifth generation of mobile network. While 5G will follow in the footsteps of 4G and 3G, this time scientists are more excited. They say 5G will be different - very different. If you're thinking, "Great, that's the end of my apps stalling, video faltering, and that everlasting load sign," then you are right - but that's only part of the story. "5G will be a dramatic overhaul and harmonisation of the radio spectrum," says Prof Rahim Tafazolli who is the lead at the UK's multimillion-pound government-funded 5G Innovation Centre at the University of Surrey. That means the opportunity for properly connected smart cities, remote surgery, driverless cars and the "internet of things". So, how best to understand this joined-up, superfast,

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Getting Around HOA Antenna Restrictions. Post #332

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Here's another idea for an antenna system in a restricted housing area (HOA). This ham used a LDG S9V31 telescoping fiberglass mast vertical with 24 ground radials using CAT 5 cabling. He raises the mast from ground level when he uses it and lowers the mast when he is done. The vertical is colored green so it blends in with the surroundings. It also helps that he knows when HOA inspectors make their rounds. Not a perfect solution, but it works for this amateur radio operator . Of course, the best solution is not to live in a home governed by HOAs or CC&Rs. That option, however, is being reduced every time a new housing development opens for business. So, finding a home with no antenna restrictions is getting more difficult by the day. For most of my amateur radio "career", I've had to operate under restrictions, so, I'm aware of the difficulty of getting a decent antenna built without the housing police coming down on you. I've used indoor ant

SocialHams.Net: another place for hams to hang out - KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog. Post #331.

SocialHams.Net: another place for hams to hang out - KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog : SocialHams.Net: another place for hams to hang out december 1, 2014 by dan kb6nu. This morning, I got an e-mail from Andreas , OE8APR. He’s the guy behind SocialHams.Net, a new social networking site for amateur radio operators. According to OE8APR, you can “You can meet people; chat online; check our top rated, featured items; read about popular topics; wish someone special on his/her birthday; match your interests; and even take advantage of our elaborate people search option.” SocialHams.Net includes several apps that you can use to make your amateur�radio operating more enjoyable: DX Cluster. This�tool, which Andreas claims is the�first HTML5 web socket based DXCluster client, allows you to monitor DX spots and spot DX stations that you hear on the air. Logbook . The�logbook allows you �to add, edit, organize and sort their contacts all in one convenient location. APRS Map.�The APRS featu

History This Week | Southgate Amateur Radio News. Post 330.

History This Week | Southgate Amateur Radio News : Page last updated on: Sunday, November 30, 2014 History This Week A look back at events that made history this week - compiled by the Summerland Amateur Radio Club of Lismore, NSW Monday, 1 December, 2014 1732 James Blair was�rescued from a fire in a coal mine. William Tossach, a Scottish surgeon revived him using mouth to mouth ventilation. 1799 Metric System established in France. 1876 Daniel Stillson (Massachusetts) patents first practical pipe wrench. 1893 First Electric Car built in Toronto, could go 15 miles between charges. 1909 George Taylor makes first free flight in a glider at Narrabeen Beach, New South Wales . 1941 Japanese attack Pearl Harbor , brings the USA into WW2. 1942�First controlled nuclear chain reaction (Enrico Fermi - University of Chicago). 1996�NASA's first Mars rover launched from Cape Canaveral . • Read last week's 'History This Week' • Visit the Summerland Amat

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: How to make a NVIS HF Radio Antenna. Post #329

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. Here's a very simple, basic NVIS (near vertical incident skywave) antenna for portable or emergency use. Most of the parts can be found in your shack or at the nearest hardware or home improvement outlet. Although there are losses in the system (primarily from the coax), the antenna does well, giving good local coverage out to 200- 300 miles/320 - 480 kilometers, depending on the band for which the antenna was designed. If you want to build a more permanent NVIS antenna for various local or regional nets, I would recommend feeding the antenna with 450-ohm ladder line into a balanced tuner or through a 4:1 balun and then into a "regular" tuner. With this arrangement, you can get multiband coverage with reduced losses and manageable SWR readings. Plans for this antenna can be found here: http://home.centurytel.net/w9wis/NVIS. For the latest in Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Basic Antenna Fundamentals (How a Dipole Works). Post #328.

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A clear, concise explanation of how a dipole antenna works. This video is good for basic amateur radio classes or for self-study and review. Dan Vanevenhoven (N9LVS) has done an excellent job of unraveling the "secrets" of a simple dipole antenna. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

NASA opens Cube Quest Challenge for largest-ever prize of $5 million. Post #327.

NASA opens Cube Quest Challenge for largest-ever prize of $5 million . How would you like to win a share of $5 million? You can if you join a team entered in the NASA CubeSatQuest Challenge. The purpose of the challenge is "to develop new technology that will advance the state of the art of CubeSats and demonstrate their capabilities as viable deep space explorers." For details, visit http://www.nasa.gov/cubequest. This is a golden opportunity to advance the cause of space exploration while at the same time solidifying  your financial future. Good luck! For the latest in Amateur Radio news and events, please checkout the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. You can follow our blog community with a free email subscription or by tapping into the blog RSS feed . Until next time, Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: A Multiband Loop Antenna, 80 meters through 10 meters. Post #326.

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An excellent video guide to building, erecting, and maintaining a simple 80-10 meter loop antenna . Lynn (NG9D) covers the basics in a short, well-produced video that can be applied to many home situations. With careful attention to detail and choice of wire, the antenna is fairly stealthy--something of concern to many of us "penned in" by neighbors and nearby buildings. Lynn uses commonly available RG-58 and RG-59 for the feedline. If you can't find two tall supports, try designing the antenna as a delta loop. A tall tree limb or a telescoping fiberglass mast could serve as the apex of the loop. If space is a concern, you could build the loop for 40-10 meter coverage. If you're worried about high SWR on the coax, feed the loop in a bottom corner with 450-ohm ladder line . Run the ladder line to a balanced antenna tuner or to a 4:1 balun. Fifty-ohm coax would then run from the balun to your antenna transmatch (tuner) and onto your rig. Either way, the

Simple Ham Radio Antennas--A Simple Wire Antenna Tuner. Post #325.

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If you're looking for a basic, simple antenna transmatch ("tuner") for that "long wire" or random length wire connecting your transceiver to the "ether", you've found the right place. Stan Gibilisco (W1CV) provides an easy to understand tutorial on how to build a random wire antenna "tuner" for your QTH or for that portable operation on the weekends. The "tuner" can also work with end-fed half-wave antennas. It's important to have a good ground or radial system with this type of antenna. I built a similar antenna transmatch during my Novice License years (1977-1979) and got a lot of enjoyment and contacts with it. As I recall, I was using a Heathkit HW-101 transceiver attached to a 100-ft/30.48 meters wire strung up in a tall Norfolk Pine Tree. My radial system consisted of an 8-ft/2.43 meters copper ground rod with four, 33-ft/10.06 meters radial wires attached and buried about 1 inch/2.54 cm below the lawn. My feed

Ham Radio Tutorial - Intro To The HF Bands. Post #324

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While this excellent tutorial by N7TFP is aimed at newly licensed General and Amateur Extra Class licensees, it contains valuable refresher material for those of us who've been out of the hobby for a while and need to catch up on some basic principles. Much of the tutorial is spent on explaining the differences between VHF and HF operations, including propagation, antennas, frequencies, and modes available for the new General and Amateur Extra Class license holders. The discussion centers around two popular amateur HF bands--80 and 20 meters. The conversation and discussion of these bands is brief, but unhurried. This would be a nice video for "elmers" (mentors) helping newly licensed amateurs get on the air. For the latest in Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated daily. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: A 12 meter Pepsi can vertical antenna. Post #323.

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Great video by Dave Turlock! It's time to recycle those aluminum soft drink cans and turn them into functioning amateur radio antennas. Dave says this antenna can be used on 10 meters, 11 meters (CB), and even the 15 meter amateur radio bands. With the price of copper tubing going higher every day, this economical approach to a metal vertical makes a lot of sense. I would be concerned, however, in making sure the cans were joined together tightly to maintain integrity throughout the length of the antenna. Some of the paint would have to be removed from the joined sections to make sure aluminum met aluminum along the entire length of the vertical. "QST" published a story in the late 1950s about a ham who built a beautiful "beer can" antenna for 40 meters, complete with guylines and an extensive ground system. That antenna worked very well. Although I pride myself in making antennas out of the scrap wire and metal lying about my shack, I've never tried

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: A 2 meter VHF Handheld Ground Plane or Tiger Tail Antenna. Post #322.

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Most of the " rubber duckie" antennas that come with 2 meter handheld transceivers leave a lot to be desired. You can get better performance out of your HT by either buying a commercially-made telescoping 1/2 wave or 5/8 wave metal rod antenna or by simply adding the missing half of the antenna by attaching a " tiger tail" counterpoise wire to the base of your stock "rubber duckie" antenna. This video does a fairly good job of describing how to make an inexpensive "tiger tail" that helps your "rubbie duckie" antenna perform better. I made one of these "tiger tails" for my old Kenwood TH-21A HT. When I'm in Hilo, Hawaii , I can now reach all East Hawaii repeaters with the low power setting (.1 of a watt) on the old Kenwood HT. I soldered a ring connector to a 19-inch/48.26 cm length of #22 AWG hookup wire and attached the ring to the base of the screw-in "rubber duckie" antenna. With the "tiger

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: A Portable HF Ham Radio Antenna. Post # 321.

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Helpful video by Dave (W0ZF) on how to build a simple portable antenna for the amateur radio bands .  The antenna, whether it be for 20 meters, or some other band , is simple, inexpensive, and easy to build.  I've built several 20 and 40 meter versions following Dave's general example.  All have worked very well with powers in the QRP range (1-10 watts).  I got my speaker wire from Radio Shack , the pole was a telescoping fiberglass fishing pole I found at The Sports Authority , and the nylon string, insulators, and coax I had around the shack.  Although you can get by with just a vertical element and a "counterpoise" wire lying on the ground, you will get better performance if you use several elevated radials below the base of the vertical element.  I have a 40 meter version of Dave's antenna which is erected in the backyard of my one-acre property.  I used a 33-ft/10.06 meters MFJ telescoping fiberglass pole, 32-ft/9.75 meters of #18 gauge speaker wire f

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: The End Fed Halfwave Vertical. Post #320.

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A curiously fascinating "shoot out" between a 135-ft/41.15 meters OCF dipole antenna mounted 40-ft/12.19 meters above ground versus a 31-ft/9.45 meters halfwave vertical sitting on an apartment deck. The empirical "test" of Tony's (W1ZMB) OCF dipole and Stan's (WB2LQF) halfwave vertical shows that the simple vertical halfwave antenna performs almost as well as the OCF. The halfwave vertical has a few advantages over its fully extended OCF dipole cousin: It has a high feed point impedance which makes it efficient; it's simple to build and relatively inexpensive to assemble; it's versatile for both home and portable use; it doesn't require a ground radial system; and it can be used in a variety of configurations--sloper, inverted "L", or horizontal. All you need is a 31 ft/9.45 meters telescoping fiberglass pole (Jackite or MFJ), a homebrewed 9:1 balun, enough wire for a half wavelength vertical at your favorite frequency, a convenien

The Heathkit AT-1 Amateur Radio Transmitter. Post #319.

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It's time for a little nostalgia, thanks to the Heathkit AT-1 Amateur Radio Transmitter. Jeff Tranter does an excellent job of explaining how the AT-1 works and demonstrates some of its capabilities. This 3-tube transmitter, coupled with a simple dipole or vertical antenna, gave newly licensed novice operators many hours of enjoyable contacts. The rig was well-shielded and offered fairly good TVI suppression. Once a novice passed the General License Exam, he/she could plug in a VFO and an AM modulator. I've only used an AT-1 once in my 37-year amateur radio "career"-a rig belonging to a fellow amateur operator on Hawaii Island back in 1977. Even in that year, the AT-1 was well out of production, having been originally introduced around 1953. As Jeff warns all would-be restorers, special care must be taken around this rig, since high voltage may be present on the chassis. Tranter recommends removing the old 2-prong cord and replacing it with the 3-prong plug

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: A Random Wire Solution for an "interior shack". Post #318.

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Here's another great antenna idea for those amateur radio operators limited by HOAs and CC & Rs.  Stan's "stealth antenna" is simple, cheap, and easily deployed for both home and portable use. When I first became a novice licensee back in 1977, I used a similar antenna at a rented home near the Honokaa High School campus. The community was located along the Hamakua Coast of Hawaii Island and had an excellent clear water shot to the mainland United States and Europe. The only difficulty I had in those days was the lack of a decent back yard to support a dipole or a radial system for a vertical antenna. I did have a tall Norfolk Pine Tree in the back yard which I "recruited" to support the end of my random length wire. I used an 85-ft/25.91 meters length of #22 AWG wire for the radiating element and a 17-ft/5.18 meters length of #22 AWG wire for the counterpoise. My crude antenna was a variation of the once popular "Zepp" antenna used on the

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: How to make a cheap and easy 4:1 balun. Post #317.

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Most of my HF antennas are fed with 450 ohm ladder line going into a 4:1 balun and then continuing on to my Drake MN-4 antenna transmatch with  a short length of RG-8 coaxial cable. Although I have an excellent 4:1 balun in the shack (a W9INN 4:1 balun), I felt the need to have a spare just in case my primary balun fails to work. This article by the Wiltshire Man fills that need. I spent a leisurely hour or so in the shack assembling this simple device. I'm not a mechanical genius, so I just took my time watching the video and putting the unit together. Once I finished this project, I tested it with my 80 meter inverted vee. I was running slightly below 50 watts output from my Ten-Tec Argosy II transceiver and experienced no overheating in the balun, which was connected between the 450 ohm ladder line and the Drake transmatch. The balun worked without any problems on 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters. Following the test, I removed the homebrewed balun and put it in my "go

Simple Ham Radio Antennas: Dipole and Inverted V Basics. Post #316.

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Sometimes, simple is best. In the case of amateur radio antennas , an easily constructed dipole or inverted v antenna will get you on the air quickly at minimal cost. Dave Turlock 's video is a basic, well-explained tutorial on how dipoles and inverted v antennas work. Dave covers construction techniques, mounting of the antenna, and tuning of this simple, yet effective antenna. For monoband use, use a good grade of 50 ohm coaxial cable for your feedline. If you wish multi-band capability, use 300 ohm TV twin lead or 450 ohm ladder line for the feedline. This type of feeder must be used with a balanced antenna tuner or fed into a 4:1 balun and then connected to your antenna transmatch ("tuner") with a short piece of 50 ohm coaxial cable. Either way, your new dipole should be mounted as high as you can without endangering your safety. My last inverted v was designed for 40 through 10 meters by cutting the radiating segments to my lowest preferred frequency (7.