Tom, ke6ynh, asks…
“Why don’t hams like vertical dipole antennas.
Hexagonal (Hex) Beam Battle
“Put a Hex on you…” Three antenna suppliers are making the Hex Beam antenna an easier choice for your next 20-10 meter beam.
Antennas
Simulations and testing are shown in these articles about ham radio, and a few other, antennas.
5/8 Wave J-Pole vs. 1/2 Wave J-Pole EZNEC Shootout
We examine if 5/8 Wave J-Poles are better than 1/2 Wave J-Poles.
Collinear 5/8 wave J-Pole vs. Collinear 1/2 wave J-Pole EZNEC Shootout
Another 5/8 J-Pole Design arranged as a Collinear… can it justify the complexity and extra materials?
Relay Control Box for Turnstile Antenna
Presented is a relay controller for operating two orthogonal 75m dipoles to make them operate as a circular polarization turnstile antenna.
NVIS 80m with 160m Full Wave Loop is less than ideal
Big HF loop antennas provide great performance, but they can’t do everything. 160 meter full wave loops won’t work well for NVIS when used at 3.8 MHz.
Priming Aluminum Antennas
Aluminum envy
If you have been reading this web site you will recall I have paid much attention to the 43 foot antenna manufactured by DX Engineering and Zero Five Antennas.
After much simulation and trading the benefits against pitfalls, I purchased the DX Engineering 43 foot antenna kit with the balun.
However, a shiny aluminum antenna in the back yard would attract the kind attention I just don’t need. Research on the Internet reveals several solutions including:
Ham Question: Coax Loss and Remote Tuner for 43 Foot Antenna
A viewer asks about coax losses associated with using the “tuner required” 43 foot vertical antenna.
2 Meter, 5/4 Wave Antenna Revealed
We remove the mystique surrounding the 5/4 wave antenna comparing center and end fed approaches. One conclusion is the end fed 5/4 wave antenna shows little promise as a vertical antenna for terrestrial use.
Can a 2m J-Pole be used at 440?
Analysis to suggest you really can use a 2 meter J-Pole in the 70cm band.
1/2 Wave vs. 5/4 Wave VHF EZNEC Shootout
Longer is not always better in the world of antennas. Such is the case of the 5/4 wave vertical antenna… a Super J-Pole Wannabe Antenna.
Airplane Navigation Receiver Antenna Balun
An airplane mechanic friend, who also happens to own a 35 year old single engine Cessna airplane, was working on his tail light when he saw broken and aging components in his tail mounted navigation antenna. While working to fix the problems he discovered an interesting balun technique.
Jpole vs. Coaxial Dipole EZNEC Shootout
This J-Pole, Monopole, Coaxial Dipole VHF EZNEC shootout addresses a comment made that no models exist for j-pole and coaxial dipole antenna simulation.
BigIR vs. 43 Foot Antenna EZNEC Shootout Conclusions
We have looked at the 43 foot antenna available from DX Engineering and Zero Five alongside the BigIR product from SteppIR. In addition, the BigIR was simulated using the optional 80 meter coil.
Both antenna types approach the vertical HF antenna problem with unique solutions.
BigIR vs. 43 Foot Vertical Antenna @ 80 meters EZNEC Shootout
As we continue our EZNEC simulation research for the 43 foot and BigIR antennas we finally are looking into the 80 meter band.
BigIR vs. 43 Foot Vertical Antenna @ 40 meters EZNEC Shootout
Continuing our NEC Shootout between the 43 foot vertical available from DX Engineering or Zero Five and the adjustable height BigIR antenna available from SteppIR antennas we now analyze them in the 40 meter band.
BigIR vs. 43 Foot Vertical Antenna @ 20 meters EZNEC Shootout
Continuing our NEC Shootout between the 43 foot vertical available from DX Engineering or Zero Five and the adjustable height BigIR antenna available from SteppIR antennas we now analyze them in the 20 meter band.
BigIR vs. 43 Foot Vertical Antenna @ 15 meters EZNEC Shootout
Continuing our NEC Shootout between the 43 foot vertical available from DX Engineering or Zero Five and the adjustable height BigIR antenna available from SteppIR antennas we now analyze them in the 15 meter band.
BigIR vs. 43 Foot Vertical Antenna @ 10 meters EZNEC Shootout
In a previous post we promised to analyze the merits of the 43 foot tall tuner-required antenna vs. the adjustable BigIR vertical from SteppIR. We did and here are the results.
Stud Finder as Copper Tape Finder in SteppIR
A fellow named Mel gave me permission to share his elegant method to locate the end of the copper tape in SteppIR antennas. The position of that tape needs to be known occasionally during maintenance. To quote…
Copper J-Pole Antenna on Play Set
Can a 2 meter J-Pole antenna work well on a child’s playset? Read and find out.
43 Foot Vertical and Coax Switches
Furthering the discussion of the 43 foot vertical antenna I wanted to report a concern I have with this antenna and the use of any relay based coax switch.
If you install a 43 foot vertical in your back yard, route the coax through a switch and handle the tuning inside your ham shack, you need to ensure you do not exceed the voltage or current limits of the relays in the switch.
The 43 foot vertical – The answer to everything?
The 43 foot vertical antenna is a popular height being promoted by several antenna manufacturers for 160 to 10 meters. Let’s see why and examine some advantages and pitfalls.