Top 5 Antenna Mistakes in Ham Radio
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- If you're a ham radio operator, then you know that having a good antenna is essential for getting the most out of your radio experience. In this video, we're going to talk about some of the most common antenna mistakes ham radio operators make. By the end of the video, you'll know how to avoid these problems and get the most out of your ham radio experience!
Come join in the fun when Chuck KK6USY @KK6USYHamRadioAdventures and I talk about the most common problems ham radio operators have with their antennas.
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All facts and no BS from two of the best hams on TH-cam. Two thumbs up!
Haha thanks man 👍
Vaseline for Waterproofing is used to coat the connectors male sections (and/or the inside female of the SO-239) with a heavy coating of New Unopened Vaseline (uncontaminated), then plug them in to fill the Air Voids (excess should squeeze into the insulated gap between the shield and pin, and onto the shield connection). When this is full of grease water cannot ingress into the connector. Wipe off the excess before screwing on the shield. Its a bit messy but works well. As a side note, yes it helps grease the threads too.
On X-Ray cable connectors (years ago) I'd often used a New Unopened jar of Vaseline when I didn't have High Tension cable grease with me (Vapor-proof them and preventing arcs).
Keep spreading the word!
73 - mike
Thanks for the detail Mike, I've heard of folks using it but never have...
@@TheSmokinApe I think today many prefer the silicone dielectric grease.
@@NickFrom1228 you are prolly correct 👍
When I use a tree(s) as support or anchor point, I make use of old window weights. It allows tension on the line, that can shift with the wind blowing the tree around. Prevents stress on the antenna trying to pull it apart as well.
That’s a pretty good idea, thanks man 👍
On weatherproof connections, make your first wrap with varnished cambric, then linerless splicing tape and finally super 33+ . Pay close attention to your overlaps of the splicing tape as this is your layer that seals the connection. The cambric will allow you to have a clean connection when you open it up at a later date. Great show on an often misunderstood topic. Thanks for the video guys!
Thanks for the tip Jason, glad you liked the video 👍
Thanks Love the Vids
Thanks for the time you take 👍
Thanks Andy, glad you like the videos 👍
Shield as counterpoise is ok, though it depends on the length and you definitely have to choke near the shake or you will get a lot of rf in the shack.
I suppose but you will probably do better with a choke and counterpoise 👍
Biggest mistake is trying to be good at too many bands with one antenna . The other thing is having too much crap around your antenna . Get them in the clear , make them resonate on the band you favour . if the band or couple bands you like are not open go for a walk or do something else ya don`t need every band from one crap piece of wire that gets you a contact for 2 seconds in somebodies noise floor or a digital call sign swap that means nothing .
lol, excelling point Chris! Thanks for watching bro 👍
This is good. I’ve recently gotten back into the hobby after being a lapsed ham for 30 years.
I’ve had a “multi-band” trap antenna stored away in a box for and put it up. It works but finding alarmingly high SWR everywhere I want to operate. I put up a G5RV and am finding the same thing. They still “work” but definitely needs improvement.
I’m hoping This discussion and a nanoVNA will help me resolve the issues.
73 de NL7FU
Thanks for watching SBT. The GVR5 won't be resonate on all bands and will need a tuner if I recall correctly. Good luck with it!
@@TheSmokinApe yes, I make heavy use of the tuner on my ft-991a.
Mine is a G5RV/mini which is cut for 10/20 meters only. I suspect my issues are with my feed line lengths. 50 feet into the shack and then a couple 9’ patch coax to a switch and the radio. I’m hoping lengthening the feed line carefully might help my SWR issues since shortening it is impossible.
Also, I need to understand what “always be choking” is about, lolz.
73 de NL7FU/0
I have a metal roof plus a foil-fibreglass-foil blanket under the tin roof to help reduce heat in summer. Its good for the house and all but no good for antennas. Lol
Im gonna buy a 20m roll up plastic tape thingy to plan out my yard for antennas and directions etc.
Thnx for the info Ape ' Chucky.😊
You have a metal ground plane the size of your home? Vertical antenna……
Glad you liked it Don!
Metal Roof itself make good antenna against earth/ground, good NVIS ant. I wish if I had metal roof. AG6JU
Watching this much later than the live feed, but some of the descriptions of what/where to do things are fine if you're NOT brand new, and just learning. For example, installing a "choke", is this different than winding my coax thru a Toroid Core? 240-31? 240-43? How many wraps?
Thanks for the feedback MJK. I try to do a mix of videos some are for beginners and some are for those with more experience. I have a playlist of chokes if you want more info on them 👍
@@TheSmokinApe thank you, I'll look later tonight
Working for many years in the trailer industry, A couple of tips 1, Tape -Scotch super 88, and super 33 (88 is the better of the 2), 2 dielectric grease, (Ihave seen dielectric grease last in truck plugs under the rear bumpers for years) this due to the grease and the 88 tape
More on Scotch super 88-It will stretch way the hell out and return to original lengths nearly 100% which is one of the factors that make the stuff supreme.
@@TonyYork-KB9RAO thanks for the info about the tape 👍
+1 for technical videos. Is there a difference in how to wrap CMCs?
There are a few ways to do them; here is my playlist that covers just about everything you would want to know: Learn about Chokes, Baluns and UnUns for Ham Radio Antennas
th-cam.com/play/PLm8ROkpFeqoqkGQtBYfcT9Y-2GCKxBuuk.html
Mr S Ape, very informative. Thanks. On par with Mr Og.
Thank you Tim, much appreciated 👍
Good stuff as always fellas.
Thanks Mike 👍
I even have a choke coming into my radio from an ATAS 120 on my Ram 2500. The ATAS is a great, convenient compromise antenna but requires a WELL BONDED vehicle. While parked, of course.
People love those ATAS antennas 👍
Good coax is somewhat relative to its length, and frequency.
Thanks for the great video!
Thanks Smokey!
Good information that many don’t think of, for grounding I’m lucky with 10 plus feet of clay
Glad you liked the video Thomas, thanks for watching 🍻
I had an EFHW stung between two garden homes. 40' in the air and it still was bad. In the clear is the way to go.
Thanks for watching yowsa 👍
Great content Ape! Quick question for you sir: if I’m running an EFHW, does that also require a choke at the feed point, or does the nature of the EFHW (having a balun) serve the purpose already?
Also, should I add a choke to the feed point of a DX commander? Got one in the mail on the way. I don’t have much experience with verticals.
I’ve been choking most things just prior to the radio because I have some long coax runs, but I see the value of choking at the feed point to ensure the coax doesn’t become part of the antenna. I guess choking at both ends makes sense and won’t hurt.
Hey John, I do choke at both ends of the coax as I do not want CMC on the coax. Yes, I am a stickler about it... 👍
How does the impeadance of a connector change? and if this is the case would using adapters mess with the impeadances on say handhelds that people use different but not correct connections on?
Well, there are 75ohm connectors. But loose or dirty connectors can present as open connections for example
OK, so a newbie question. You talk about chokes, but what does a choke look like, and how do you install it? I mean are you talking ferrite beads? So I guess you have done a video on this. Can you point me to that video? Thanks, Great video.
There are several videos out there. But a choke is just something to kill the Common Mode Current from coming back into your radio..You can buy them or make your own. A few turns around a Toroid works great or you can buy a 1:1 Balun..If your in a pinch you can make a dirty balun by coiling up 5 to 10 coils of coax and zip tying them together
Hey Doug, here is a playlist where I have several videos about chokes: th-cam.com/play/PLm8ROkpFeqoqkGQtBYfcT9Y-2GCKxBuuk.html
The ape will fix you up!@@TheSmokinApe
I ran Ham sticks for some time, on multiple bands with a 6 inch magnet mount.
Initially I tried running them straight !
Vertical above the cab of the Pickup I was driving !
However, the noise coming into the cab from wind noise, was horrendous !
Not much of a stretch there !
I found a 3/8 24 mount that could be tilted, and laid the antenna back somewhere ballpark 45 degrees or so, virtually eliminating most of the cab noise !
And perhaps offering a unique take off angle, as I received great reports, on 40, 17, and 10 meters !
80 was worthless for my installation !
Very limited band width there, as well !
Eventually found an original Yaesu ATIS 120 screwdriver Antenna !
Which worked very well !
In placing CMC every quarter wave for long coax runs, but what if the long coax runs are BURIED? I have 125 and 250 foot runs and they are all buried. I firmly agree with CMC's at both ends.
In that case I would choke at both ends, that is exactly what I do here with unburied coax.
@@TheSmokinApe Unburied Coax? WOW, how do you not run over the coax with your lawn mower, LOL, that begs another question, I have heard and read everything imaginable on Amateur Radio UTube concerning burying coax. Some say just under the surface with cable trencher, some say at least 30", some say PVC conduit. Well, at last check at HD, 3" PVC 10-foot sections were crazy at $30 a section so I am not about to spend over $300 for PVC. I say 3" because if I run 3 LMR 400 cables, it gets a little tight with 2", and if you throw in a HD rotator cable, then one is really pushing the limit. Maybe it would be cheaper and a lot less work if I just run the cable like the power company, up in the air on a pole or two. But then, I need to buy PT 4x4 12-foot posts and dig those holes, and then with the coax in the air, am I opening the door to all sorts of "pick-up interference? Thoughts guys?
my mistake on HF antenna are some of the commercially made Vertical antenna, simple fiberglass rod and wire and automatic antenna tuner do better and cheaper. AG6JU
Agreed, some of the commercial stuff is rubbish. Thanks for watching...
Great show guys. I'm interested in building my own CMC. If I heard correctly, you use a T240-31 toroid and 11 wraps of a 3' length of RG58. If I'm only building one CMC, what is a good source for the toroid and coax that doesn't require a bulk purchase to be economical? Thanks!
I get my cores here: www.jpmsupply.com/category-s/1946.htm and the coax from ebay 👍
What materials for a mast will interfere with the antenna?
Anything that is conducive, that said people use metal all the time, just try to not do thinks like use an AL pole for a vertical 👍
Got a sirio mobile myself. Easily the best bit of metal I've stuck on a car short of a full 1/4 wave for getting out.
Chuck loves his...
I disagree with the idea that a great radio with a poor antenna is a bad scenario. I deal with an HOA so my antenna is a “bad antenna” by many hams’ standards. With my “bad antenna”, I’ve worked DXCC and more. I would struggle to do that with a G90, but the IC-7610 makes the most of what I have. There’s a lot to be said for a GREAT receiver making the most of a weak signal scenario.
You can disagree, I am OK with that BUT it's pretty much universally accepted that the antenna is more important. The g90 to ic7610 is an extreme example of edge cases. You can run a race car with bad tires but you will win more races with good tires.
Why can't I have a dual purpose modern art installation and antenna?
I guess you could 🤨
Everything is turned in to a competition. Just do the best you can (and afford) and have fun.
Right
But if ones antenna is radiating it's not much farther away than the coax so wouldn't one get RFID in there shack no matter what radiates ? Hf has a long wave length? relatively speaking
That's whey you want good coax with a proper shield / dielectric the choke stops any currents on the outside of the shield.
@@TheSmokinApe thanks for reply ,let's say someone has good shielding and most of the radiated power leaves the ant,and no radiation from transmission lines ,the antenna itself is negligible distance from coax and shack so unless the shack is insulated or very far away ,the shack would still be infiltrated with rf from the antenna ,on 40 meters only maybe half wavelength away ,
@@CurtNovitsky yes, RF radiated from the antenna could make its way into the shack.
What if radio manufactures sold a multi band rig and when one turned it on found out it only had one band ?
I'd suspect that manufacturer wouldn't be in business very long.
Ok Ape, How do you know my antenna sucks? Been window peeking? 🤔
I was 👀
@@TheSmokinApe Thanks for all your awesome videos! 👍👍👍
I'm feeding a vertical with coax, so how do I build an "UnUn Choke" unlike your "BalUn Choke"?
Not 100% sure what you mean but if you are trying to suppress CMC I’d get 3’ of rg58 and put 11 wraps on a ft240-31 toroid and place that at the antenna feedpoint.
Extra currents? Have you heard of the impedance load of the antenna? R+/-jx? Picture a resistor in series with a capacitor in series with an inductor. That's your antenna as a circuit component.
Now. With an AC current being applied to the series tank circuit, what's the difference between the current amplitude on one end and the current on the other end of the series circuit? It's series. What do we know about current in a series circuit?
A web search got me this...
The same amount of current flows through each component in the circuit.
The current remains constant throughout all components connected in a series.
The actual value of current in series circuit is determined by the source voltage and the total circuit resistance.
If you are seeing "extra currents" rectify them and store them in a battery for free power. Write a white paper about it and apply for a Nobel Prize and make $$$millions. You could buy TH-cam or Twitter (X) or stuff like that and hire someone to explain this common mode current stuff.
Perhaps “extra currents” wasn’t the correct term, how’s “unwanted currents?”
@@TheSmokinApe currents can be transformed into something desirable. They represent power and that's what we want our antenna to see. We don't want to attenuate them. Well, I don't anyway. I use all of the power at the feed point rather than try to turn them into heat and waste them.
"You have an end fed half-wave mounted 6ft off the ground"
So an effectively employed NVIS antenna which will be deaf to local noise and Russian taxi-drivers.
here in city , Orange County CA, HF antenna below roof line win for low noise level. neighbour's roofs make good shield against noise. only get good clean signal from up above. AG6JU
I'm pretty sure I added that the person wanted to work DX, and since you know so much about effectively employed NVIS antennas you know that DX is more difficult and that's why I made the 300 mile comment.
@@TheSmokinApe
Maybe I got the worng end of the stick. You stated the "antenna mounted off the ground" as though it was a coment from somebody else, and I replied as though I were replying to THEM, not you. I guess it didn't come across so well.
I've been subscribed to you for a while, so I KNOW that you're pretty knowledgeable. On the other hand, I don't specifically know if you've come across NVIS before. It's a topic I'm passionate about because I'm not a fan of "DX". I'm sick of bands full of "5+9 whats my number" contest stations running 1KW and would prefer to work stations beyond the line of sight, but still within the same region.
I didn't catch the DX part, which may be where the confusion came from (it's an hour long video that I watched to the end before commenting).
Either way, and as per usual, a lot of context is lost when conversation is had in text format - If we'd had the conversation face to face, it probably wouldn't have turned out this way.
Note:
Most radio amateurs talk on TH-cam / FB etc about filters, antennas and various other tech topics and merely repeat things they've heard from people who heard those things from people who once read those things in an article written by people who..... Essentially, they repeat rumour, bad advice and what would be considered hearsay in a court.
You on the other hand, to my knowledge, have NEVER made a claim on here that something will do ANYTHING. Instead you have measured that thing with some kind of instrument, and then you have come to a conclusion, and you measure it with an instrument that most people could afford.
You're doing great work. Keep it up! 👍👍👍
lol, sorry about the misunderstanding and thank you for the kind words. I agree that there is way to much nonsense here on the TH-cams. I am a co-host of a ham radio talkshow called Coffee and Ham Radios, here is a like to a presentation I did on NVIS: th-cam.com/users/liveWFE6S7ihyZk?si=Pw4KFdCTx3FvftRb
@@TheSmokinApe
Thanks, I'll take a look.
I hope you talked about the numerous benefits to balanced feeder and the best multi band antenna the All mighty HW Doublet fed with 4” open spaced into a palstar tuner with the 1:1 balun on the antenna input so it sees 50ohm and won’t ever cook. The only way to get 99% of the power out of ur rig and into the antenna 😊
Oh boy...
Bullshit, i never ever use a trans match. needing that means your antenna sucks and having a million contacts doesn`t mitigate that fact on bands that are wide open and very forgiving anyway . try it on 10 m when its marginal and your short path Europe with equatorial noise . il take a resonant monobander all day over ya trans matched doublet that`s a jack of all trades but master of non . You'll think im talking to ghosts cause you wont hear what im hearing
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Antenna in the attic is my only choice because of my HOA. I have 2 up there and they work okay as long as I use FT8.
You gonna roll with what you can, glad to here you’re making contacts with it 👍
I have a 10m dipole with a 1:1 Balun. Works well ft8.. ok on ssb. I haven’t tested with the hvac system on (in attic).
Antenna shaming. 😅
Always 🤨
Anyone every say you sound like Joe Rogan?
LOL, not yet...
This sucks, i was SM7GDO now I’m oe6ccp. Who is this channel for? So many errors
Glad you enjoyed the video!
More tech the better! KF0NNQ
Thanks Bill 👍
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Thanks Steve 👍