Building and using a Random Wire Antenna. #hamradioantenna #hamradio #randomwireantenna Link to a great Random Wire Antenna Website: www.hamuniverse.com/randomwir...
Fantastic! I hold you responsible for the large amount of speaker wire and unun varieties that have been delivered to my house in the last couple months. The speaker wire companies thank you!
Walt thank you for showing real results using a non resonant antenna! Mine is a 71' stealth sloper, 9:1 unun, 50' coax, fed at the 15' high end, no counterpoise, common mode choke 3' from the transceiver. SWR 1.5 : 1 or less on all HF bands, 160 - 10. No tuner needed 30 - 10. From California with 100 watts & also QRP SSB I've worked Europe, Africa, Mediterranean, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Indinesia. I get 5/9 signal reports on daily 80 & 4O SSB nets using ATU in my XPA125B. Jon - K3MAH
You've opened the random wire pandora's box! Good timing, as I'm making a multi-segment portable EFHW, and I'm taking my time by testing each segment addition in succession. Your homework saves me a lot of homework! Thanks for posting!
I used a 35.5’ random wire in an inverted L with a 17’ elevated counterpoise for a recent POTA activation. It was attached to BNC binding posts directly to my Xiegu X6100 (ie no unun). It worked really well when the propagation wasn’t great. It’s a great first antenna project because it’s so simple, cheap too. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thank you. I was looking for a multiband stealth antenna and ended up having a go with the end fed random wire. 84 ft with a 25 ft counterpoise mounted on the top of my 6 ft high privacy fence. 9 to1 unun with a 1 to 1 choke and I am in business from 80 to 10 meters. Performing very well and suits my needs. I am originally from the Tidewater area by the way so I enjoy your videos from Portsmouth, Norfolk, and VB. 73
I built a 41 ft vertical antenna using a 40 ft spyderbeam with a homebrew 9:1 unun. i have a 12.5 ft counterpoise. This antenna works well. From NY i have contacts to Japan and Australia. with my internal tuner i am able to tune up from 80 meters to 10 meters.
Steven - Thanks for sharing that! I too have same antenna and spyderpole - but have not used them together. Add one more thing to my TO-DO list for tomorrow.😀
I've been using a 17' counterpoise with my 35.5' random wire, but will give the 6.5' one a try. Thanks for the tip! I hope the bands get better for us soon!
From what I understand the 6.5 length is better suited for 20 thru 10 meters and 17 for 40 meters. Yes band conditions are driving me crazy! 73 my friend!
Walt, really enjoy your videos from both sides of the pond. Random wire is what I use for POTA, as well as my Wolf River Coil. Also have a magnetic loop that is fun. Mostly use my G90 at 20 watts. 73, keep the great videos coming. Norm, KD9HAV
Useful, thanks. I jusdt bought one of those 9:1 ununs from our 'local' HRO yesterday, partly due to your video here. It's going to be a random end-fed going up into our locust tree, although I already had one failed attempt becasue I was being too ambitious about which limb to go for.
When I was 17, I put up a 90 feet long wire and tuned it with an MFJ-901 tuner. Now I know it should have been an 84 feet long wire with a 1:9 Unun and then the tuner! I could have used that on 11 Meter where I was doing A2 code practice with my buddies to entice them to get their tickets also. Several of them had 3-6 ele yagis and were bragging about how they could take long groundwave distances horizontally polarized, but I could hear them too, LOL. Cheers, Davey (now 62) - KU9L
Cool story. I was into SWLing before I was a ham. I had a 60 foot wire in the attic with a single wire feed into the shack I originally had connected to a Heathkit SW717. When I got my Novice, I connected that antenna to a homebrew tuner and it loaded on 80-10 meters. Worked the UK on 20 watts with it and worked the world with 100watts. Not sure if that was a good length, but it loaded and it worked. Back then I hadn't heard of an UnUn and with the wire coming into the shack, had some RF issues but did I have fun with it, yes I did!
@@redstickham6394 I remember grandfather pounding on the wall because the light in the bathroom soffit was flickering into the step of my cw signal, so yeah, a better match was to be had, lol! -Davey - KU9L
10m opened up after you got back!!! Lol. Also.. cracked me up when you said that you brought ‘poles’ to Poland. Great video.. I’m about to make an EFRW. My EFHW works like a champ… but I like experimenting! 73 Mike / KK7MMN
Very timely video for me, Walt, I'm working in a RW, horizontal between the barn and the house. I might fit a 41 instead. I can always cut it shorter. Thanks for the great video, JOE, KC1MTM
Ive had good luck with a Nelson Antennas 9:1 RW. The element is 50ish feet and I use a 6’ coax with no choke. Always looking to improve but had great results so far.
made a 60ft random put it in an inverted V at 18ft at the apex and abt 1ft off the ground on the ends. Hit France on my 1st ft8 10m cq on this antenna. Impressed me
If you are daylight fun I recommend a weekend trip to Tallinn. Nice city to see. And stay there overnight (or rather overday :) ). The closer to the June 21st the better.
Looks like I'll have to give it another go with mine. I made a 9:1 and tried roughly the same length "random" wire. I couldn't get it to tune though. So I went back to my 49:1 and EFHW. I'll have to give the 6.5' CP a try too. Thanks!
Thanks for the vid, Walt. I use a 29.5 ft random wire, no counterpoise, but 25 or 50 feet of coax before hitting a 1:1 choke. It works great from 40 to 6 meters. I might try the 6.5 ft counterpoise wire and move my choke up to the transformer. Something I've been wondering about, maybe you know. Does a longer wire pick up distant stations better than a shorter wire? I'm dying to get HI in the log, but I can't hear them during the day.
I've always heard the longer the better but length also plays a big part in the radiation pattern and characteristics. That's why I made the 35.5 wire, it's very close to a half wavelength for 20 meters and those contacts I made to the USA kind of prove my theory on that. There's only one real way to find out, experiment and give it a try with the longest possible length you can.
Nice one Walt. I'm travelling in Sth Korea at this time with a FT-891, tuner and PAC setup on top of apartment buildings. I like the idea of the Lightweightness of the FX-4CR for my next trip. Have you FT8'ed it yet?
10, 12 , and even 15 have been monumentally bad lately. 20m grey line has been quite a bit of fun though. Well except for Saturday which was just a disaster everywhere. Europe has been booming in around 7pm or so... well Italy specifically anyway. Hope to catch you before you head home.
Hi Walt, still in ROK and rooftopping. The Rybo 7.6 is working a treat, thanks and a few randoms are working well.😁 I'm going to try linear loading a random length back down a 10m pole, where the unun is just above rampart height of 1.2m on most of the high rise buildings that I've been nesting on, and I throw across the rooftops 18 radials. It is easier with the Ryobo vertical strapped to railing or piping, but a linear loaded vertical might just be quicker to deploy than a long randon wire.🗼 At the current QTH I can operate from an apartment 2 floors down from the rooftop which is 30 storeys.🏢 94 meters at rooftop height. So it's getting down to ZERO 🥶 now, and there's no more working the DX and suntanning. Do you think linear loading a randon vertically is better than slopping? And what is the general opinion from the Coastal Waves watchers? Cheers from Alien in Asia👾 👀FOO IS HERE 🥶 PS: I thougth I'd using 10.82m and 1m extra for good luck.
I do think linear loading is better, especially for DX. I think your takeoff angle will be better. I actually wrapped a long random wire around a shorter pole when I was in Poland and made some great contacts. Not exactly linear loading but similar. Helically coiled is what I would call it. Your height should really be a plus for sure. 73, Walt
Hi Walt. Does the total 35.5' include what you wrap back on itself at the insulator, or do you cut it a little longer to be able to loop it back on itself? If you cut it a little longer, is there a suggested length that you use? Thanks for your time! Thanks for your outstanding videos! Pretty new to ham radio so I'm always trying to learn. 73. K8JCL
Great question and I really need to make that more clearer in my video. You cut extra for the wrap. The 35.5 is from the start of the wire to the fold point at the insulator opening. Also don’t worry about being exactly perfect, I’ve found that with a random wire being within an inch or so with length is fine. All the best and 73, Walt
Nice vid, Walt. A “random wire is on my wish list. For now I use a dx commander expedition an a 49:1 endfed. Which do you prefer, a 49:1 endfed or 9:1 random wire?
Hard decision, I like them both. I recently built an end fed that was a halfwave for 20 meters with a 49:1 as a vertical on my 10 meter DX Commander pole and it was great. With 20 watts I was 59 from the Eastern USA to Australia. Probably best performance from an antenna I’ve experienced.
I was operating in Poland. As an American ham I was operating under an agreement called the CEPT Agreement which lets me operate there and I have to use the country’s callsign prefix with my callsign. Thus “SP” for Poland followed by my American call K4OGO.
Great info Walt. I have had a license for almost 10 years as well as a rig. That said, ANTENNAS are the pain in my side. I have tried and almost lost interest. I first tried while in High School as a NOVICE growing up in Alaska around 1974..
Hello Walt. I love your instructive, helpful videos. I'm going to build this setup. Thank you for this idea. I will tie an insulator to the tree and attach speaker wire to the other end of the insulator. Is there a specific way to attach the speaker wire to the insulator? How do you do this? 73s and thank you.
Thanks! I just fold it over and twist then secure it with electrical tape. Remember that the measurement of the wire is at the fold over, so the extra wire you wrap after the insulator doesn’t count in the measurement of the length of the antenna. Good luck and have fun. 73, Walt
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Thank you for your quick reply and advice. I appreciate it very much. I will make my antenna wire 42 ft. instead of 41 ft. That should cover it, I hope. It looks like 44, 46,. and 48 ft are at half-wave lengths at multiples. I hope I won't get in trouble by cutting at 42 ft. Do you cut wire lengths to 42 ft.?
How did you get the coax through the window to hook up to the unun? It looks like the window is shut. I'm just trying to keep it simple like you. I'm also trying not to drill too many holes. I like your videos very much. Thank you.
I've had my extra license for a few years now and haven't used it. I just bought a ICOM IC-7300! Now, I'm looking for my first antenna and contact. The random wire looks awesome to start. So, if I use a 35.5' wire with a 9:1 unun without counterpoise, do I need a 1:1 unun at the shack entrance?
It will help as a choke near the transceiver and keep common mode current out of the radio. You might get by without it if you have a long coax but it will certainly help.
Hi Walt. I’m a statistician. It seems that random in this context refers to your random choice of one of several non-resonant wire lengths. Great work on these videos! 73, Frank K4FMH
I know nothing about nothing so be easy on me, I have HOA issues so anything I do will have to be HOA stealth. I saw a couple YT videos (TN-07 Engineering) about eave antennas. Can you run a wire along the eave on the backside of the house (12 ft high) than drop down and run around the top of the privacy fence line (6' high). This would be about 250 ft or so of wire.
Does a measurement like 35.5 ft on random wire antenna include the wire used to tie to the insulator and unun box or just the straight portion of the wire?
Walt, do yourself a favor and get a Sotabeams Tactical Mini or a Carbon 6 and just enjoy life. They're pretty reasonably priced and built for portable ops.
I have a 99' random wire with a 9:1 unun. The manufacturer swore i did not have use a counterpoise. My problem is that i am getting rf back thru my house. If I used the counterpoise would that eliminate the common mode current? I am gojng ro remeasure the wire and fold it back to 84' if it ever quits raining. I also have a mfj 915 choke at the radio.
That’s the main reason I use a 1:1 choke balun along with the 9:1 and a counterpoise. Adding the counterpoise may help but a choke will absolutely solve that problem.
Hi Walt I just got one of these 9.1 I had it cut for 12 meters 24.950 and the swr is 3.4 now on 20 meters the swr is 1.02 with a counterpoise I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong on 12 meters the wire is 19.5 feet long cut for 12?
I tryed this and had good results but I didn't have a balun at the time so I just ran the wire to a ATU and I got under 2 or just over SWR on every thing from 80 to 6 but I was having problomes with my digirig and a fan in the window that was turning on when ever I was TX i just orderd a 9 to1 that you were using do you think this will fix my problome ? I am guessing I am getting common mode current feedback alone my coax..
Hi Walt! I want to build an end fed antenna for only 15 12 and 10 meters. Is it possible? How long the cable should be? I should use a 1:9 or 1:4 transformer? Thanks!
I have a 12 gauge solid copper core 280ft long wire or 85 meters... it is placed 6 foot above the ground on top of my dogear fence.... I also have the radio grounded from an outside ground.... what type of UnUn will work or will be best on this antenna ? or do I need one ? Plus I'm just a listener...
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Thanks... I thought that was the case but I thought I would ask someone who knows more about it... I'm just a listener... Thanks.... :-)
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Also I live in central Texas USA and I have been picking up signals from Japan and China... It's crazy what you can listen to from a simple antenna and small SDR radio :-)
Hey Walt. Nice job on the video I’m really enjoying your travel and Poland vicariously. Is there anyway you could post a drawing of that and tell her that you just talked about in this video? I’m not sure where you’re placing the one to one? Stay safe and stay well 73. Barry
Hi Barry, if I get a minute I’ll definitely do that but here’s basically how it goes: coax from transceiver to 1:1, very short coax from 1:1 to 9:1. On the 9:1 the long driven element to the positive post and the counterpoise to the negative post. Hope that explains it. 73, Walt
Made one for 160M only. 124.5 feet per Balun Designs. Their 9:1 UNUN. So, so antenna. What length antenna and what length counterpoise do you suggest for 160M? How would you orient the counterpoise relative to the antenna wire? Mel, K2JWD
For top band you probably need over 200 feet, that’s my guess. I haven’t tried much on 160. I just try to put the counterpoise about 90 degrees opposite of the antenna, it seems to work well that way. 73, Walt K4OGO
RF Feedback from the metal plate back of the mic on my Icom IC 706 MK2G... Sat there thinking Hello I am getting burnt here on my index finger... From the tuner short coax 15 -20 foot long to the 9:1 UNUN on the other end of the coax in the shack an LG RU 1:1 CMC just before the LDG AT-200 Pro II AATU. Any advice? I do have 2 x 20foot length Counterpoise going off in different directions outside the shack 73 Keith .
Yes I have made a few of them: th-cam.com/video/yacdSlBc0Uw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ugH49NlJmpBWyRbi th-cam.com/video/np7SHuu0x4M/w-d-xo.htmlsi=6_J6NhpvSYfFXWQd th-cam.com/video/HW-_TkkKvD4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=IMKO_UOVkVggx0Fk
Honestly the counterpoise length is not critical. From experience and what I’ve seen on random wire antennas if you are putting counterpoise on the ground as a groundplane it doesn’t matter. I typically just make mine 5 meters long for that situation. With an elevated or single counterpoise I have used 17 feet (5.18 meters) as a length as well as 6.5 feet (2 meters) with great success.
@@quickievalue6833 no worries, with the 33 you might find it hard to tune if you’re using a 9:1 unun. 33 feet is actually a half wave antenna for 20 meters and works awesome with a 49:1. With that antenna I just use a single short 1 meter long counterpoise. The 29 will work great with a 9:1 and counterpoise as I mentioned in original reply.
Walt, thanks to your channel, I just made Worked All States on the 41' random wire and 29' vertical. I live close to Knoxville with the Smokys at my back door, got Alaska on SSB, and Hawaii on FT8. Keep up the great work.
Would love to see the SWR figures for 80/40/20. My 73 feet wire works fine on 20m - but oddly have SWR og 5 on 40m. Possibly becausit may actually be closer to 76 or 77 feet. A bit hard to pull doen snd check 😮
Walt, just added 4 x 5 meter counterpoises to my 21m Rabdom wire - which greatly lowered the SWR (replacing a single wire). But. - While 80m is spot on, the dip is about 1Mhz too high for 40 & 20. Would increasing wire length a bit help - a bit confused as we are looking for non-resonanse
so here's some food for thought........ ifyou're putting 17 feet of wire on the "ground" terminal of the unun.... is it now also an off-center fed dipole? :D
The W3EDP antenna design uses an 85 foot radiator and a 17 foot counterpoise. This looks like an updated version using a modern UnUn transformer. There is nothing new under the sun, as the old saying goes.
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES I have a chart that shows it works on 80. But I'm like you, I'm skeptical. I will be putting one together this weekend for a POTA activation. I'll let you know what works and what doesn't.
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES I saw some videos regarding the tuners. Someone said the ft891 doesn't need a tuner, only g90 needs. And what tuner would you recommend connecting it to ft891?
Making contacts over 4000 miles away on 20 watts meanwhile I’m a fart in the wind locally locally. I really hope it’s just me getting on the bands at terrible times.
hi hav a random wier 4 field operations have a 16 to 1 balun on it conter pois about 15m antena has 129m usualy good with a ground rod ,coax haz a word to say a true rg8 or rg213 you get mor of that 20 w out at home i use a fc40 tuner with a folded wier about 130m spacing about 10 cm.maby you get your hands on a r 140 amplifier prety comon in poland easy to get 73
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES its DAN (yo6-1001) r 140 is a warso pact amp 4 hf bands covers 1,6 to 30 or 50 mhz pover 1000..to 3000w herd storys o som mdel puting out 6kw of power
Why would you want half of your antenna that close to the ground? How about putting BOTH ends of the antenna (including any counterpoise) as high as you can get them. I don't understand why folks do this. Another thing you may want to do is perform an actual A/B switch comparison between your EFRW to say a dipole cut for a particular band. Then, you are actually performing a much better test. Folks often put up some wire and make a couple contacts then claim that their antenna is fantastic. Fantastic compared to what? Won't know until you perform an actual A/B switch comparison with a "reference" antenna.
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What a fun video from your little radio. Thx for posting. 73 OM.
De:N7NRE Dave in Arizona.
S51DX and S57DX are two of the best operators and strongest stations. Radio Royalty as far as I'm concerned.
I absolutely agree!
Fantastic! I hold you responsible for the large amount of speaker wire and unun varieties that have been delivered to my house in the last couple months. The speaker wire companies thank you!
Hahahaha, I'm doing my part for them!
I told my wife he is Polish, so reducing the chance of her tracking him down. Greetings from another ham blessed with many Ununs. Pete
@@Crusty_Camper greetings Pete!
Worked S51DX from my mobile from SWFL for the first time this week. Janez certainly did the heavy lifting.
Walt thank you for showing real results using a non resonant antenna! Mine is a 71' stealth sloper, 9:1 unun, 50' coax, fed at the 15' high end, no counterpoise, common mode choke 3' from the transceiver. SWR 1.5 : 1 or less on all HF bands, 160 - 10. No tuner needed 30 - 10. From California with 100 watts & also QRP SSB I've worked Europe, Africa, Mediterranean, South America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Indinesia. I get 5/9 signal reports on daily 80 & 4O SSB nets using ATU in my XPA125B. Jon - K3MAH
I really want to build a 71’ one here. I need to go find some wire. Sounds awesome! 73, Walt
That's a nice setup you have and you're making some great contacts around the world. Love the T-Shirt by the way! 🇬🇧⛴⚓💪
Thanks John! 🍺 “Our Sailors” 🍺
Cheers! 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
You've opened the random wire pandora's box! Good timing, as I'm making a multi-segment portable EFHW, and I'm taking my time by testing each segment addition in succession. Your homework saves me a lot of homework! Thanks for posting!
Thanks DeWayne, I’m glad my wire hacking helped lol. All the best and 73!
I used a 35.5’ random wire in an inverted L with a 17’ elevated counterpoise for a recent POTA activation. It was attached to BNC binding posts directly to my Xiegu X6100 (ie no unun). It worked really well when the propagation wasn’t great. It’s a great first antenna project because it’s so simple, cheap too. Thanks for sharing your experience.
Thanks for sharing your experience as well!
Thank you. I was looking for a multiband stealth antenna and ended up having a go with the end fed random wire. 84 ft with a 25 ft counterpoise mounted on the top of my 6 ft high privacy fence. 9 to1 unun with a 1 to 1 choke and I am in business from 80 to 10 meters. Performing very well and suits my needs. I am originally from the Tidewater area by the way so I enjoy your videos from Portsmouth, Norfolk, and VB. 73
That’s awesome and greetings from Tidewater!
Another great and timely Video Walt. I just started building one of these yesterday. 😉
Thanks Erin! Have fun with that antenna!
I built a 41 ft vertical antenna using a 40 ft spyderbeam with a homebrew 9:1 unun. i have a 12.5 ft counterpoise. This antenna works well. From NY i have contacts to Japan and Australia. with my internal tuner i am able to tune up from 80 meters to 10 meters.
Awesome Steven, thanks for sharing!
Steven - Thanks for sharing that! I too have same antenna and spyderpole - but have not used them together. Add one more thing to my TO-DO list for tomorrow.😀
Thanks for the info. That really helps me, and thank you for the quick response!
I've been using a 17' counterpoise with my 35.5' random wire, but will give the 6.5' one a try. Thanks for the tip! I hope the bands get better for us soon!
From what I understand the 6.5 length is better suited for 20 thru 10 meters and 17 for 40 meters. Yes band conditions are driving me crazy! 73 my friend!
Interesting video. This is an antenna have never tried out (yet). Some amazing contacts. Great job Walt.
Thank you Ady!
I got a signal test tomorrow but can't miss this video🐢
nicely done, and can't believe that you got signal from far away with a wire antenna
Thanks for watching!
Walt, really enjoy your videos from both sides of the pond. Random wire is what I use for POTA, as well as my Wolf River Coil. Also have a magnetic loop that is fun. Mostly use my G90 at 20 watts. 73, keep the great videos coming. Norm, KD9HAV
Thank you very much Norm!
73, Walt K4OGO
Dziękuję, I appreciate these great antenna videos - practical and simple! 73, K7KS (Great-grandparents came to US from Poznań)
Thanks so much Alan! Poland is a great country I’ve really enjoyed my time here. 73, SP/K4OGO
Useful, thanks. I jusdt bought one of those 9:1 ununs from our 'local' HRO yesterday, partly due to your video here. It's going to be a random end-fed going up into our locust tree, although I already had one failed attempt becasue I was being too ambitious about which limb to go for.
Have fun and good luck with that antenna! 73, Walt
When I was 17, I put up a 90 feet long wire and tuned it with an MFJ-901 tuner. Now I know it should have been an 84 feet long wire with a 1:9 Unun and then the tuner! I could have used that on 11 Meter where I was doing A2 code practice with my buddies to entice them to get their tickets also. Several of them had 3-6 ele yagis and were bragging about how they could take long groundwave distances horizontally polarized, but I could hear them too, LOL. Cheers, Davey (now 62) - KU9L
Great story, thanks for sharing! 73, Walt K4OGO
Cool story. I was into SWLing before I was a ham. I had a 60 foot wire in the attic with a single wire feed into the shack I originally had connected to a Heathkit SW717. When I got my Novice, I connected that antenna to a homebrew tuner and it loaded on 80-10 meters. Worked the UK on 20 watts with it and worked the world with 100watts. Not sure if that was a good length, but it loaded and it worked. Back then I hadn't heard of an UnUn and with the wire coming into the shack, had some RF issues but did I have fun with it, yes I did!
@@redstickham6394 I remember grandfather pounding on the wall because the light in the bathroom soffit was flickering into the step of my cw signal, so yeah, a better match was to be had, lol! -Davey - KU9L
10m opened up after you got back!!!
Lol. Also.. cracked me up when you said that you brought ‘poles’ to Poland.
Great video.. I’m about to make an EFRW. My EFHW works like a champ… but I like experimenting!
73
Mike / KK7MMN
Very timely video for me, Walt, I'm working in a RW, horizontal between the barn and the house. I might fit a 41 instead. I can always cut it shorter. Thanks for the great video, JOE, KC1MTM
Thanks so much Joe! Good luck with the 41. 73, Walt K4OGO
Just the other day I said to myself "You know the bands are bad when you can barely hear S51DX." 😅😅😅
Hahaha that’s absolutely right!
Ive had good luck with a Nelson Antennas 9:1 RW. The element is 50ish feet and I use a 6’ coax with no choke. Always looking to improve but had great results so far.
Yes, I’ve got a Nelson. It’s great!
Love that radio..... :-) Also I just now found your FB and sent you a message :-)
made a 60ft random put it in an inverted V at 18ft at the apex and abt 1ft off the ground on the ends. Hit France on my 1st ft8 10m cq on this antenna. Impressed me
Thanks for the video.
Thanks for watching!
If you are daylight fun I recommend a weekend trip to Tallinn. Nice city to see. And stay there overnight (or rather overday :) ). The closer to the June 21st the better.
Cool, I'll look into that Pawel
Random wire is on my short list....Nice video, thanks....😀😀😀😀
Thanks Ken!!!
Cool video Walt!!!
Thank you Ammed!
This is my home antenna and I’ve tried all the configurations. I have two, the other is for POTA.
Cool! thanks for watching and commenting!
Looks like I'll have to give it another go with mine. I made a 9:1 and tried roughly the same length "random" wire. I couldn't get it to tune though. So I went back to my 49:1 and EFHW. I'll have to give the 6.5' CP a try too. Thanks!
Tinker with it Rob, as you can see it works.
All the best and 73, Walt K4OGO
I recently made 29' random with 49:1 unun. Works great for my pota
Thanks for the vid, Walt. I use a 29.5 ft random wire, no counterpoise, but 25 or 50 feet of coax before hitting a 1:1 choke. It works great from 40 to 6 meters. I might try the 6.5 ft counterpoise wire and move my choke up to the transformer. Something I've been wondering about, maybe you know. Does a longer wire pick up distant stations better than a shorter wire? I'm dying to get HI in the log, but I can't hear them during the day.
I've always heard the longer the better but length also plays a big part in the radiation pattern and characteristics. That's why I made the 35.5 wire, it's very close to a half wavelength for 20 meters and those contacts I made to the USA kind of prove my theory on that. There's only one real way to find out, experiment and give it a try with the longest possible length you can.
Fun video. I am looking to put up my first HF station and want to use the same approach. How did decide on the 35.5 foot antenna? Thanks Mike !
Thanks!
Thank you so much for supporting the channel my friend!!!! 73, Walt
Nice one Walt. I'm travelling in Sth Korea at this time with a FT-891, tuner and PAC setup on top of apartment buildings. I like the idea of the Lightweightness of the FX-4CR for my next trip. Have you FT8'ed it yet?
Thanks! Have a great trip. You’ll do well with that FT-891. No I haven’t FT8’d yet.
10, 12 , and even 15 have been monumentally bad lately. 20m grey line has been quite a bit of fun though. Well except for Saturday which was just a disaster everywhere. Europe has been booming in around 7pm or so... well Italy specifically anyway. Hope to catch you before you head home.
Yes it's been a struggle. Hope to catch you when conditions pick up!
Nice, thanks
Thanks!
Super contact to ND Walt!
Thanks Tim, that one took some work and I was fighting some rough QRM
Good information
Thank you!
Hi Walt, still in ROK and rooftopping. The Rybo 7.6 is working a treat, thanks and a few randoms are working well.😁
I'm going to try linear loading a random length back down a 10m pole, where the unun is just above rampart height of 1.2m on most of the high rise buildings that I've been nesting on, and I throw across the rooftops 18 radials.
It is easier with the Ryobo vertical strapped to railing or piping, but a linear loaded vertical might just be quicker to deploy than a long randon wire.🗼
At the current QTH I can operate from an apartment 2 floors down from the rooftop which is 30 storeys.🏢 94 meters at rooftop height.
So it's getting down to ZERO 🥶 now, and there's no more working the DX and suntanning.
Do you think linear loading a randon vertically is better than slopping? And what is the general opinion from the Coastal Waves watchers?
Cheers from Alien in Asia👾 👀FOO IS HERE 🥶 PS: I thougth I'd using 10.82m and 1m extra for good luck.
I do think linear loading is better, especially for DX. I think your takeoff angle will be better. I actually wrapped a long random wire around a shorter pole when I was in Poland and made some great contacts. Not exactly linear loading but similar. Helically coiled is what I would call it. Your height should really be a plus for sure. 73, Walt
Great video Walt. Wish you did an swr scan on the different configs.hope all is well
Thanks, yes I probably should have hooked my X5105 up to it and run a scan.
I am using a homemade 9:1 hooked to about 40' of an aluminum rain gutter on my apartment. It works great.
Hi Walt. Does the total 35.5' include what you wrap back on itself at the insulator, or do you cut it a little longer to be able to loop it back on itself? If you cut it a little longer, is there a suggested length that you use? Thanks for your time! Thanks for your outstanding videos!
Pretty new to ham radio so I'm always trying to learn. 73. K8JCL
Great question and I really need to make that more clearer in my video. You cut extra for the wrap. The 35.5 is from the start of the wire to the fold point at the insulator opening. Also don’t worry about being exactly perfect, I’ve found that with a random wire being within an inch or so with length is fine. All the best and 73, Walt
Nice vid, Walt.
A “random wire is on my wish list. For now I use a dx commander expedition an a 49:1 endfed.
Which do you prefer, a 49:1 endfed or 9:1 random wire?
Hard decision, I like them both. I recently built an end fed that was a halfwave for 20 meters with a 49:1 as a vertical on my 10 meter DX Commander pole and it was great. With 20 watts I was 59 from the Eastern USA to Australia. Probably best performance from an antenna I’ve experienced.
Thanks for sharing your experiments, new ham here. What does the "SP stroke" in your callsign signify?
I was operating in Poland. As an American ham I was operating under an agreement called the CEPT Agreement which lets me operate there and I have to use the country’s callsign prefix with my callsign. Thus “SP” for Poland followed by my American call K4OGO.
Great info Walt. I have had a license for almost 10 years as well as a rig. That said, ANTENNAS are the pain in my side. I have tried and almost lost interest. I first tried while in High School as a NOVICE growing up in Alaska around 1974..
Thanks! Don’t give up!!!
Wohoooo...North Dakota was a good Contact. UW. 💯👌🙋♂
Thanks UG! I was excited to get that one!
I use a 9:1 random wire with my SOTAbeams 10M mast as a vertical, works really well for POTA. 73 de NM9O
Awesome! 73 de K4OGO
Virginia? Subscribed. Thought "coastal" just meant Florida here
LOL thanks for subscribing
super cool channel
Thank you!!!
Love to see the range you get on a 20 watt radio
Virginia to Australia all the time:
th-cam.com/users/shortsllWBxNi9hss?si=tUSY5MyyCnw4ATOW
Hello Walt. I love your instructive, helpful videos. I'm going to build this setup. Thank you for this idea. I will tie an insulator to the tree and attach speaker wire to the other end of the insulator. Is there a specific way to attach the speaker wire to the insulator? How do you do this? 73s and thank you.
Thanks! I just fold it over and twist then secure it with electrical tape. Remember that the measurement of the wire is at the fold over, so the extra wire you wrap after the insulator doesn’t count in the measurement of the length of the antenna. Good luck and have fun. 73, Walt
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Thank you for your quick reply and advice. I appreciate it very much. I will make my antenna wire 42 ft. instead of 41 ft. That should cover it, I hope. It looks like 44, 46,. and 48 ft are at half-wave lengths at multiples. I hope I won't get in trouble by cutting at 42 ft. Do you cut wire lengths to 42 ft.?
How did you get the coax through the window to hook up to the unun? It looks like the window is shut. I'm just trying to keep it simple like you. I'm also trying not to drill too many holes. I like your videos very much. Thank you.
I closed it in the corner of the window, it pinched the coax a little but not too bad.
Thank you very much. I'll figure something out. Maybe go through to the attic or just set up outside like you do. Thanks again.@@COASTALWAVESWIRES
Have you done experiments on the lengths of random wires and how the reception is for the lengths of wires? Thank you.
I've had my extra license for a few years now and haven't used it. I just bought a ICOM IC-7300! Now, I'm looking for my first antenna and contact. The random wire looks awesome to start. So, if I use a 35.5' wire with a 9:1 unun without counterpoise, do I need a 1:1 unun at the shack entrance?
It will help as a choke near the transceiver and keep common mode current out of the radio. You might get by without it if you have a long coax but it will certainly help.
Hi Walt. I’m a statistician. It seems that random in this context refers to your random choice of one of several non-resonant wire lengths. Great work on these videos! 73, Frank K4FMH
I like that Frank! Thanks!!!!
I know nothing about nothing so be easy on me, I have HOA issues so anything I do will have to be HOA stealth. I saw a couple YT videos (TN-07 Engineering) about eave antennas. Can you run a wire along the eave on the backside of the house (12 ft high) than drop down and run around the top of the privacy fence line (6' high). This would be about 250 ft or so of wire.
It would be worth giving a try. You would be surprised what might work and experimenting is the best way to find out.
Appreciate your video and time in creating it . De Steve AA4SH
Thank you so much! 73, Walt
Have you tested whether or not there is a benefit to adding additional 17' counterpoise wires?
Yes and it is definitely a benefit.
Some of my best friends are random wire. 🙂
Mine too!
Does a measurement like 35.5 ft on random wire antenna include the wire used to tie to the insulator and unun box or just the straight portion of the wire?
Just the straight portion of the wire.
Walt, do yourself a favor and get a Sotabeams Tactical Mini or a Carbon 6 and just enjoy life. They're pretty reasonably priced and built for portable ops.
I’ll look into that Jeff, 73
I have a 99' random wire with a 9:1 unun. The manufacturer swore i did not have use a counterpoise. My problem is that i am getting rf back thru my house. If I used the counterpoise would that eliminate the common mode current? I am gojng ro remeasure the wire and fold it back to 84' if it ever quits raining. I also have a mfj 915 choke at the radio.
That’s the main reason I use a 1:1 choke balun along with the 9:1 and a counterpoise. Adding the counterpoise may help but a choke will absolutely solve that problem.
Hi Walt I just got one of these 9.1 I had it cut for 12 meters 24.950 and the swr is 3.4 now on 20 meters the swr is 1.02 with a counterpoise I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong on 12 meters the wire is 19.5 feet long cut for 12?
I tryed this and had good results but I didn't have a balun at the time so I just ran the wire to a ATU and I got under 2 or just over SWR on every thing from 80 to 6 but I was having problomes with my digirig and a fan in the window that was turning on when ever I was TX i just orderd a 9 to1 that you were using do you think this will fix my problome ? I am guessing I am getting common mode current feedback alone my coax..
Yes it sounds like common mode current, the transformer will definitely stop that.
Hi Walt! I want to build an end fed antenna for only 15 12 and 10 meters. Is it possible? How long the cable should be? I should use a 1:9 or 1:4 transformer? Thanks!
Build a 17.5 foot vertical and use a 4:1
Can you also attach a counterpoise wire at the correct length to the other terminal if you are running a different length of coax?
It's worth a try, experiment and see
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES I didnt wait. LOL When I got home from work I hung the wire and fired up my stick and tried it both ways. No noticeable change.
I have a 12 gauge solid copper core 280ft long wire or 85 meters... it is placed 6 foot above the ground on top of my dogear fence.... I also have the radio grounded from an outside ground.... what type of UnUn will work or will be best on this antenna ? or do I need one ? Plus I'm just a listener...
Most likely a 9:1 but as a listener you can probably get away without one at all.
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Thanks... I thought that was the case but I thought I would ask someone who knows more about it... I'm just a listener... Thanks.... :-)
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Also I live in central Texas USA and I have been picking up signals from Japan and China... It's crazy what you can listen to from a simple antenna and small SDR radio :-)
Hey Walt. Nice job on the video I’m really enjoying your travel and Poland vicariously. Is there anyway you could post a drawing of that and tell her that you just talked about in this video? I’m not sure where you’re placing the one to one? Stay safe and stay well 73. Barry
Hi Barry, if I get a minute I’ll definitely do that but here’s basically how it goes: coax from transceiver to 1:1, very short coax from 1:1 to 9:1. On the 9:1 the long driven element to the positive post and the counterpoise to the negative post. Hope that explains it. 73, Walt
Thanks Walt. 73 and stay safe.
What do you think is a good length for a "random" wire antenna for 10 to 40 meter bands? 10 to 20 meter bands?
Have you noticed any heating in the UNUN?
Made one for 160M only. 124.5 feet per Balun Designs. Their 9:1 UNUN. So, so antenna. What length antenna and what length counterpoise do you suggest for 160M? How would you orient the counterpoise relative to the antenna wire? Mel, K2JWD
For top band you probably need over 200 feet, that’s my guess. I haven’t tried much on 160. I just try to put the counterpoise about 90 degrees opposite of the antenna, it seems to work well that way. 73, Walt K4OGO
S51DX Top operator Walt had a few contacts with him via my vertical and 6watts, 73 Tony M7CVK
Yes he is, I’ve had several contacts with him when home in the states, really cool to get him here in Europe. 73 Walt K4OGO
I'm guessing these things will handle a 100 Watt transceiver output without too much difficulty?
RF Feedback from the metal plate back of the mic on my Icom IC 706 MK2G... Sat there thinking Hello I am getting burnt here on my index finger...
From the tuner short coax 15 -20 foot long to the 9:1 UNUN on the other end of the coax in the shack an LG RU 1:1 CMC just before the LDG AT-200 Pro II AATU. Any advice? I do have 2 x 20foot length Counterpoise going off in different directions outside the shack
73
Keith .
I’m thinking you might move the 1:1 out to the 9:1 and away from the shack which creates the choke at a further distance from the radio
Will try that later today..... Thank for the tip..
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES
have you ever made a video about operating in another country? like how to
Yes I have made a few of them:
th-cam.com/video/yacdSlBc0Uw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ugH49NlJmpBWyRbi
th-cam.com/video/np7SHuu0x4M/w-d-xo.htmlsi=6_J6NhpvSYfFXWQd
th-cam.com/video/HW-_TkkKvD4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=IMKO_UOVkVggx0Fk
Great Video. How do you calculate counterpoise length? I am trying to build either a 33ft or 29ft (depends on how the 33ft tunes)
Honestly the counterpoise length is not critical. From experience and what I’ve seen on random wire antennas if you are putting counterpoise on the ground as a groundplane it doesn’t matter. I typically just make mine 5 meters long for that situation. With an elevated or single counterpoise I have used 17 feet (5.18 meters) as a length as well as 6.5 feet (2 meters) with great success.
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Ok thank you. This is my first antenna build so I am trying to figure it out. Thank you de KO4TZK
@@quickievalue6833 no worries, with the 33 you might find it hard to tune if you’re using a 9:1 unun. 33 feet is actually a half wave antenna for 20 meters and works awesome with a 49:1. With that antenna I just use a single short 1 meter long counterpoise. The 29 will work great with a 9:1 and counterpoise as I mentioned in original reply.
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES then that’s what I am going to do!
@@quickievalue6833 here’s a 33 foot vertical I build:
th-cam.com/video/EDU7b8ADBiA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=rU2lmCIqVxIPdp_H
I’ve had some luck with the 41 slopped, 9:1 Unun being at the bottom. Thinking of a 29’ vertical?
I’ve had some great results with a 29’ vertical
Walt, thanks to your channel, I just made Worked All States on the 41' random wire and 29' vertical. I live close to Knoxville with the Smokys at my back door, got Alaska on SSB, and Hawaii on FT8. Keep up the great work.
@kjb_tennessee awesome! Congrats!!!
Would love to see the SWR figures for 80/40/20. My 73 feet wire works fine on 20m - but oddly have SWR og 5 on 40m. Possibly becausit may actually be closer to 76 or 77 feet. A bit hard to pull doen snd check 😮
Next time I build one of these I'll do a SWR sweep on all those bands. 73, Walt
Walt, just added 4 x 5 meter counterpoises to my 21m Rabdom wire - which greatly lowered the SWR (replacing a single wire). But. - While 80m is spot on, the dip is about 1Mhz too high for 40 & 20. Would increasing wire length a bit help - a bit confused as we are looking for non-resonanse
Do you have a video on the ldg unun? I see different ones 6:1 and 4:1. whats the diff?
Yes, here you go:
th-cam.com/video/utgfXWC6SH8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=0aO_R6fAnpb87uGu
so here's some food for thought........ ifyou're putting 17 feet of wire on the "ground" terminal of the unun.... is it now also an off-center fed dipole? :D
This thought gives me a headache hahaha
The W3EDP antenna design uses an 85 foot radiator and a 17 foot counterpoise. This looks like an updated version using a modern UnUn transformer. There is nothing new under the sun, as the old saying goes.
I wonder how it would work with a drone putting it up higher
I bet that would be awesome!
Hey Walt will the 35.5 ft random wire work on 40 or 80m?
I made some decent contacts around Europe with it on 40, I suspect it's a little too short for 80.
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES I have a chart that shows it works on 80. But I'm like you, I'm skeptical. I will be putting one together this weekend for a POTA activation. I'll let you know what works and what doesn't.
As an adopted European you have to add metric lengths to your videos as well Walt, just saying… 😜 Nice video! 👍
Haha I usually do, I did add them in the original lengths I showed. Thanks!!!!
I have done the same from the RV using the LDG. I want to try the new "Spark Plug" 9:1, as I LOVE their EFHW Spark Plug.
73 de KC1DBR
I need to check out the 9:1 Sparkplug, thanks for the tip!
Same antena applied to ft891 would work as great as fx-4cr?
Yes this antenna would work on any HF radio as long as you have an antenna tuner.
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES I saw some videos regarding the tuners. Someone said the ft891 doesn't need a tuner, only g90 needs.
And what tuner would you recommend connecting it to ft891?
@@andreyolenyk6253 go take a look at the LDG AT-100 Pro II, it’s the one I have and it is a great tuner
@COASTAL WAVES & WIRES thank you very much
Nice Wire, How much for the radio? Scott KF0HRF
Thanks! Here you go:
bg2fx.com/fx-4cr-transceiver
Making contacts over 4000 miles away on 20 watts meanwhile I’m a fart in the wind locally locally. I really hope it’s just me getting on the bands at terrible times.
Conditions have been horrible recently, hang in there!
Walt, an equipment question. The FX-4CR is not showing on Amazon. Where can I find one?
Only place to get a real one and not get scammed is directly from the builder. Here’s the link: bg2fx.com/fx-4cr-transceiver
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Thank you
I thought Pole land would have anything you would need in stock to make any antenna you want.
I'm going out shopping this week for a couple new poles and some wire.
😂
IT shoud be better to have the 1:1 unun at the tranceiver end...
Can you put it to civilised measurement.?
hi hav a random wier 4 field operations have a 16 to 1 balun on it conter pois about 15m antena has 129m usualy good with a ground rod ,coax haz a word to say a true rg8 or rg213 you get mor of that 20 w out at home i use a fc40 tuner with a folded wier about 130m spacing about 10 cm.maby you get your hands on a r 140 amplifier prety comon in poland easy to get 73
Thanks Don, I will look into that. 73
@@COASTALWAVESWIRES its DAN (yo6-1001) r 140 is a warso pact amp 4 hf bands covers 1,6 to 30 or 50 mhz pover 1000..to 3000w herd storys o som mdel puting out 6kw of power
@@dancosminmarza2974 Sorry Dan!
I don’t have 50ohm coax
Only 75ohm
😢😢
Use for listening swl not good 😢
Why would you want half of your antenna that close to the ground? How about putting BOTH ends of the antenna (including any counterpoise) as high as you can get them. I don't understand why folks do this. Another thing you may want to do is perform an actual A/B switch comparison between your EFRW to say a dipole cut for a particular band. Then, you are actually performing a much better test. Folks often put up some wire and make a couple contacts then claim that their antenna is fantastic. Fantastic compared to what? Won't know until you perform an actual A/B switch comparison with a "reference" antenna.
These antennas that use a 9:1 balun are not random. There are definite lengths to avoid. The wire is not "random".
Yep, “Random” is just a name
I belive that the 'random' refers to the type of wire used.... as in any old random wire you have will work
You look just like a guy I know.