I like the realism of this video--going through the trees and brush to set up the various antennas. Sort of resembles a real life situation at your home or in the field. Great explanation of factors involved. A great hands-on presentation. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).
Thanks! That’s just what my backyard antenna range looks like. Makes life interesting. Currently on Maui - will see if I get a chance to try setting up the ground plane on the beach. Aloha!
Someone else remembers paper tapes! Actually learned that for winding surveyor’s chains working summers in college. Started at a computer job, still using paper and mylar TTY tapes to boot some of the old machines. My mentor was carefully showing how to do it. I grabbed another tape and had it done before he finished his demo. But it serves the same purpose: rolling up the material without twisting it. The twists are easier to see with flat tape, but will cause kinking and tangles. In fact, I have a separate video just on winding wire and rope using that method.
@@practicalantennas1754 I was a Navy Radioman. Learned it there. I still use it almost daily to store everything from antennas to usb cords. Always love seeing the bewildered look on peoples faces who have never seen it being done.
The mast is from Max Gain Systems: www.mgs4u.com This one uses 4’ sections, but 6’ and 8’ are available. MFJ used to sell a similar mast for about the same price (I haven’t compared them) and you might save on shipping cost if you can pick it up at a local ham store.
It' similar to one made by DX engineering which I just bought and installed and it's excellent. Since he takes it down when not using it he doesn't need guy ropes, but if you're going to leave up all the time as I do it's useful to put in at least two levels of guy ropes which is very very very easy to do.
Do you NEED a balun? No Is a balun a good idea? Yes. A balun makes antenna behavior more predictable. I certainly recommend them, especially if you are in an environment with lots of electronic noise makers, as they can help reduce the noise level on the antenna. But sometimes, such as for portable operation (and especially backpacking), I make a conscious decision to leave them off to save weight, or for simplicity. That doesn't mean that the antenna doesn't work, but that one might sometimes encounter quirks, like stray resonances due to to the coax length rather than the wire lengths, or RF in the shack that makes my keyer continue sending after I let go of the paddles, or plugging in my headphones changes the SWR. And often, you may not notice any side effects. So, yes, a balun is a good idea, but don't let the lack of one stop you from putting up an antenna and getting on the air. I do have a dipole kit with a built-in balun (shown in my article here: practicalantennas.com/designs/dipole/dipole-kit/) I'm still experimenting with good designs for them.
Looks familiar. My backyard is sorta like yours. There will be NO 100' tower antennas back there. No HOA's but across the street from our local airport. Drat. I wasn't a ham when we bought the house 38 years ago - ha. Thanks for the video. Simple and easy antennas to build.
@@MrTommy001 Maybe not as much as you may think. If you are next to the side of a runway/s you should be able to at least put up a 45 fiberglass pole to hang some antennas on. Been a pilot and ham for decades and never heard of a problem with that. Even private communities I've flown into that have their own runways have no problem with towers and masts.
Yes, or a 50 ohm rectangular loop: practicalantennas.com/designs/loops/loop-sizes/ The Hentenna may have a slight advantage if high enough in the air, but things are more complicated over ground, where increased spacing between the wires (which improves gain in free space) is counteracted by the lower wire being closer to the ground, thereby contributing less to low angle radiation. For a further discussion see practicalantennas.com/theory/loop/full-wave/. Up to around 1 wavelength (top height), there isn’t a significant difference among them, with the delta (point down) having a slight advantage due to more radiation from the top wire, and it is easier to build then a Hentenna.
Depends which antenna… For the dipole, one wire connects to the coax center conductor, and one connects to the shield. A balun is often a good idea, but not always needed when weight is a critical factor. For the ground plane antenna, both dipole wires are connected to the coax SHIELD to form the radials, and the added wire is connected to the center conductor to make the vertical part. For the loop, one end of the wire connects to the coax center and the other end to the shield. You can also make the loop by starting with the dipole and connecting the far ends of the wires together, but you need to add a bit more wire to get it to resonate properly.
@@practicalantennas1754I never thought of using a wire antenna to make a vertical before. That sounds like something fun to try out along with the delta loop. I had just been making dipoles or variations and end fed wire antennas. 73!
I work on GP (2-nd construction in video), dipole and vertical dipole in the city. And I can say GP reciev mostly QRN. But other antennas have many QRN too 😒 unfortunately it is real of the cities
Hi, I'm a new Canadian ham radio operator and I really enjoyed your video! I learned a lot from it. I have a small backyard in Toronto, about 25-30 feet long and 10-12 feet wide. I've built a random wire antenna, around 80 feet long, in an inverted U shape. I've been able to pick up many stations from the southern US, but I'm struggling to reach Europe and Asia due to my limited budget and terrain (my location is at a lower gradient than my neighbors). Could you please suggest some options for me to improve my signal reception? Thank you, 73. ve3cxv
That’s a lot to cover in this format! And I haven’t gotten a lot of that material written for my web site yet at PracticalAntennas.com. I’d suggest posting your question on the forums at eHam.net, or a similar site that is more conducive to an extended discussion with more participants. Just for starters: What is your background noise level? If the S-meter reads S6 on background, you need to solve your noise problem in order to hear weaker stations. Are you listening on the right bands when they are open? I’d suggest using VOACAP (www.voacap.com/hf/) to see which bands will be open at what times of day to various cities. I’m in Hawaii at the moment, and it shows (for 50 watts CW) the highest probability for a 20m contact is 65% at 0500Z, while 17m, 15m, and 12m have about the same chance at 1700Z. Then, of course, there is the question of what times hams at the other end will be on the air… On the other hand, if you get on the air during a DX contest weekend, you are likely to hear lots DX stations, although they won’t be in the mood for an extended chat. That’s even before we start talking about antenna choices.
Really good video. A live demo and to the point without a lot of fluff.
This is one of the best antenna videos I've seen in a long time. Thank you! Been a ham since 1992 and learned at least 3 new things today.
Just found this channel. Wow, it is truly the most practical antenna channel I've ever watched. Subscribed. And thank you, keep up the excellent work.
I like the realism of this video--going through the trees and brush to set up the various antennas. Sort of resembles a real life situation at your home or in the field. Great explanation of factors involved. A great hands-on presentation. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).
Thanks! That’s just what my backyard antenna range looks like. Makes life interesting.
Currently on Maui - will see if I get a chance to try setting up the ground plane on the beach.
Aloha!
Great video…… Lots of practical information….. helpful sketches….. And wonder camera and narration…… look forward to more……
What a nice realistic video this is! Best!
TTY butterfly knot to store wire. Like it 😎
Someone else remembers paper tapes!
Actually learned that for winding surveyor’s chains working summers in college. Started at a computer job, still using paper and mylar TTY tapes to boot some of the old machines. My mentor was carefully showing how to do it. I grabbed another tape and had it done before he finished his demo.
But it serves the same purpose: rolling up the material without twisting it. The twists are easier to see with flat tape, but will cause kinking and tangles.
In fact, I have a separate video just on winding wire and rope using that method.
@@practicalantennas1754 I was a Navy Radioman. Learned it there. I still use it almost daily to store everything from antennas to usb cords. Always love seeing the bewildered look on peoples faces who have never seen it being done.
Excellent! We really like the actor!
Where did you purchase the portable mast from?
@highflyer584: Check out: DX Engineering Complete Fiberglass Tubing and Cam Lock Clamp Kits DXE-TFK46-HD
The mast is from Max-Gain Systems www.mgs4u.com
Great video Ty
Who sells that mast?
The mast is from Max Gain Systems: www.mgs4u.com
This one uses 4’ sections, but 6’ and 8’ are available.
MFJ used to sell a similar mast for about the same price (I haven’t compared them) and you might save on shipping cost if you can pick it up at a local ham store.
It' similar to one made by DX engineering which I just bought and installed and it's excellent. Since he takes it down when not using it he doesn't need guy ropes, but if you're going to leave up all the time as I do it's useful to put in at least two levels of guy ropes which is very very very easy to do.
@ Thanks 73s
Nice idea and realization! 73!
Great Job!
Thank You :)
What mast are you using? I would like info on the mast and the speed clinch. Excellent video.
The mast is from Max-Gain Systems www.mgs4u.com.
The Speed Cinch is available on Amazon - just ignore all the straps for horse saddles.
I'm confused. Don't you need a balun for the dipole antenna (the first one in the video) ?
Do you NEED a balun? No
Is a balun a good idea? Yes.
A balun makes antenna behavior more predictable. I certainly recommend them, especially if you are in an environment with lots of electronic noise makers, as they can help reduce the noise level on the antenna.
But sometimes, such as for portable operation (and especially backpacking), I make a conscious decision to leave them off to save weight, or for simplicity. That doesn't mean that the antenna doesn't work, but that one might sometimes encounter quirks, like stray resonances due to to the coax length rather than the wire lengths, or RF in the shack that makes my keyer continue sending after I let go of the paddles, or plugging in my headphones changes the SWR. And often, you may not notice any side effects.
So, yes, a balun is a good idea, but don't let the lack of one stop you from putting up an antenna and getting on the air.
I do have a dipole kit with a built-in balun (shown in my article here: practicalantennas.com/designs/dipole/dipole-kit/) I'm still experimenting with good designs for them.
Looks familiar. My backyard is sorta like yours. There will be NO 100' tower antennas back there. No HOA's but across the street from our local airport. Drat. I wasn't a ham when we bought the house 38 years ago - ha. Thanks for the video. Simple and easy antennas to build.
Why is being across the street from an airport an issue ?
@@Thinks-First I'm sure there are city regulations about tower proximity to the airport. We're not talking miles. We're talking yards.
@@MrTommy001 Maybe not as much as you may think. If you are next to the side of a runway/s you should be able to at least put up a 45 fiberglass pole to hang some antennas on. Been a pilot and ham for decades and never heard of a problem with that. Even private communities I've flown into that have their own runways have no problem with towers and masts.
Is it possible to link details on your mast. Really good and informative video, thanks and 73
The mast is from Max Gain systems: www.mgs4u.com. Others have said that DX Engineering also carries them (or something similar).
You could build a Hentenna if your have another section of tent pole.
Yes, or a 50 ohm rectangular loop: practicalantennas.com/designs/loops/loop-sizes/
The Hentenna may have a slight advantage if high enough in the air, but things are more complicated over ground, where increased spacing between the wires (which improves gain in free space) is counteracted by the lower wire being closer to the ground, thereby contributing less to low angle radiation. For a further discussion see practicalantennas.com/theory/loop/full-wave/.
Up to around 1 wavelength (top height), there isn’t a significant difference among them, with the delta (point down) having a slight advantage due to more radiation from the top wire, and it is easier to build then a Hentenna.
Thanks for shareing my bro 👍👍👍
What brand of fiberglass pole are you using?
Max-Gain Systems www.mgs4u.com
@usbp151check out: DX Engineering Complete Fiberglass Tubing and Cam Lock Clamp Kits DXE-TFK46-HD
So both wires are connected to the centre wire in the coax?
Depends which antenna…
For the dipole, one wire connects to the coax center conductor, and one connects to the shield. A balun is often a good idea, but not always needed when weight is a critical factor.
For the ground plane antenna, both dipole wires are connected to the coax SHIELD to form the radials, and the added wire is connected to the center conductor to make the vertical part.
For the loop, one end of the wire connects to the coax center and the other end to the shield. You can also make the loop by starting with the dipole and connecting the far ends of the wires together, but you need to add a bit more wire to get it to resonate properly.
@@practicalantennas1754 Thank you kindly for your reply.
@@practicalantennas1754I never thought of using a wire antenna to make a vertical before. That sounds like something fun to try out along with the delta loop. I had just been making dipoles or variations and end fed wire antennas. 73!
this is so simple I cant stand watching it, drives me crazy!
I work on GP (2-nd construction in video), dipole and vertical dipole in the city. And I can say GP reciev mostly QRN. But other antennas have many QRN too 😒 unfortunately it is real of the cities
Hi, I'm a new Canadian ham radio operator and I really enjoyed your video! I learned a lot from it. I have a small backyard in Toronto, about 25-30 feet long and 10-12 feet wide. I've built a random wire antenna, around 80 feet long, in an inverted U shape. I've been able to pick up many stations from the southern US, but I'm struggling to reach Europe and Asia due to my limited budget and terrain (my location is at a lower gradient than my neighbors). Could you please suggest some options for me to improve my signal reception? Thank you, 73. ve3cxv
That’s a lot to cover in this format! And I haven’t gotten a lot of that material written for my web site yet at PracticalAntennas.com.
I’d suggest posting your question on the forums at eHam.net, or a similar site that is more conducive to an extended discussion with more participants.
Just for starters:
What is your background noise level? If the S-meter reads S6 on background, you need to solve your noise problem in order to hear weaker stations.
Are you listening on the right bands when they are open? I’d suggest using VOACAP (www.voacap.com/hf/) to see which bands will be open at what times of day to various cities. I’m in Hawaii at the moment, and it shows (for 50 watts CW) the highest probability for a 20m contact is 65% at 0500Z, while 17m, 15m, and 12m have about the same chance at 1700Z. Then, of course, there is the question of what times hams at the other end will be on the air…
On the other hand, if you get on the air during a DX contest weekend, you are likely to hear lots DX stations, although they won’t be in the mood for an extended chat.
That’s even before we start talking about antenna choices.
I am in England and waiting for your call my Brother
What mast is that?
The mast is from Max-Gain Systems www.mgs4u.com
Congregações🎉🎉show de antena 73 PW8GTS
Bom dimais gostei.
antiquation at its finest,
very nicely done, Thanks Vic de KE8JWE