Hand-carried

ORP antennas
 Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2023 with funding from
Amateur Radio Digital Communications, Grant 151

https://archive.org/details/morehandcarriedqOOpete
 More hand-carried

ORP antennas
More plans for simple antennas and accessories
to operate from almost anywhere

By Peter Parker VK3 YE

VK3SYE

BOOKS
Copyright (C) 2020 Peter Parker VK3YE www.vk3ye.com

All rights reserved.

ISBN-13: 9798621321888
 CONTENTS

Introduction

Antenna coupler projects

Test equipment and accessory projects

Possible antenna configurations with available supports

HF dipole and end-fed antenna projects

HF vertical antenna projects

HF large loop antenna projects

HF small loop antenna projects

VHF and UHF antenna projects

Other articles and reviews 147

Finding things out

About the author

Thanks 174

Other books by VK3YE INie

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 1 INTRODUCTION

Every radio amateur needs an antenna, or, more often, several.

A wide variety can be purchased. There are hundreds if not thousands of designs to choose from if
making your own. In fact, home construction continues to be popular, not least because it may be the
only way of getting exactly what you want. A homebrew antenna can work every bit as well as a bought
one costing ten times more. As well, the satisfaction of making contacts with an antenna you made
yourself continues to drive interest even amongst amateurs who purchase the rest of their station.

I think it’s this interest that has caused antenna books to be in high demand. Hand-carried ORP
antennas was no exception, with thousands sold.

That covered many aspects of portable QRP antennas including objectives and requirements,
transmitting location, equipment and the various types of antennas. I also suggested materials helpful for
the portable antenna builder and present designs for accessories and simple test equipment.

Three years and numerous hours of antenna construction and portable operating have elapsed since that
first book came out. Sufficient to fill a follow-up volume. So here it is!

With the groundwork already covered, this volume is largely a selection of subsequent antenna projects.
It is not a replacement for the first book. If you don’t already have it, I strongly recommend reading that
one before reading this.

Inevitably the projects presented here reflect changing conditions, biases and interests. For example, the
current sunspot low has reduced long distance DXing on the higher HF bands. On the other hand, bands
like 6 and 10 metres remain great QRP bands during the summer sporadic-E season. Efficient digital
modes have made antennas that might previously have only been considered useful for receiving worth
transmitting through. The increasing number of amateur satellites has multiplied the number of usable
passes available each day, and thus their attractiveness for QRP communications.

Conscious of the previous book’s lower HF bias, I’ve included more 28 MHz and up antenna designs
this time. These can be scaled up for lower frequencies; just multiply 28 MHz dimensions by 1.04 for 27
MHz, 1.13 for 24 MHz, 1.33 for 21 MHz, 1.56 for 18 MHz, 2 for 14 MHz, 2.8 for 10 MHz and 4 for 7
MHz if required.

I’d welcome suggestions for inclusion in any future edition through the VK3YE Radio Books Facebook
page or email to [email protected] .

Peter Parker VK3 YE

Melbourne Australia January 2020

 2 ANTENNA COUPLER PROJECTS

Variable inductance antenna coupler

Series and parallel antenna coupler with tuning lamp
Palm sized antenna coupler
Coax loop tuning unit
80 metres with the compact wide range L-match
A ground tuning unit for vertical antennas
 Variable inductance antenna coupler
Only the most expensive antenna couplers have the ability to continuously vary both capacitance
and inductance. While the silver-plated roller inductors often used in them are great to look at,
their bulk makes them unsuitable for portable QRP.

Here is a cheap and light variable inductance antenna coupler. It uses the popular and effective
L-match configuration. There are no coil taps or switching. Instead the inductance is varied by
inserting a transistor radio ferrite rod in and out. Inductance is least when the ferrite rod is out
and most when fully inserted. The coupler has sufficient range to allow a 20m long end-fed wire
to operate between 7 and 28 MHz.

Building a variable inductor can be difficult. I overcame the problem with corflute (or coroplast)
material. This plastic sandwich type material is often used for advertising signs. It is cheap and
robust. You may even find scraps on the street pointing to a long-ago sold house.

I used pointed scissors to merge three ‘cells’ by removing two walls. You will probably need to
cut from both ends and meet in the middle. The rod needs to form a tight sliding fit in between
both sides. Attach a knob (e.g. something like a toothpaste tube cap glued to the end of the rod)
or wrap insulating type around its end to make it easier to slide in and out.

With a fine bit, drill two lines of holes to take the wire. Wind the coil with the ferrite is inserted.
With 11 turns of enamelled copper wire spaced at approximately 2mm I get an inductance range
of 1.1 to 5.7 uH. This is a good range suitable for covering the middle and upper HF bands.
The variable capacitor is the only other major part. It needs a maximum capacitance of around
200 or 250 pF. Use an air-spaced type if you’ve got one. This will be slightly less lossy and can
handle higher transmit powers.

Or, if lightness is essential, a plastic type variable capacitor as salvaged from a transistor radio
will also work. These often have two sections. The higher capacitance section (up to about 160
pF) is for the radio’s front-end. This if often marked ‘A’ for the (ferrite rod) antenna coil. The
smaller section (around 60 pF) is for the receiver’s local oscillator so is often marked ‘O’.
Connecting both in parallel gives a maximum of around 220 pF — ideal for this project.

A common pinout for plastic variable capacitors is shown below. If in doubt take measurements
at both minimum and maximum capacitance settings with a capacitance meter suitable for
measuring low values. This is especially recommended if you are using a variable capacitor
from an AM/FM receiver that has multiple sections.
 G
There’s something else to know about variable capacitors. Many have small pre-set trimmer
capacitors on the back. These are for making fine adjustments during alignment. In this
application you need to set them to minimum capacitance, 1.e. with the plates not overlapping.
Doing this ensures that your variable capacitor can go down to its lowest possible value and
allow the coupler to operate on higher HF bands like 10 and 12 metres.

Having looked at the main components (there’s only two!), all we need to know now is how they
are hooked up. As per the diagram below it couldn’t be simpler. Keep connecting leads as short
as possible to ensure peak performance, especially on higher HF bands. The transceiver
connection can either be a panel socket or a few centimetres of RG58 coaxial cable with a plug
to suit your transceiver. The antenna and earth connections can either be alligator clips, binding
posts or a screw-type terminal block. Or, crudely, you could just use bare wires and rely on
twisted connections.

variable inductor wire

transceiver antenna

variable capacitor
Connect the coupler to the transceiver. Attach a suitable antenna and counterpoise. A good
starting point is an end-fed wire about 20 metres long rising up to a pole about 8 or 9 metres tall.
A few metres of wire, connected to where the earth symbol is, can serve as the counterpoise.

Go to a band like 30 or 40 metres. Set the variable capacitor to about midway and slide the
ferrite in and out of the coil. You should notice a peak in received noise. Make further
adjustments to try to get the noise even louder; there will be some interaction between inductor
and capacitor settings.

Now try transmitting. It helps if your transceiver has some sort of internal VSWR metering,
even if it’s only a crude relative indicator such as on the Yaesu FT-817 or 818. Since you’re
already peaked on receive noise, the VSWR reading should be fairly low. Touch up the coil
and/or variable capacitor for 1:1 anyway.

Options exist if your transceiver doesn’t have its own VSWR indicator. You could build
something inside a homebrew or kit ng. Or use an external meter. Note though that many 27
MHz CB types are fine on higher HF bands but are not sensitive enough for QRP on 3.5 and 7
MHz. Alternatively, you could use a crude field strength or RF current meter such as described
later. Especially if you use the same rig and antenna you'll likely find the settings that produce
good results and will just be able to peak on receive noise.

How can you make this coupler more versatile? If 3.5 MHz is desired you could potentially
switch in a fixed coil of about 5 to 10 uH in series with the slider inductor. Or, if you’re willing
to sacrifice upper HF range, make the existing coil windings closer and add more of them to
increase inductance. You may also need to more capacitance; this can be achieved by switching
150, 180 or 220 pF in parallel with the variable capacitor. Disc ceramics will work at low power
levels but a less lossy type such as polystyrene or mica 1s preferred.

This is a simple, cheap and versatile antenna coupler suitable for much HF portable QRP work.
A video demonstration of it is available on my YouTube channel at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyKu0qK VA1I
Series and parallel antenna coupler with tuning lamp
One of the first antenna couplers I built was described by W9SCH in an early issue of Sprat from
the G QRP Club. He got it from a spark-era circuit. It used a single variable capacitor and coil
combination to match a wide range of antenna impedances. A light bulb in series with the
antenna connection was used to indicate when you were tuned up. I used it with tuned feeder
dipoles of various lengths, mostly on the lower HF bands.

My first version, like the original, had plug in coils. It worked well enough. But I wanted easier
band changing. So I made one with a switchable tapped coil, wound on the (then common) 35
mm photo film plastic canister.

I recently got it out to try after years of disuse. It still worked. I was able to match an end-fed 20
metre long wire on all amateur bands from 160 to 10 metres. There was only a slight difficulty
on 40m (where the wire's impedance would have been very high). You could make it slightly
shorter or longer to resolve that.

The circuit is below. The heart of the unit is a coil whose taps are selected by a six position
rotary switch. The whole coil needs to be switched in for 160 metres, while half or less is
selected for higher frequencies. Unlike a broadband transformer this arrangement provides a
degree of band pass at the desired frequency. This is a desirable feature, especially with simple
receivers prone to overload from out of band signals.

The double pole double throw switch changes the coupler’s configuration. Either the variable
capacitor is in series with the inductor or in parallel. Different configurations suit different
antennas on different bands. Note that the series configuration is only possible if the frame of the
variable capacitor is not permanently earthed to the case. More on this later.
 Coil wound on 30 - 35mm plastic
former. Close-wound 0.5 mm
diameter enamelled copper wire.

Tune
20t an
6 position Operate
Antenna
rotary switch
Transceiver 12t

12v 0.3A
4 turns 5t
10 - 300 pF
Wound over
end of main
coil. Series Parallel

A small light globe is in series with the antenna. This provides an assurance that you are tuned
up correctly. In this case you tune for maximum brightness with the switch open. The 12 volt,
300mA globe is suitable for low power levels like 1 to 5 watts. The switch across it is set to
‘Operate’ when tuning is finished. This extinguishes the globe and minimises loss on transmit.
Two antenna connection options are shown in the circuit (coaxial connector and two binding
posts) but this is not necessary.
This coupler is a little more complex to build than some others due to the tapped coil, the wiring
around the switches and the need for both sides of the variable capacitor to be isolated from
chassis. However, it is still a worthwhile project to experiment with once you have built some of
the simple L-match couplers described here and elsewhere.

None of the component values are critical. For example it doesn’t matter very much if your
variable capacitor has different values than indicated. As shown above I used a dual gang type
with the sections connected to achieve a high maximum capacitance. Your greatest challenge is
mounting it as its frame must not touch the chassis. You can do this either by using a non-metal
case or some form of plastic or cardboard to insulate it from the case. Alternatively, especially if
the coupler needs to be very small, you could use a plastic variable capacitor. Their main
limitation is their low maximum capacitance, even if both sections are connected together.
Overcome this limitation by switching in a 180 or 220pF parallel capacitor for the lower bands.

Most of the other construction effort is winding the coil. I used enamelled copper wire from an
old transformer. I’ve specified 0.5mm thickness but again it’s not that critical. In a pinch you
could use plastic insulated wire. However the coil will be longer and you may need a larger case.

One side of the inductor is connected to earth. The other side is connected to the end-most
connection on the rotary switch. The five other connections (which go to the switch’s five
remaining positions) are formed by making taps along the coil. This is done so that a different
number of turns can be selected with each rotary switch setting. Taps can be made while winding
the coil by bending about 10mm of wire from the coil, forming a hairpin type loop, twisting for
anchorage and then resuming winding until complete. Enamel is scraped off each coil tap with a
hobby knife. Insulated wire can then be used to form the connections between these and the
contacts on the rotary switch. Keep these connections short (no more than 4 or 5 cm) to minimise
stray inductance which could affect operation particularly on the higher frequency HF bands.
Wound over the main coil is a coupling coil that the transceiver is connected to. This should be
wound over the earth side of the main coil that is the side nearest the more closely spaced taps.

The rotor connection on the rotary switch goes to the double pole double throw toggle switch as
per the circuit. This is switched to the antenna (via the tuning lamp) in parallel mode and to the
variable capacitor in series mode. Wiring around the DPDT switch is critical otherwise the
coupler won’t work properly. Check using a multimeter or continuity indicator if unsure of
switch connections. Note that one of the switch’s six connections is not connected; the section
this is in is only needed in parallel mode to earth one side of the variable capacitor.

The remaining switch across the light globe is much simpler. All it does it short it when
transmitting. Hence it can be a single pole single throw (SPST) or single pole double throw
(SPDT) type.

Rear panel connections can be whatever suits your equipment. Binding posts are recommended
for the antenna for easy use with end-fed wires.

Use is like any other antenna coupler. Connect antenna, transceiver and peak variable capacitor
for maximum noise on receive. Confirm that the noise you are gettingis indeed maximum by
switching between series and parallel and trying various inductor settings while adjusting the
variable capacitor. With the switch across the light bulb in ‘Tune’ position apply | or 2 watts of
transmit power and make any other adjustments needed to get bulb brightness to peak. When
pleased switch to ‘Operate’ so the bulb goes out. If your transceiver has an internal VSWR
indicator it is worth checking this to confirm that maximum brightness coincides with lowest
VSWR.

10
Palm sized antenna coupler
QRP transceivers have shrunk but what about the accessories? Often when you assemble what
you need to take to go portable the ancillary gear can end up weighing more than the transceiver
itself. So you look critically at things. Do you really need that accessory speaker, CW keyer or
antenna analyser? Is your rig’s inbuilt VSWR meter good enough? Can a different battery save
some weight? And can one do without coax feedline if using end-fed antennas?

The answer to the last is yes. But the penalty is you’ll need some sort of transformer or antenna
coupler. While fixed ratio types may, especially if only using one band, be suitable, many
QRPers prefer the flexibility of an antenna coupler with variable inductance and capacitance
settings. If only for the satisfaction and assurance of peaking something for maximum field
strength and/or minimum VSWR.

This is one of the smallest and neatest HF antenna couplers I’ve built. Through the use of a
centre-off toggle switch it has three inductance settings. A plastic type variable capacitor (with
both sections paralleled) provides capacitance up to about 220 pF. You don’t quite have the
matching range as a coupler with more inductance settings but it’s surprisingly versatile with an
ability to allow most end-fed wires of reasonable length to operate from 7 to 28 MHz.

11
The other main compromise is its RF power handling capacity. I save space by using resistor
style RF chokes for the inductors. I’ve never had one burn out while using five watts of CW or
SSB.

But you might need to be careful with high duty cycle digital modes like WSPR where
transmissions can be two minutes or longer at full power. If you use these, or your transceiver
runs 10 to 20 watts you may need to revert to wound inductors on toroids instead.

“T’ve left the connecting lead at home”. That’s something that many portable operators dread.
This doesn’t have to happen to you if you use a panel mounted male connector. Then your
coupler can plug straight onto your transceiver’s antenna connection. Alternatively, if some
extra bulk is tolerable, you could add a length of RG58 coming from the coupler and a PL259 or
BNC plug. That’s a better approach if you are worried about stress on your transceiver’s antenna
connector.

Transceiver 1uH 2. 2uH 4.7uH

= () Antenna

e Med i 0

High O—O
Low G G

10 - 160 pF 10 - 60 pF 220k

m Earth

The circuit is like your average L-match. Most critical is the wiring around the switch. If you
get it wrong you won’t be able to switch the inductors properly. Inductors not needed are
shorted by the switch. When the switch is flicked to one side both inductors are shorted and only
the | uH is in circuit. This is good for the higher HF bands. At the other side the switch shorts
out only the 4.7 uH, leaving the 2.2 uH in circuit. In conjunction with the 1 uH (which is
permanently connected) this gives a total of 3.2 uH — good for the middle HF bands. Finally,
when the switch is in the neutral or centre off position it has no effect and all inductors are in
circuit. The combined 7.9 uH is suitable for 7 MHz. You might even get coverage on 5 MHz
with some antennas though I haven’t tried as VKs don’t have the band yet.
What business does that resistor have in the antenna coupler? That’s a good question to ask. It’s
natural to be suspicious of resistors in antenna systems. And that wariness is well-founded,
particularly in antennas that use resistors to broaden the bandwidth, but often at considerable cost
to efficiency.

In this case though one need not fear. The resistor here is a bleeder. Its 220 k value means it has
no effect on signal levels or efficiency. But it is useful in discharging static picked up by your
antenna to ground. That’s saved many a receiver front end. Still that doesn’t mean you
shouldn’t close down when the lightning gets close.

Little needs to be said about construction except to keep leads short. Excessive soldering iron
heat should be avoided, particularly around the capacitor and switch contacts. Other areas to
exercise care include the inductor leads and transceiver connector. Only drill holes in places
where you can be assured that sufficient clearance is available as some parts are closely spaced.

13
What if you don’t have the special centre-off toggle switch? If there’s room you could just use
two ordinary single pole double throw switches instead. One switch is wired across the 2.2 uH
and the other across the 4.7 uH inductor. The centre and only one of the outer switch contacts
needs to be used for this. Have room for a third switch? Place it across the 1uH inductor. Then
you will get more inductance choices and thus a wider matching range.

Testing comprises connecting an antenna (about 20 metres of wire as high as you can get it is
good), a short counterpoise (a few metres) and adjusting the coupler for maximum noise on
receive. On some frequencies you will find a peak on two inductor settings. Transmit a little
RF. Use the setting that produces lowest VSWR (if your transceiver has an internal meter) or
highest field strength (if you’re using an external indicator). Add or remove a few metres of
antenna wire if you can’t get a reasonable match on an important frequency.

14
 Coax loop tuning unit
Want to turn a roll of coaxial cable into a portable antenna for the lower HF bands? This antenna
coupler can help. Comprising two capacitors only, it brings a loop of coaxial cable, metal strip or
even wire to resonance and enables power transfer from the transceiver. This lets it form a useful
tuned loop for frequencies as low as 1.8 MHz.

15
Why would you wish to do this? You might be operating from a place where you can’t put up the
long or high antennas typically required for the lower HF bands. Or you might not wish to carry
a bulky magnetic loop. Yes, there are foldable, less bulky small loops but there is often a
performance sacrifice.

While also fairly small, this tuned loop is different from the magnetic loops you most commonly
see. These normally have a small coupling loop or gamma match-type arrangement to couple the
signal from the transceiver to the antenna. Instead this unit just uses a coupling box and two
variable capacitors to do all the work. The advantage is that you can attach various types of loops
for different bands. And, as noted before, you can even use an unmodified coaxial extension
cable as the radiating element.

Nothing presented here is new. It is similar in concept to the ‘Army Loop’ of the 1960s, though
the matching network is different. MFJ make several ‘loop tuners’ but they are relatively
expensive if you already have suitable variable capacitors. I got the idea for this one from the
designs documented online by PD7MAA and G8ODE.

This loop will have some losses. The coaxial cable radiator will have more resistance than
something more solid like thick copper or aluminium tubing. However these are far less portable
and can’t be rolled up like this one. If you’re making SOTA to SOTA contacts the noise level is
normally low enough to still hear weaker signals such as from loops like these. Also you might
be able to offset some losses with a longer radiating element that has a larger capture area.

Small loops are basically giant radiating tuned circuits. If you change the frequency you must
adjust the variable capacitors for the loop to resonate and effectively couple RF energy to and

16
from the transceiver. A longer element lowers the frequency that the loop can tune to and vice
versa.

For example with this unit the 15 metres of RGS8 coax cable I use allows resonance from about
1.3 to above 4 MHz, in other words the 160 and 80 metre amateur bands. Two or three metres of
cable resonates on 40, 30 and 20 metres. And something really short, like 1 metre can resonate
on 10 metres. There are however limitations of going too high, which I’Il discuss later.

Components and construction

Build the unit in a plastic or wood box not much bigger than required to house the parts. Garage
sales and second hand shops often have suitable containers for two dollars or less. A metal case
should not be used unless you can insulate connections from the loop and one of the variable
capacitors from it.

The circuit is below. There are just two main components. Both are variable capacitors such as
from old valve radios. These often come up at hamfests. The capacitor across the loop must be a
dual gang type with each section being equal.
 &
f Radiating element
(eg coaxial cable,
metal strip, wire etc)

10-400 pF 10 - 400 pF

20 - 300 pF

Transceiver

The stators (fixed plates) are connected across the wire loop. Because I wanted to use coaxial
cable with PL259s I used SO239s with the inner and outer connections shorted. These are
mounted as close as possible to the stator connections on the variable capacitor. If you prefer
metal strip as your element you could use alternative methods such as bolts and wingnuts. Or
have both to make your tuner more versatile. The frame of this variable capacitor (ie the moving
plates) connects to the transceiver antenna socket’s outer ring.

18
The capacitor connecting to the transceiver antenna socket can be a dual gang but doesn’t have to
be. If it’s a smaller type (like I used) you can connect both sections to increase the maximum
capacitance. The values are not especially critical though they will affect the bands you can
cover with a given element length.

Variable capacitors with 6.3 mm (1/4 inch) shafts are easiest to use as knobs are readily
available. If you have 9.5 mm shaft capacitors you can use irrigation T-pieces as knobs. On my
unit they are a firm fit even without glue or tape.

Adjustment and use

Set the loop up so that as large as possible area is enclosed by it (eg a circle or diamond). Switch
on the receiver and adjust both variable capacitors for maximum noise. Apply a small amount of
power and adjust for lowest VSWR (ideally 1:1). This will require a little juggling as there will
be interaction between the controls. Also not all settings where receive noise is high will give
low VSWR on transmit.

19
Like with magnetic loops the tuning will likely be narrow and there will be high voltages across
the variable capacitors so exercise appropriate caution when using. Readjust each time you
change frequency as bandwidth will be quite narrow.

Results and improvements

I’ve had good results on both 80 and 160 metres SSB, CW and WSPR with a 15 metre perimeter
RGS58 coax loop configured in a diamond. this loop while operating portable. This is ideal for
portable use as RGS8 is light enough to be supported by a telescoping pole. It gives a quick to
erect portable antenna for these two bands.

My furthest distances have been 350km on 160 metres CW and 1400km on 80 metres WSPR.
Both these were at night. But don’t discount the capabilities of these bands during the day from a
low noise location, especially during the current solar cycle trough. Such conditions also mean
that there are times where closer in contacts requires 160 metre capability as 80 metres doesn’t
always support shorter distances.

What about shorter lengths of coaxial cable as the radiating element? The tuner will bring these
to resonance on higher frequencies. For instance two or three metres of RGS8 allows operation
on 7, 10 and 14 MHz. And less than a metre provides at least 28 MHz capability.

Results though have been poor with the two metre length. While efficient modes like WSPR will
elicit reports from the better placed stations within a single hop on bands like 7 and 14 MHz,
contact modes such as CW, SSB and even FT8 have not been successful. Losses are obviously
extremely high. While the loop can be tuned to resonance and it’s quite a good receive antenna,
these factors alone do not guarantee efficient operation on transmit.

There are at least three ways you can get around this.

Firstly you can lengthen the loop element. Four to eight metres of coax should give much better
results on 7 MHz due to the larger capture area. Your main limitation here is that loop size is
limited by the minimum capacitance of the variable capacitor. If it is too high then you cannot
use a very large loop and you will be sacrificing efficiency. A good solution could be to build a
separate matching unit with smaller variable capacitors with lower maximum and (most
importantly) minimum values for the middle and higher HF bands.

Another approach is to ditch the idea of a loop on the higher HF bands and use your 15 metres or
so of coax as a plain end-fed wire. To avoid the need for a second antenna coupler you could
retain this unit but make it more versatile by including an inductor that is switched in to form an
ordinary L-match.

This could be done with a single pole double throw switch. The common connection goes to the
transceiver connection. One position goes to the 300pF series variable capacitor while the other

20
goes to a multi-tap inductor. The free side of this inductor goes to connection B (right hand side
of loop on diagram previously). Flipping the switch to select the inductor, connecting a
counterpoise to ground and disconnecting the coax loop from socket A and (preferably)
rearranging it to form a more open shape (eg an inverted vee) should allow efficient operation on
the higher HF bands.

Summary

Even if you don’t consider yourself a magnetic loop person, a tuner like this is a worthwhile
project. It can quickly turn a roll of coax into a useful antenna for the lower HF bands. While it
doesn’t deliver the ultimate in performance the compact size and short set up time makes it ideal
for portable and short-term operating on 80 and 160 metres.

oi
 80 metres with the compact wide-range L-match
In Hand-carried ORP antennas | described the Compact wide-range L-match for 7 — 28 MHz.
Unlike many antenna couplers that switch taps on a coil with a 6 to 10 position rotary switch,
this used switches in parallel with separate inductors of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 uH. This gave a total of
sixteen inductance combinations between 0 and 7.5 uH in 0.5 uH steps. This worked well for 7
to 28 MHz. The circuit is presented below.

32 turns 22 turns 16 turns 11 turns

T50-6 T50-6 T50-6 T50-6

Transceiver

O Antenna

Tsoa ey cy Earth

L-match antenna coupler

Sunspot numbers have declined since the first volume was written. 7 MHz is no longer reliable
for closer-in contacts as it often exceeds the (depressed) critical frequency. At other times DX
QRM can make communication difficult, especially at night. Consequently, 3.5 MHz capability
is handy. This is possible with extra antenna wire and a suitable antenna coupler.

You don’t need to build another if you already have the one described above. There’s two ways
to get 3.5 MHz coverage. The first (if there’s room) is to add a fifth switch with a parallel 8 uH
inductor. This will give you 32 inductance combinations up to 15.5 uH in 0.5 uH steps. Almost
as good as a roller inductor!

23)
The alternative is to retain the four switches but double all the inductance values so there are
now sixteen steps from 0 to 15 uH in 1luH steps. You already have three of the four inductors
required, all you need is to wind one for 8 uH and put aside the un-needed 0.5 uH toroid.

This is not without compromise. The main thing you lose 1s fine inductance adjustment desirable
for bands above about 18 or 21 MHz. You may also find that the | uH minimum makes the
coupler unsuitable for higher HF bands like 24 and 28 MHz with most lengths of wire.
Nevertheless, it’s a quick and easy modification if you value 3.5 MHz capability more than the
higher HF bands. And you may be able to get some improved higher HF band coverage if you
take a couple turns off the 1 uH to make it nearer 0.7 uH.

How do you make the 8 uH inductor? It’s quite a large value. Unless you use very fine wire it
will be difficult to fit enough turns on a 12mm diameter toroid as used for the smaller inductors
in the coupler. Consequently, I used a T68-2 toroid with 37 turns. As well as being larger (0.68
inch, or 17mm), it used a different type of material. This is why it is coloured red instead of
yellow as with the others (shown left in photo below).

The above modification should allow some end-fed wires to operate on 3.5 MHz. But what if
you encounter situations where you need more capacitance than the 220 pF maximum that the
variable capacitor used can go up to?

Assuming you’re not about to tear apart your coupler and resort to contortions involving knives,
pliers and screwdrivers to unstick the existing solidly glued capacitor, there are a few choices.
The simplest, if there’s room, is to add a fixed capacitor that can be switched in parallel with the

23
variable capacitor. Its value needs to be equal to (or slightly less than) the variable’s maximum
capacitance, e.g. 180 to 220 pF. Disc ceramics will work with QRP but are more lossy than
other types. So, if at all possible, I would suggest polystyrene or mica types, even if you need to
wire several in parallel to reach the desired capacitance.

An alternative, if you have no room for more switches, is to replace one of the ordinary switches
with a centre off toggle switch. Instead of just being able to switch from one side to the other,
these special types of switch have a neutral centre position where no pins are connected. They
are rarer and dearer than the normal double throw type of switch but do allow space to be saved
in some applications.

The diagram below shows the general principle. When in position A the switch shorts out the
inductor. Hence there is zero inductance. There is also no extra capacitance since the added
220pF fixed capacitor is unconnected. In position B (ie centre / neutral) nothing is connected
and the switch might as well not be in the circuit. This puts the inductor in the signal path while
keeping the capacitor out of circuit. The inductor remains unshorted in switch position C.
However, this time the capacitor is connected in parallel with the variable capacitor. This adds
capacitance, and in some circumstances increases the range of antennas that the coupler can
match, particularly on lower HF frequencies.

Transceiver

A Antenna

G0 20 Sie ie
Be A 0
C variable
SPDT switch G G capacitor
P
220 pF with centre off
{ Earth

L-match antenna coupler

Ensure that the highest value inductor is at the transceiver end and the lowest value inductor at
the variable capacitor/antenna end if you do this modification. This allows flexibility to switch
the capacitor in at most inductance settings of the coupler. While it is true that you cannot have
the extra capacitor switched in when the lowest value inductor is shorted this is unlikely to be a
problem in practice as you will unlikely need very fine inductance steps on lower frequency
bands where you’d need the capacitor switched in.

24
 A ground tuning unit for vertical antennas
Do you live where you can’t get near a good RF ground, such as in an apartment? Do you go
portable with vertical antennas? Or would you like to try the DX opportunities possible while
over salt water?

If any of these apply, a ground tuning unit (or artificial RF ground) for use with a counterpoise
wire is a handy accessory. You can buy them commercially (e.g. the MFJ931) but they’re
incredibly simple to make yourself. A trip to any good hamfest or vintage radio sale will provide
all the parts needed.

The main unit comprises just two parts; a variable capacitor and a tapped inductor. They’re wired
in series between the transceiver (or antenna coupler) ground connection and your counterpoise.

25
 Antenna

Transceiver Antenna
coupler

Ground
Tuning Unit

Counterpoise

Built into the ground tuning unit is a relative reading RF ammeter. Its purpose is to provide an
indication of ground current. The ground tuning unit is correctly adjusted when there is
maximum current flowing into the counterpoise.

A T50-2 iron powder toroid in the counterpoise lead acts as the RF ammeter’s sensor. About 20
turns of wire step up the voltage enough to be rectified by a germanium diode and drive an
analogue meter movement. Because the current can vary according to transmitter power output
and the length of antenna used, a potentiometer lets you back off the meter’s sensitivity if
required.

The analogue meter movement should have a full scale deflection around 250 uA, though
anything from 50 uA to 1mA would be fine. They are found in many 1960s — 1980s electronic
items including transistor radios, stereo tuners, tape recorders and CB sets. Again they are a
common hamfest find. If you can’t find one you could use the DC mA range on a multimeter,
though it is best that it be the type with a bar graph display for a visual indication. Note that both
the meter and the diode are polarised. The diode’s cathode should connect to the meter’s (+)
terminal for correct operation.

26
 Inductor on 50mm plastic pipe
Approx Imm thick wire
: 20 turns total
Transceiver or antenna 20 turns on
coupling unit ground T50-2 toroid yi et Ua | ae
connection Counterpoise

A00pF

1N60
IN34A
OAQ5

Sensitivity
6 position rotary switch

50 uA to
ImA FSD

As you can see in the photo, I used an air spaced variable capacitor. It should have a maximum
capacitance of around 300 of 400 pF. If aiming for small size, you could use a salvaged plastic
transistor radio variable capacitor instead. Their maximum value is typically about 160 pF. If
there are two sections connect these in parallel so the maximum is about 220 pF. You may also
put a switch with a 180 or 220 pF disc ceramic capacitor to switch in extra parallel capacitance
that may be needed on the lower HF bands.

27
The inductor comprises 20 turns of wire wound on a 50mm diameter plastic pipe. A six position
rotary switch (underneath the meter movement) varies the inductance. A 10 or 12 position
switch, with taps on the coil every | or 2 turns would have provided finer adjustment, but the six
position switch I used proved adequate. If you do use a six position switch vary the spacing of
the taps so that you can retain fairly fine adjustment at lower inductance settings. This can be
done by having an uneven number of turns between taps as shown in the diagram above.

A wire thickness of Imm should be OK for 100 watts. An 0.5mm thickness and thinner former
would work if you’re building a GTU specifically for QRP portable work and wish to save space
and weight. Another approach that makes for an even smaller package would be to use a toroidal
coil mounted on the back of the rotary switch.

Connections to the switch should be formed by scraping enamel off the inductor’s wire, forming
a small loop, twisting it and tinning the loop with a hot soldering iron and solder. Plastic
insulated wire can then join these taps to the back of the rotary switch.

Use a plastic box to house the ground tuning unit. Doing so makes mounting the variable
capacitor easier. This is because, unlike some popular antenna coupler circuits, such as pi and L
networks, both connections of the variable capacitor are floating above earth and would have
needed to have been specially insulated if a metal case was used. Another benefit of a plastic
case is there’s less interaction with the inductor, especially if you’ve chosen to use an air space
type.
Connections outside the unit include a lead to the transceiver (or more likely the antenna
coupling unit’s ground terminal) and another to the counterpoise. If you’re using it for portable
work this can be a wire straight to a G-clamp for clipping on to fences or railings.

To test the unit I suggest going to a place where there is a fence or railing and you can erect a 5
metre vertical antenna on 14 MHz (or 7.5 metres for 10 MHz or 10 metres for 7 MHz). These are
quarter wavelength radiators that exhibit a low impedance and will cause high ground currents to
flow in your counterpoise at the ground tuning unit.

Peak your antenna coupler for maximum noise on receive and try the same with the ground
tuning unit. Transmit a carrier. With the GTU set to maximum sensitivity you should see a
deflection on the meter needle indicating counterpoise current.

Adjust the GTU’s inductor and variable capacitor for a peak in the meter reading, backing off the
sensitivity control if required. You may need to touch up your antenna coupler to restore the
VSWR to near 1:1. Then re-adjust the GTU to regain the peak if required.

Try making some contacts. If you’ve chosen a good counterpoise, especially one over salt water,
you might be amazed at the results you get. If there’s no one around you could try transmitting
WSPR and looking at the reports you get from the wsprnet website.

28
Another experiment is to double either the wire’s length or your transmit frequency. This time
the antenna will be a high impedance half wavelength vertical. This greatly reduces the
counterpoise current at the point where the Ground Tuning Unit is and the meter should hardly
move.

A quarter wavelength vertical isn’t the only antenna suitable for use with the ground tuning unit.
You can put up something much smaller and still get results. An example is the top loaded TLI
vertical described elsewhere. With that I was able to get good results on 3.5 MHz with a vertical
just 5 metres high thanks to a large capacitance hat and a tuned counterpoise coupling into salt
water.

29
 3 TEST EQUIPMENT AND ACCESSORY PROJECTS

RF current indicator with closed loop

Audible resistive bridge adapter
Audible RF sniffer
Meterless audible resistive bridge
Receiving antenna switch box

30
 RF current indicator with closed loop
A handy little instrument for antenna tests is this little RF current indicator. You can move it near
antenna elements, counterpoise elements and open wire feedline to identify points of maximum
current. This gives you some reassurance that things are working as the theory books say they
should.

It's so simple that you don't need a circuit. Gather the following parts:

* Stiff copper wire - about 30cm long for sense antenna

* Germanium diode as used in crystal sets (eg IN34A, OA95 etc)
* Disc ceramic capacitor - anywhere from InF to 100nF
* Analogue meter movement - anywhere from 50 uA to I1mA full scale deflection

Both the diode and meter are polarised. The cathode of the diode (end nearest the thin stripe)
must go to the positive (+) on the meter. Meters are marked with + and - terminals. I used a
small printed circuit board on the back to provide some extra rigidity. Use a hacksaw to saw a
slot to separate both connections of the sense loop.

31
To use the indicator run its sense wire parallel with the antenna element or feedline to maximise
coupling and get an indication on the meter. Move it a little away if the meter reads full scale.

Move it up and down the antenna or counterpoise wire to see how the current varies with the
meter's position along it. With long elements or feedlines note the repeating pattern of current
peaks about every half wavelength or so.

If you’re using a tuned counterpoise but haven’t built the sensor unit like described in the
Ground Tuning Unit before you could use this indicator. However, because there isn’t the toroid
to provide a voltage step-up it won’t be as sensitive.

What about an RF field strength meter? That’s easy to make with this indicator. Just solder in a
100 uH to 1 mH RF choke where the loop is and unsolder the side of the loop connecting to the
meter’s negative terminal so the loop is split to form an antenna. That will give you a relative
idea of field strength. If it’s too sensitive you could always add a potentiometer between the
diode and the meter movement. A value between about 5 and 50 k ohm should suffice. And if
you’re running short of meter movements you could always add a single pole double throw
switch to provide both functions as per the diagram below.

32
 100 UH to1mH Any germanium diode
RF choke eg 1N34A, 1N60, OA95

RF sensor hieter

antenna 50 uA to 1 mA FSD

RF current

Sp)
 Audible resistive bridge adapter
We’re all used to using VSWR meters to check or adjust our antenna systems. The idea is that
you pick a desired frequency and trim things so that no or zero power is reflected. It’s very
similar with a resistive antenna bridge except you need to switch the meter in to adjust. While
that’s a hassle there are some benefits like not subjecting the final stage to wild impedance
fluctuations and not radiating a signal when tuning up.

In both cases you’re trying to get a null (zero reading) on a meter movement. Unfortunately
watching a meter needle isn’t always convenient. For example, you may be some distance away,
in poor light or otherwise have difficulty seeing it.

Here is where an audible indication can help. Instead of watching a meter needle you’re
listening for a tone. It’s high pitched when the meter is reading high and low pitched when the
meter is indicating low. And when the meter is showing zero the tone disappears.

All this is possible with the voltage controlled audio oscillator presented here. It’s connected
across your VSWR indicator’s meter movement. Construction is simple, require about ten parts.
All are readily obtainable including the popular 555 IC.

The circuit is below. Only one part is adjustable. This is the trimmer potentiometer. It’s set to
the point where the circuit just stops oscillating when the meter connected is indicating 0. A 9
volt battery powers the unit.

meter
connections

Because it’s so simple no printed circuit board is required. Mine is built on a small piece of
unclad matrix board. Necessary connections between parts are made with short lengths of wire
mostly underneath the board.

34
Open your resistive antenna bridge or VSWR meter and place clip leads across the meter
movement. If your bridge has separate meters for forward and reflected power, use the one that
indicates reflected power.

Connect a dummy load to the meter or bridge and apply a few watts carrier power from the
transmitter. This can be done in AM, FM or CW modes (with the key pressed). Indicated
reflected power should be zero.

Connect the other end of the clip leads from the meter to the audible adapter. Polarity is
important — the negative goes to the trimpot’s wiper while the positive goes to the 47k resistor.
Note that what looks like the ground rail (Pin | on the 555 etc) is not connected to the ground or
case of the VSWR meter. Instead only the two connections going to the meter are connected.

With RF carrier applied and the adapter’s 9 volt battery connected adjust the trimpot with a
screwdriver. At some settings you will hear a tone from the speaker. Another adjustment will
cause the frequency to drop until ticking is heard. Set the trimpot to the point where the ticking
stops.

Replace the dummy load with an antenna coupler connected to an antenna. Adjust it in the usual
way, aiming for minimum reflected power. You should hear the tone drop as reflected power
falls. And, when things are adjusted properly, the sound should vanish or at least be infrequent
clicking.

With experience you will get more confident about using the audible adapter. Then you’ll hardly
look at the meter and prefer to listen instead.

What other things can you do with this adapter? Sometimes you need to do adjustments
remotely. You could use a walkie talkie or handheld transceiver to transmit the sound to where
you need it. Or you could feed the audio into a cheap 433 MHz UHF data transmitter module to

35
make a self-contained audible antenna tuning indicator/transmitter. You'll then be able to hear
the tuning tone on a cheap 70cm handheld or pocket scanner over your entire property (unless
it’s a large farm). See my YouTube channel for a series on using UHF data transmitter modules.

This audible resistive bridge adapter is cheap and simple. The ‘audio VCO circuit has
applications for other projects as described elsewhere.

36
 Audible RF sniffer
Do you need something that gives you a sound indication if there’s significant RF energy
floating around? Say to test a handheld transceiver or even operate as a CW sidetone?

Here’s a simple instrument to build. Identical to the above audible resistive bridge adapter
except for two added parts, it’s a simple afternoon project requiring fewer than 15 components.
All are widely available and as it’s so simple a small piece of matrix circuit board can be used
for construction.

G,

Antenna + Ov
: (~50cm long)
18k
4

7 +
15k 1N4148 47k
10k 400k 3 10uF

33k
10n 10n i =
O

Adjustment is similar to the audible resistive antenna bridge adapter described before. That is
you set the trimpot just short of the unit making a sound when no RF is present. You could even
use a potentiometer instead to make it a sensitivity control.

I suggest using an antenna about 50cm long. It could be a telescopic whip salvaged from an old
radio or indoor TV antenna. Or a rod or stiff wire. The detection range with a 1-watt VHF or
UHF handheld transceiver should be about 1 to 2 metres. At this distance you will hear ticking
but as you bring the transceiver closer you will hear a tone increasing in pitch with proximity.

37
 Meterless audible resistive bridge
Want something small to indicate whether your portable QRP antenna is tuned up? Don’t want
to buy a moving coil meter movement? And need it to work with low transmit powers?

Here is your solution. Unlike the adapter described before, it’s a self-contained instrument. Not
having a meter saves space and money. And it can work with as little as 500 milliwatts.

The circuit is below. It’s just a resistive antenna bridge whose output voltage goes to zero when
the antenna coupler is properly adjusted. The 555 IC voltage controlled audio oscillator
produces an audio tone that represents the voltage applied. The higher the voltage the higher the
pitch. And when the voltage is zero then no tone is produced.

50
(2 x 100 ohm
in parallel)

38
The bridge part can be wired point to point, taking care to keep leads short but avoiding
touching. Two watt rated resistors allow the bridge to be used at QRP power levels for a short
time without overheating. The rectifier is an ordinary 1N4148 silicon diode. However for
greater sensitivity at low power levels a germanium diode could be tried instead.

I suggest building the oscillator portion on a small piece of matrix circuit board. Its speaker is
any 4 to 16 ohm type that fits in the box — mine was salvaged from a toy.

Adjustment is similar to the adapter described before. That is, with a known good match, you set
the trimmer potentiometer to a point just short of where oscillation starts.

Unlike a regular VSWR meter, the bridge is only to be used in-line when making adjustments.
Otherwise you will find that very little transmit power reaches the antenna. And you may cook
the bridge’s resistors. To make use easier you could include a double pole double throw switch
connected to the input and output sockets so the bridge can be bypassed when transmitting.

39
 Receiving antenna switch box

Most amateurs use the same antenna on receive as they do on transmit. This is easy and
convenient. However it doesn’t always give the best performance, especially on the MF and
lower HF bands.

Especially for QRPers, the best antenna for transmitting is the one that provides the strongest
signal in the desired directions at the desired angles. However the best antenna for receiving is
not necessarily the antenna that gives the strongest indicated signal.

What’s more important on receive is maximising the signal to noise ratio. In other words an
antenna that provides an S6 signal, rising above noise at S2, is better than one that provides an
S7 signal rising above an s5 noise.

The top operators on bands like 160 metres arrange this by having a separate receiving antenna.
On transmit they might have a tall vertical. But on receive they might use a tuned loop or low
Beverage. The latter picks up less noise and hears weaker signals that would be inaudible if
using the transmit antenna.

You can join them too. A receiving antenna is fairly easy to build but what about the switching?
DXers have too much to worry about without having to flick a manual antenna switch every time
they go from receive to transmit.

40
The solution, for those whose transceivers lack a separate receiving antenna socket, is an
outboard automatic switch. It’s basically a relay controlled by the transceiver’s push to talk line.
The relay then switches the transceiver’s antenna socket between antennas, depending on
whether you are on transmit or receive.

How do you get access to the push to talk line? Most transceivers have this available through a
rear panel accessory socket. In the case of the FT817/818 two connections are required. One
remains at 13.5 volts while the other goes to ground potential when the transceiver is in transmit
mode (eg when the PTT is pressed or the VOX is activated). The voltage between the
connections in transmit mode actuates the relay.

4]
You can see how it works from the circuit below:

Receive on Rx Ant

$$,
+ 13.5 volts or
SPDT
IN4001 switch

Tx Ant

Receive on Tx Ant

Grounded on Tx | 12 volt relay

What if you wanted to do quick comparisons between both antennas on receive? After all,
sometimes the transmit antenna might hear better than the dedicated receive antenna for some
stations. This is the function of the switch in the circuit. The only other part required is the diode
across the relay to protect the transceiver’s switching circuitry against ‘back emf’ generated by
the relay’s coil.

42
 4 POSSIBLE ANTENNA CONFIGURATIONS WITH AVAILABLE
SUPPORTS

‘Height is might’ is a common saying in antenna lore. Generally speaking, the higher your
antenna the better its performance, especially if you wish to work long distances.

Getting height can be a big problem. Especially if you’re operating from a location where you
need to bring your own antenna supports. Here the support is often the heaviest part of your
station.

Hand-carried QRP antennas discussed available choices, including trees, telescoping poles and
kites in detail. Of these the most versatile is some form of telescoping pole (or two). To recap I'll
present, in summary form, some types of portable antennas possible with them. Often you'll be
able to apply the configurations shown here to other supports such as tree branches. And some
will be described in more detail later in the book.

Available poles vary greatly in maximum height and strength. Some can be collapsed small
enough to fit into a suitcase while others may have to go as special luggage if flying.

The most easily carried poles have very thin top sections that whip around in the breeze. This
makes them suitable for supporting only the thinnest type of insulated wire. Simplicity is
essential since all but the lightest feedlines, baluns and traps cannot be supported without the
pole severely bending. Placing the wire lower down the pole, possibly using a piece of plastic or
chopping board, will work but you won’t want to sacrifice much height.

43
Either fibreglass or carbon fibre material is generally suitable as a pole material. The dielectric
properties of the latter have not been found to contribute significant loss, especially for inverted-
vee type antennas where the mast and wire are only close at one point.

Below are some antennas that can be supported with a single extendable pole.

Vertical with short counterpoise

short
counterpoise
antenna
coupler

This is a vertically polarised antenna with low angle of radiation. It’s ideal for use over salt
water. The impedance is high so you need an L-match or similar coupler. While the L-match is
an extra item to carry, they can be made very small and they enable usage on multiple bands. For
example, use on half the designed frequency makes it a quarter wavelength vertical. However an
improved ground system will be required for better than mediocre performance.

44
Ten metres of wire is close to a half wavelength on 14 MHz. That could be accommodated on a 9
metre pole, especially if you leave a top overhang that will hopefully be made horizontal by
anything more than a light breeze. It’s a quarter wavelength on 7 MHz and about one-third
wavelength on 10 MHz. It will work on 7 MHz but will likely be inferior for contacts up to about
500 or 1000 km (ie the majority) compared to a horizontal or inverted-vee half wavelength
dipole or end-fed wire.

7.5 metres is close to a half wavelength on 21 MHz and a quarter wavelength on 10 MHz. While
smaller than a half wavelength on 20 metres a reasonable antenna coupler should still allow
operation on that band.

If your pole is only 5 metres tail then that length of wire will operate as a half wavelength on 28
MHz and a quarter wavelength on 14 MHz. It’s down to about one-sixth wavelength on 10 MHz
but I’ve still had usable results there when used as a pedestrian mobile antenna. Down on 7 MHz
it’s only one-eighth wavelength. I wouldn’t recommend its use there unless you add a loading
coil to make it a centre loaded vertical. For more information on this arrangement see the
“Wadetenna’ from Hand-carried ORP antennas.

Quarter wavelength ground plane

1/4
WL

2, 30r 4
radials

feedline

45
The wire ground plane is another vertically polarised antenna with a low angle of radiation. It
can be fed with 50 ohm coaxial cable if single band only operation is required. It’s not my
favourite choice for QRP portable operation due to the amount of wire required and set up time
compared to other equally efficient antennas. Last but not least their radials are susceptible to
being tripped over or walked into if operating from a public place. Fortunately, other options
eXxIst.

Vertical dipole

feedline

This is also vertically polarised with a low angle of radiation. It can be fed with 50 ohm coaxial
cable if you only need a single band. It is desirable that the feedline be at a wide angle from the
lower element to prevent detuning or distortion of the radiation pattern.

My experiences with vertical dipoles on bands like 20 metres have been favourable. After
unsuccessful attempts to get DX contacts with 5 watts of CW with a horizontal dipole, I made it
vertical. I was initially alarmed at the increase in receive noise but made several successful
Australia to Europe DX contacts in the vertical configuration. The near-water island operating
location likely helped!

Want multiple bands? Feed it with 300 to 600 ohm open wire feedline and a balanced antenna
coupler. This is also a good approach if your dipole is shorter than a half wavelength as it will
work efficiently even at lower frequencies. For example, if your pole is 8 metres tall two four
metre lengths fed with open wire line will still be an efficient performer on the 20 metre band
despite it being slightly shorter than a full half wavelength. |

46
T top-loaded vertical

Capacitance hat - 2 wires as close

to horizontal as possible (use long
Crate length of fishing line to tie off)

1/16 WL

fence or
“railing

antenna coupler

This vertical is ideal for 1.8 to 7 MHz. It’s an excellent choice if you’re lacking available height
(or your poles are short). The T is suitable for ground wave contacts on 1.8 MHz and low angle
DX work on other bands, especially if over or near salt water.

Keep the top wires as close to horizontal as possible to form a capacitance hat. If you wish to
work closer in stations (e.g. several hundred kilometres distant) and want some high angle
radiation an option exists to disconnect one part of the T to form an inverted L. A switch or lead
with alligator cable would allow you to swap between the two.

The T requires an antenna coupler and ground connection. A ground tuning unit may also be
helpful. Details of one are presented elsewhere.

Inverted L with short counterpoise

47
 |hilind2 tie off
WL

antenna |
coupler
short
counterpoise

This is a good general purpose antenna for several HF bands with an antenna coupler. It works
with a short counterpoise and exhibits a high impedance. The mix of vertical and horizontal
polarisation may make it a better antenna than some others for signals on 80 and 40 metres up to
a few hundred kilometres distant. Tie off the top to a tree or fence via a length of fishing line to
keep the angle at the top of the pole as open as possible. Operation is also possible on lower
frequencies as %4 wavelength inverted L if a better ground is provided. Being quick to erect and
working on several bands this is my favourite antenna for casual portable QRP operating.

Inverted vee dipole

48
The classic half wavelength dipole is a good monoband antenna with no need for ground or
antenna coupler. It’s ideal for single hop communication on 3.5 and 7 MHz up to approximately
1000 km. Greater heights improve DX performance. A 1:1 balun at the feedpoint is optional. It
adds weight and I’ve never found one necessary for portable QRP operating. Old speaker wire is
perfect but if you find thinner wire that will minimise sag if using lightweight poles. Tying off
the ends with fishing line or similar is beneficial to keep the angle at the apex as open as
possible.

Inverted vee link dipole

Connect
on lower
frequency
an

50 ohm
coax

The inverted vee link dipole has all the benefits of the plain inverted vee but has clips or switches
that allow efficient operation on a few bands. It needs no ground connection nor antenna coupler.
It’s one band at a time; you must lower the centre to change bands. This makes it good for casual
operating where you don’t often need to change bands.

Inverted vee link dipoles are another of my favourite picks for simple portable antennas. They
are also popular with the Summits of the Air operator crowd.

Construction is easy. Start from inside out. That is build the dipole for the highest frequency and
when happy move on to the extension for the next highest frequency and so on until done. Use
alligator clips or similar for the connections. The ends can be tied off with fishing line.

Inverted vee dipole fed with open wire line

49
 >0.17 WL
>0.17 WL on lowest
on lowest frequency
frequency

antenna
coupler

Provided you’re willing to twiddle the knobs of a balanced antenna coupler near the transceiver
this choice gives more bands than the link dipole. And, like the above, there’s no need for a
ground connection or radials.

Because band changes can be done without lowering the antenna the tuned feeder option is a
good choice for contests or operating during inclement weather where frequent lowering and
raising is inconvenient. It is also good where you have limited horizontal space since you can go
down to about 3/8 of a wavelength end to end and still get good performance.

The main catch with this antenna is that it needs to be fed with open wire feedline of between
300 and 600 ohm impedance. This is not as obtainable as it used to be but you can make your
own with thin wire and plastic spacers. And, though the textbooks warn against it, you can get
away with using an unbalanced coupler for portable QRP. Just be wary of the increased risk of
feedline radiation, noise pickup and RF getting into accessories like microphones and data
interface cables.

Full wavelength delta loop fed with open wire line

50
 open wire
feedline

| s null bia
1/3 WL
WL
This loop is a vertically polarised low angle radiator ideal for DX work over salt water. Unlike
vertical monopoles it requires no ground connection. The dimensions indicate a 1 wavelength
perimeter on the design band but efficient operation is possible from 0.7 to over 1.5 times the
design frequency. Hence one made for 14 MHz (20 metre perimeter) will work from 10 to at
least 21 MHz. This loop requires a balanced antenna coupler.

A typical configuration is to tie the telescoping pole support to a fence post or (better still) jetty
railing upright. Fishing line is used to hold the corners out. A variant, if you’re satisfied with one
band, is to use an electrical quarter wavelength matching length of 75 ohm coaxial cable to
transform the antenna’s feedpoint impedance of approximately 100 ohm to the desired 50 ohm.

G4ZU ‘Jungle Job’ (or ‘Bow and Arrow’)

Reflector

Driven
element

Coaxial ya
feedline ‘nt

51
A directional antenna popular amongst European amateurs is G4ZU’s ‘Jungle Job’ (or ‘Bow and
Arrow’). It’s a simple two element beam that can be made of wire. One element is straight while
the other is V-shaped. It can either be horizontally or vertically polarised, such as pictured
above. An advantage of this is that it needs only a single tall support. A lower support (or nearby
tree) can be used to pull the driven element out.

Forward gain should approach that of a two element yagi. Radiation pattern charts I’ve seen
indicate significant rejection off the back; more than if both elements were straight.

A properly operating ‘Jungle Job’ can deliver a lot of results for little money. It would be an
ideal choice if you’re seeking to work stations in one direction on one band. However, like the
VK2ABQ and the Moxon, it gets its gain from critical coupling. Such antennas require more care
to optimise element angle and spacing than straight element beams which are more forgiving.
Unless you’re willing to take the effort to adjust antennas in the field you’ll probably be better
off sticking to simpler single-element antennas like wire dipoles and loops.

Oblong loop for VHF/UHF

1 WL
perimeter

1:1 balun

coaxial
feedline

The oblong loop is a delightfully simple but under-appreciated horizontally polarised antenna
ideal for VHF/UHF SSB work. It’s a full wavelength perimeter loop that is twice as tall as it is

52
wide. This oblong shape and feedpoint location gives a handy 50 ohm feedpoint impedance. In
theory one should use a 1:1 balun but in practice you can get away without one. The radiation
pattern is bidirectional, like a half wavelength dipole, with maximum radiation broadside.

Why use an oblong? One advantage is it can be mounted higher on a flexible pole than a
horizontal dipole. This is because it is physically much narrower. Whereas a 144 MHz dipole is
nearly a metre wide, the oblong’s width is only about 33cm, or one-sixth of a wavelength.
That’s a significant benefit especially when it’s windy.

An oblong can also be made from thin wire. Lightweight timber dowelling and irrigation fittings
can hold it to shape and permit mounting on a telescoping pole. Examples for various bands are
presented later.

Lightweight beams for VHF/UHF

Provided you’re operating in calm conditions, it’s possible to use a telescoping pole to support at
least a lightweight four element beam on 144 MHz and several more elements on 432 MHz.

Key to success is not getting too greedy with height. Having the beam too high up the pole will
likely cause it to snap because you are relying on a thin and fragile section to support it. You
also don’t want the U-bolt through the beam’s boom to be pressing too tight on the pole.
Otherwise it will crush the pole material and wreck it.

ae
Apart from having the beam mounted three or four sections below the top where the pole is
thicker, another way you can lessen the risk of damage is to have a plastic or cardboard sleeve.
Its inside diameter should be sufficient for it to settle snugly several sections from the top. I
suggest a point where the mast is about 25 - 30 mm diameter on 144 MHz though you might be
able to get away with less if using a light 432 MHz beam.

Routing the coaxial feedline is another consideration. Have it going as close as possible as right
angles away from the driven element (easier with horizontal than vertically polarised beams).
Then lessen stress on the feedpoint by tying it to the pole at several points with insulation tape.
That way stronger sections bear some of the feedline’s weight.

Having one pole is good but two can be better, provided that the increased bulk and weight is
acceptable when carrying. Two poles open possibilities for improved antennas on the lower HF
bands and gain antennas (including wire beams) on upper HF frequencies.

Below are some antennas that can be supported with two extendable poles.

Inverted L

tie off

antenna
coupler
short
counterpoise

We’ve had this one before. The single pole arrangement is fine for 7 and 14 MHz but as the wire
length gets towards 30 or 40 metres (such as required for a half wavelength on 5 and 3.5 MHz)
the wire tends to sag, lowering its average height. And there may be no trees or fences to provide
a tie off point. In both cases an extra pole (or two) can keep more of the top high and contribute
to improved performance.

Half square

54
 1/2WL

1/4 WL 1/4 WL

antenna
coupler

short
counterpoise

The second pole makes it take longer to set up but if you want low angle DX performance
between about 7 and 14 MHz, then the half square is worth trying. And it’s sufficiently exotic to
be a conversation-starter when contacts ask what antenna you’re using. It’s a particularly good
performer near salt water. The bottom of the vertical wires can be about a metre or so above the
ground.

The half square is vaguely bidirectional, with maximum radiation broadside to the half
wavelength horizontal section. With a total of 1 wavelength of wire it exhibits a high
impedance. Hence it needs an antenna coupler such as an L-match. Operation on multiple bands
(but not as a half square) is possible by readjusting the antenna coupler.

Full wavelength vertically polarised rectangle loop

1:1 balun
1/6WL
coaxial cable

This is another good low band vertically polarised antenna suitable for HF DX. You might use it
instead of a half square if your masts are shorter. This is because it is only one-sixth versus one-

Be)
quarter wavelength high. Though as with the half square you’d allow a metre or so clearance of
the lower wire from the ground.

Unlike other full wavelength perimeter antennas, such as delta and quad loops, the rectangle
shape gives a 50 ohm feedpoint impedance suitable for coaxial cable. Ideally you should use a
1:1 balun but it will function without one. Lightweight wire is recommended to minimise sag.

Multiband vertically polarised rectangle loop

open wire
feedline ie og
is t
a.

balanced
antenna
coupler

Here’s a version of the above fed with open wire feedline. Its major advantage is the multiband
capability when fed with a balanced antenna coupler. And it saves space. For example an 8 or 9
metre long pole can easily support a loop for 10 MHz (i.e. 10 metres wide and 5 metres high or
30 metres perimeter) that will work efficiently between approximately 7 and 18 MHz. If you can
carry two poles, need multiple bands and are interested in DX this loop is an excellent choice,
especially if transmitting from near the ocean.

Full wavelength delta loop

56
 |} open wire
feedline
balanced
antenna
coupler

Here’s another loop antenna option. Again it’s one wavelength of wire but arranged to be
horizontally polarised. It wouldn’t be a bad field day type antenna for contacts within your own
country or continent. It will operate from about 30% below to well above the frequency it is cut
for if fed with open wire line. Alternatively you could use coax feed with a matching section or
other type of transformer.

Vertical wire yagi

1/2WL
dipole parasitic
element
coaxial cable (reflector or
director)
Spacing
approx.
0.15 to
0.2 WL

Fancy a little gain? A vertical yagi could be a goer, particularly on bands like 21 or 28 MHz
where the elements aren’t too long. It’s just a vertical half wavelength dipole with a parasitic
element about 0.2 wavelength off to one side. Scope exists to make the direction switchable by

BY,
electrically lengthening the parasitic element (so it becomes a reflector) or shortening it to make
it a director. You might pick an antenna like this for a seaside DXpedition though your poles will
need to be longer than for the Moxon described later.

Inverted vee yagi

parasitic element

half wavelength dipole

coaxial cable
spacing approx 0.15
to 0.2 wavelength

Here’s another wire yagi, this time horizontally polarised. Its position means it’s less dependent
on having tall poles. It’s suited for more serious DXpedition type operating as the extra wire and
pole required almost double the antenna’s weight. The need to tie off the wire ends at four places
make it less suitable for public locations where people might trip over one of the thin lines
keeping the wire elements taut.

Is all this worth the trouble? It depends. If you’re near salt water you might be better off just
using one of the single pole verticals mentioned before.

Moxon Rectangle

58
 driven
element

reflector
coaxial cable

A Moxon is a bit like the vertical two element yagi described before. A key advantage is that the
outer portions of the elements are folded in, making the antenna less tall. This means that even a
pair of 9 metre poles are sufficient to support a Moxon for 14 MHz (20 metres).

What are the shortcomings? Firstly, it’s a single band antenna. Secondly the spacing is quite
critical between the ends of the elements. And when it’s windy or the pole is bending the actual
shape of the antenna may be different from what’s in the textbook. You might need guy wires for
support, which in turn increases the amount of stuff you need to take and the time taken to erect
and dismantle the antenna.

Trees

Tree branches were what we all used before cheap extendable poles became available. And they
are still a good option where a pole is inconvenient to carry. In this case an antenna might
comprise just a small roll of thin wire, antenna coupler and a weight to throw over the branch.

59
What you can erect depends on the area you’re operating in. For example, some trees are bushy
while others have clear branches that you could easily throw wires over. And trees may be too
widely or closely spaced for your antenna.

Vertical dipoles for the higher HF bands are good choices if there is a single horizontal branch
that juts out enough for you to throw a line over. The lowest frequency you can efficiently use
depends on your throwing arm or implement. A quarter wavelength ground plane requiring more
wire but needing less height is another option. Most common and convenient though is the
inverted-vee dipole or end-fed half wavelength of wire.

Two strategically spaced trees can support a flat top horizontal dipole. This is a great choice for
the lower HF bands. It’s easy to build an antenna that’s inferior to a dipole but difficult to make
one that performs much better. Variants include a monoband coax-fed dipole, a link dipole
(efficient but has to be lowered to change bands), a trap dipole (less efficient but requires no
switching to change bands) or a tuned feeder dipole, which with a balanced antenna coupler,
allows operation on multiple bands.

Trees are also handy as secondary antenna supports. For example, your main support may be a
telescoping mast. However, many types of antennas, such as inverted-Ls, need something to tie
the end of the wire to. A well-placed tree can fill the bill. Ideas are in the above single and two
pole antenna options presented before.

Kites

Kites are possibly the most volatile type of antenna support. When the wind is right they can
produce some amazing results, particularly on 3.5 MHz and below. But when there is no wind
you're off the air unless you’ve brought a backup support.

The simplest type of kite supported antenna is a wire vertical, preferably between 4 and 5/8
wavelength long. An antenna coupler and a metal fence or similar for the ground are desirable.

Kites can be temperamental so are less suited to solo operators compared to the other antenna
supports discussed here.

60
 5 HF DIPOLE AND END-FED ANTENNA PROJECTS

28 and 50 MHz link dipole

28 and 50 MHz fan dipole
End-fed wire on ground
28 and 50 MHz rabbits ears loaded dipole

61
 28 and 50 MHz link dipole
Are you one of those who thinks that just because we’re now (2020) at the bottom of the solar
cycle it’s best to confine activities to the low HF or VHF bands? If so. you’re missing out on the
mid-summer joys of 10 and 6 metres. During a month or two these bands come alive. Signals
from about 500 to 2000 km distance pound in thanks to sporadic-E propagation. And because
propagation can be so intense five watts of QRP is sufficient to make many worthwhile contacts
on these bands.

Luckily most commercially made transceivers cover 10 and often 6 metres. The main problem
then becomes sorting out an antenna. You want something that’s simple and quick as it may
only be used for part of the year. And even over summer there’s days when these bands don’t
open. So you will still need wires for the lower HF bands to be assured of contacts. Hence it
needs to be light as well.

It’s easy to build an antenna inferior to a half wavelength dipole but difficult to build one much
better. It follows then that for casual operating a dipole is a good choice if you have the space.

ee
te? Fin aoe we

62
Why the 10 and 6 metre combo? Often when 10 is open 6 opens up as well. Although there are
also times when only one band is properly open. You don’t want to be stuck sitting out the
opening of a lifetime just because your antenna covers one band only. Especially if the cost of
going dual band is the measly price of two alligator clips.

The diagram below shows the plan. The inner portion resonates just above 50 MHz. Connecting
the outer sections lowers resonance to just above 28 MHz. The dimensions are suitable for 28
and 50 MHz CW, SSB, WSPR, FT8 and other digital modes.

28/50 MHz dipole

1.12m 1.35m 1.35m 4.12m

eG
coaxial Open: 50 MHz
x Closed: 28 MHz
feedline
to txcvr

VK3YE 2019

Main materials needed are thin insulated wire for the antenna element, RG58 feedline, alligator
clips and kitchen chopping board or other thin plastic. While you could solder the coax feedline
direct to the dipole’s centre, making it detachable using, for example, a BNC socket, neatens
packing. And, equally significantly for the weight-conscious portable operator, it allows the
feedline to be used for other antennas you may be carrying.

The photos below show construction. Liberal use is made of kitchen chopping board material.
Thick for the feedpoint and thin for the link connections part way along each side. My thumb in
the picture is touching the inner 50 MHz section without the clip. Whereas the outer section,
touched by the middle finger, is the add-on 28 MHz section. This was done deliberately to allow
either to be lengthened or cut as required without needing to unsolder either the feed point
connection or the alligator clip.

63
10 and (in some places) 6 metres are wide bands as a proportion of their frequency. Their FM
sections are about 1 and 3 MHz higher than the SSB portions respectively. You could shorten
the antenna to suit. Or you could try a mid-band compromise, especially if your transceiver
contains an inbuilt antenna coupler. But unless you’re an ardent FM devotee I’d stick to the
dimensions given as you’re likely to have most success with the more efficient CW, SSB and
digital modes especially if QRP.

What about supporting the dipole? The decision taken here depends on what polarisation you
want and available supports. The good news is that if you’re after sporadic-E contacts antenna
polarisation isn’t critical. This is because after being bounced and rolled so many times in the
ionosphere the signal’s polarisation is random and varying by the time it gets to you. So, it’s fine
to mount the dipole vertically, horizontally or sloping.

On the other hand, if your interests are more local (i.e. contacts within about 50km) then you’d
want vertical to efficiently reach mobile stations and perhaps FM repeaters. Another potential
benefit of hanging it vertical is the omnidirectional coverage given. The only reasons why you
might prefer horizontal are if you’re working nearby stations using horizontal beams or your
antenna support is too low to fully support the dipole when it’s vertical.

64
The support used depends on if you’ve got a handy overhanging tree branch at your operating
site. 6 or 7 metres is a good height so the antenna can drop straight down. It can’t be too high to
throw a weight over it or accommodate your feedline’s length. Neither can it be too low to offer
insufficient clearance for the lower half of the dipole.

Another possibility, if there are no convenient trees, is to bring your own telescoping mast.
Again 6 or 7 metres is a good height. Even if its top section is thin you can still use part of it by
drilling a 2 to 3 mm hole in one of the plastic end insulators and poking the pole through it.
Don’t worry if your pole is slightly short; it’s quite satisfactory to have the antenna wire sloping,
possibly tied off via fishing line and a rock or tent peg in the ground. This gives an advantage of
being able to bring the feedline towards the pole so there’s reasonable separation between it and
the lower antenna element.

What results are possible? A lot of this depends on the distribution of active 10 and 6 metre
operators. However, I’ve had no difficulty making SSB contacts up to about 3000 km with five
watts from the FT-817 on both bands when propagation has been favourable.

65
 28 and 50 MHz fan dipole
The link dipole described before is an almost perfect portable antenna for ten and six metres. The
only slight hardship is that you have to lower it to change bands. Since. 28 MHz is almost always
open when 50 MHz is open, it makes sense to have an antenna that does both bands at once.

Assuming you want coaxial cable feed without an antenna coupler there are two main choices. A
single wire trap dipole or a two-wire ‘fan’ dipole.

Each has its pros and cons. For example, a trap dipole uses only a single wire that requires no
spacers or multiple supports. It may be easier to mount. On the other hand it’s more complex to
build, especially if you make your own traps.

A fan dipole is simpler and exhibits wider bandwidth. You can get away with not having a balun
at the feedpoint. Construction is easier with no traps to build and align. However more wire is
required and you may need to make your own spacers if you do not wish to have multiple tie-off
points.

Overall the fan dipole wins for simplicity provided you can sort out the wire spacing. Below is a
diagram for a 28 and 50 MHz version.

2.45m 2.45m
3cm spacing 3cm spacing

1.37m 1.37m

| |
feedline

Close ups of the key parts of the dipole are below. The centre is made from kitchen chopping
board. This is light, strong, easy to drill and has good RF properties. The spacers can be made
from plastic corflute (or coroplast) material as often used for real estate signs. Its sandwich style
provides strength, lightness and holes for the antenna wires to pass. My version has six spacers
per side with about 20cm between them. Two food tins placed over both wires provide
anchorage to the spread out antenna while waiting for the glue to set.

66
I’ve used a 3cm spacing between the wire elements. I wouldn’t go any closer. However a wider
spacing would be fine, though that makes the antenna bulker to pack. Start with the antenna
elements slightly longer than shown and trim for your required resonant frequency. Trim the 50
MHz element first. The closer the elements are the greater the chance of interaction between the
two.

Results have been gratifying with performance the same as if using separate dipoles for ten and
six metres Versions for other pairs of bands are possible, though I’d suggest wider spacing
between the elements. It is best to avoid band combinations where the higher frequency is not at
or near an odd integer multiple of the lower frequency. For example 3.5/10 or 7/21 MHz. This is
because the longer wire will be close to a 3/2 wavelength at the higher frequency and exhibit a
low impedance that may cause odd interactions with the shorter element. In contrast band
combinations like 3.5/7 or 7/14 MHz should be fine.

67
 End-fed wire on ground
Most antenna books (including mine) aim to describe projects that work. Or at least make claims
that the item described does. This is an exception. In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find an
antenna that’s worse than this — at least for transmitting. It arose from a wish to try it just for the
experience.

Pictured below is 20 metres of wire fed at the end. It loads up on 7 MHz well enough with an L-
match antenna coupler. Receiving wasn’t too bad. Sure, the S-meter didn’t read much but that’s
not the aim on HF. Rather one should go for best signal to noise ratio from stations in the desired
direction and signal arrival angle.

Multiple stations were called. Only one, about 700 km away, could hear me. Even then the
report was just readability three and strength one. He was up on a remote hill, participating in
Summits of the Air, so had zero noise level. Stations in more built up areas would not have had
a chance hearing me. I’ve tried many poor antennas on 7 MHz, including 1 metre whips and
small magnetic loops, and this would have to be amongst the worst of them. Though you may
have better luck if your ground is different — or even snow.

I won’t be repeating this experiment in a hurry. But it illustrates the ‘dummy load’ truism that
just because an antenna’s VSWR is low, or that it loads up well, is no guarantee that its
efficiency is necessarily going to be good.

68
 28 and 50 MHz rabbits ears loaded dipole
Telescopic whip ‘rabbits ears’ TV antennas are great if you want a small and collapsible antenna
for the 144 MHz band. There they can form dipoles and even small beams. However they rarely
extend long enough to work on 50 MHz.

The solution is to add a little inductive loading to get the electrical length up to a quarter
wavelength for each half on 50 MHz.

28 MHz is often open when 50 MHz is. So it makes sense to add more turns to allow switching
to this band. The efficiency here is less than on 50 MHz but 5 watts to a centre loaded dipole like
this will still enable contacts up to two or three thousand kilometres during a good sporadic-E
opening.

How does this dipole compare to the small magnetic loops I’ve often described? There’s pros
and cons. It is lighter and folds up smaller so is good to take on holidays. The operating
bandwidth is wider so it’s easier to use if you are working through FM repeaters (which in some
countries have 1 MHz offsets on 6m). In use though it’s more fragile and harder to safely carry,
especially around people. My preference then is for the loop though the loaded dipole is quicker
and easier to build, especially if you lack the small value variable capacitor the loop needs.

69
 1m telescopic whip

10 turns insulated
wire on 25mm dia
plastic conduit

coax feedline

Below is a close up of the dipole’s centre and loading coils. These comprise 10 turns of thin
insulated wire on plastic conduit about 20 or 25 mm diameter. Turns are spread out over about
40 mm. Taps on each turn allow frequency adjustments with alligator clips connected to the
feedline socket via wires just long enough to reach all coil taps. The clips are near the centre of
the dipole for 50 MHz while most if not all of each coil is in line for 28 MHz. Add 2 or 3 more
turns and taps if you want amateur 24 and CB 27 MHz capability.

70
 6 HF VERTICAL ANTENNA PROJECTS

Quickest vertical for salt water operating

TLI vertical for salt water operating
28 MHz switchable bidirectional yagi
Some experiments with Rowland rings
Loading up a metal light pole

71
 Quickest vertical for salt water operating
We can get good results when operating HF near the water. However shelter is often scarce and
weather can sometimes be volatile. It’s not much fun having an antenna that takes ages to pack
up, with you getting cold and soaked in the process.

If you’re after a fast to erect multiband HF vertical antenna for seaside portable work, look no
further. Comprising an extendable fishing pole and ten metres of wire, it should take no more
than two minutes to erect.

As long as you can tie the pole in one place, you’re in business. There’s no stray wires for people
to trip over or run into. And neither are there ends that you need to find other tie points for.
That’s particularly desirable if you’re on a crowded pier and don’t wish to take up more space
than necessary.

The rolled up vertical is pictured above. Comprising ten metres of thin insulated wire, it is one
half of a link dipole for 40, 30 and 20 metres. In other words it’s a quarter wavelength vertical on
those bands with alligator clips used to switch in lengths of wire as required. Lowering and
raising the pole only takes a minute or so if you wish to try different wire lengths.

(2
 5m

antenna wire
supported by pole

feedline to
transceiver

antenna coupler to quarter wavelength radial, tuned

(L-match type) counterpoise or clip to fence or railing

Unlike the dipole, which normally has coaxial feedline, this vertical connects straight to an L-
match antenna coupler (diagram above). This allows it to operate on multiple bands as different
wavelength radiators.

Ts
For example, when the entire 10 metres of wire is connected it can form a half wavelength on 14
MHz. It is also near enough to a 5/8 wavelength on 18 MHz. A good antenna coupler should also
allow use on 3.5 MHz, though being only 1/8 wavelength long performance won’t be good.

Similarly, when the bottom 7 metres is connected (ie the top alligator clip connection is opened)
not only is the antenna a quarter wavelength on 10 MHz, but it’s also near enough to being a half
wavelength on 21 MHz and a 5/8 wavelength on 24 MHz. And the bottom 5 metre section could
be either a quarter wavelength for 14 MHz or a half wavelength on 28 MHz.

Note that the feedpoint impedance will vary with antenna configuration. This won’t be a
problem with a good external antenna coupler, but if you’re relying on one built inside your
transceiver you might not be able to achieve all length and band combinations cited above. End-
fed or vertical antennas whose lengths are an odd number of quarter wavelengths long will
exhibit low feedpoint impedance while those that are a multiple of a half wavelength will show a
higher impedance.

I’ve mentioned the antenna’s main parts; the ten metres of wire for the element and the fishing
pole for support. If your pole is a bit shorter you can still build this antenna. Just tie off the far
end of the wire so a metre or so hangs down or blows horizontally if there’s a wind.

Other items needed are two switches to vary the length of element between 5, 7 and 10 metres.
They need to be very light. And it’s important to have strain relief for the wire. One solution,
pictured above, is to use an alligator clip for the switch and a small piece of polystyrene kitchen
chopping board for the strain relief.

If you’re good at throwing you can hang the wire from a tree. Or use a telescopic pole. This can
be tied to a fence or pier upright with Velcro or tie rope. Or, if there’s just sand, to a metal spike
hammered into the ground.

If you’re using the antenna as a quarter wavelength wire you may be able to get away with
connecting it to your transceiver without an antenna coupler required. This is particularly if your
transceiver has its own internal coupler. Alternatively, you could use an external L-match
coupler as described in many places including this book and Hand-carried ORP antennas.

74
 TLI wire vertical for salt water operating
Antenna experimenting can take a lot of time. You can save some of that by having an antenna
that can quickly be switched to various configurations. My need was something that could be
carried by hand from home for HF experiments over nearby salt water.

The TLI described here is the result. Occupying just 10 metres of horizontal space and five
metres of vertical space, it can operate on all amateur bands from 3.5 to 28 MHz with a suitable
antenna coupler. |

A switch at the top where the three wires join makes three configurations possible. As shown
below, these include: Tee, (ie a top-loaded vertical), inverted L and a straight I-shaped vertical
wire.

Vertical only Inverted L Tee

(or inverted ground plane)

73
Why might one wish to change an antenna’s configuration? The short answer is that different
antennas have different radiation characteristics. For example, an inverted L radiates both
horizontal and vertical polarisation signals. In contrast connecting the other leg to form a T
makes the antenna strictly a vertically polarised radiator. While the inverted L is a good general-
purpose antenna, DX chasers might get better reports with the T configuration. This is
particularly likely if the antenna is over a good ground as it is here.

Another benefit of the T, especially on lower HF bands is the additional capacitive top loading
provided. This is desirable when your antenna height is limited as it is here for 40 and 80 metres.
Full sized quarter wavelength verticals for those bands would be 10 or 20 metres, whereas the
TLI is just 5 metres tall.

The TLI is slung between two telescopic fishing poles or other type of non-metallic mast. The
basic tee comprises a 10 metre wide flat top. From its middle drops the vertical element five
metres long. This goes to a wide-range antenna coupler such as an L-match described here and
elsewhere.

My own TLI was designed for use on a jetty over salt water. However, there is no reason why
you cannot build yours over a building with a flat metal roof, or for use in an area with good
ground conductivity.

5m 5m

>, Alligator clips or switch to

switch between none, one
or both horizontal wires

Non-conductive 5m
mast or fishing
pole

Antenna
To transceiver
coupler
Ground
tuning unit

Counterpoise

Salt water or conductive ground

76
I was able to connect the ground connection to a pier railing via a ground tuning unit (described
elsewhere). This has an internal meter and is adjusted for maximum indicated current.
Alternatives include one or more quarter wavelength long radials or a short counterpoise with a
ground tuning unit.

Use thin copper wire if you wish to support the antenna on two lightweight telescopic poles. This
is particularly important if you’re walking for any distance due to the strain of carrying two
masts instead of one.

The need to cut weight also affects how you will switch the elements. I first considered small
toggle switches, noting that two will be needed if you want all three configurations. Another
possibility are alligator clips which could be clipped onto one another.

In the end I went with a small piece of matrix board, header pins and a socket with all pins
shorted. The socket operates as a shorting bar. Depending on its position no connections are
shorted (I), the vertical and one side are connected (inverted-L) or the vertical and both sides are
connected (T). It works well but is easily lost or dropped. Consider tethering with fishing line or
string to prevent this.

77
Most of my tests were done with WSPR on 40, 30 and 20 metres around the middle of the day
when propagation is fairly stable. I transmitted bursts with the antenna in each of the three
configurations. Then I checked signal strengths for each antenna configuration on the WSPRnet
website. While HF is susceptible to signal variations, consistent results across a large number of
stations in a particular area should allow reasonable conclusions to be drawn.

To sum up, the T antenna was the best performer on all three bands, although the margin
between it and the L varied by band. The 5 metre vertical on its own was generally the worst on
all bands, but there were odd occasions, on some closer in high-angle paths, where it was
superior.

As expected, the biggest difference between the antenna configurations was on 7 MHz, with the
T being much better than the L that was in turn much better than the I. The T antenna would
have been a reasonably efficient top loaded vertical on 7 MHz, whereas the I would have been
quite lossy without its desirable loading. The T and L were nearer in performance on 10 and 14
MHz, with the T having the edge, especially for longer distances.

QRP SSB contacts were also made with the T antenna connected. These included 10 000 km
plus DX contacts on 20 metres. There were also surprisingly good results on 3.5 MHz in the
middle of the day with stations up to 500km away worked. As expected test with a local station
(30 — 40 km groundwave distance) on 7 MHz found the T superior to the L. In contrast a middle-
distance station (around 700km) reported similar signal levels.

From my place the largest amateur populations are 10 000 — 15000 km away. There is a local
concentration out to about 1000 km with smaller clusters 2500 km away. The 3000 to 6000 km
range is dominated by oceans or countries with low active amateur populations. Those in
different locations will have different amateur numbers at different distances. These might give
different results, eg more cases where the inverted-L beats the T.

78
More tests need to be done. So far though, the T has generally beaten the configurations tested
on all three bands, but especially 40 metres. The need for two support masts is its main
disadvantage compared to alternatives such as inverted vees and end-fed half wavelength wires.

However even that can be overcome if there’s a convenient tree branch that you can hook the
wire over with the one pole you do bring. Also, if there’s not much wind, you use very light
wire and can omit the switching you might be able to get away with carrying two thinner and
shorter poles instead of one longer and heavier pole.

79
 28 MHz switchable vertical bidirectional yagi
Having had success with the 28/50 MHz vertical dipole (described previously), the next logical
project was to add a parasitic element for some extra gain. Sure, it would double the weight of
the antenna, with the extra pole and wire, but the trade-off may be worth it.

I wanted it to be bidirectional. That way you could quickly switch its pattern by 180 degrees by
lowering the pole and flicking a switch. Also appealing was the experience gained from using
inductors or capacitors to electrically change the length of a parasitic element.

A normal two element yagi has a driven element plus one parasitic element. This could either be
a reflector about 0.15 to 0.2 wavelength behind the driven element or a director spaced a similar
distance in front. The reflector is about 5% longer than the driven element whereas the director is
about 5% shorter.

It is however possible to make a reflector into a director or a director into a reflector without
changing wire lengths. A reflector can be electrically shortened to become a director by
switching in a capacitor located along it. Conversely a director can be electrically lengthened by
switching in an inductor. If you mount the parasitic element about 0.15 to 0.2 wavelength from
the driven element you have yourself a bidirectional yagi.

The diagram for such an arrangement on 28 MHz is below.

80
 0.5 uH

Dir
Parasitic element Reflector
| SSSRHNEESSIESSRENEe SERS cont

4 ]

Ref

Driven element
——_—
2.47m Feedpoint 2.47m
(50 ohm coax)

In this case the parasitic element is a director with an 0.5 uH inductor switched in when it needs
to be a reflector.

How did I arrive at the 0.5 uH inductor? I just looked at someone else’s design but for 7 MHz.
That used 2 uH so I simply scaled the inductor value to something that would have a similar
reactance (89 ohm) at 28 MHz.

As all my experiments were low power I just used 11 turns of enamel copper wire on a T50-6
toroid to obtain the inductance required.

81
Both elements are mounted on telescoping fishing poles with the top half vertical. The feedline
for the driven element dropped down along the pole. Fishing line was used to bring the lower
half of the driven element down at about 45 degrees to the vertical. A peg in the grass kept it tied
in place. The parasitic element was mounted in a similar way with its wire parallel to the driven
element.

My first tests were on receive with a beacon about 50 km away. The beam provided a small but
reliably discernible increase in signal strength with the parasitic element switch to reflector when
it was mounted behind the dipole. It was the same when it was switched to director mode with it
mounted in front of the dipole.

Switching to the opposite direction (i.e. with the beacon off the back of the beam) gave a signal
similar to if not slightly weaker than observed on the dipole.

Transmitting experiments were done on WSPR with a receiving station also about 50 km away.
Again the beam configuration beat a dipole. While adding a parasitic element reduces the
impedance of a beam, the VSWR was still acceptable.

What’s the upshot? Adding the extra element made a discernible difference on both transmit and
receive. But was it worthwhile relative to the additional items that had to be carried? My
experience was that it wasn’t. But your results may vary and I’d encourage trying it. The
parasitic element switching technique is also promising, not only for straight elements but
potentially also for loops.

82
 Some experiments with Rowland rings
You’re at a sports oval and see tall lights on metal poles. There’s a tinge of envy. Wouldn’t it be
great to have an antenna that high?

The idea of loading up a tall pole in a public place has crossed the mind of many a ham. The
problem is that you don’t want to make an electrical connection to it. And even something like a
gamma match probably requires a tapping point beyond human reach.

a
cs ofdings!
% oS = Ped i, BOT
cd

One possibility is to use some form of inductive coupling to load up the pole. The US Army has
done just that but with trees for covert communications in jungles. They didn’t claim high
antenna efficiency but didn’t need it because their need was for shorter distances (unlike DX-
chasing hams). There’s some accounts of their experiments at
https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/742230.pdf

A metal pole should work better than a tree. My first experiments were with a pole about 7
metres tall. The Rowland Ring coupler comprised about 32 turns of stiff wire (about 1.5mm
diameter) wound on a 40mm cylindrical former. The former was removed and the coil bent into
a spiral ring wrapped around the pole (about 60 or 70mm diameter).

The ring was connected to the transceiver via a 400pF maximum variable capacitor. I was able
to get a 1:1 VSWR on 7 MHz. There was a fairly broad resonance when the capacitor was
adjusted. There were other peaks on 3.5 and 10 MHz but the VSWR was too high to transmit
with.

83
Some contacts were made on 40m. However my signal was poor. That’s proof that just because
you can load something up does not mean that it will perform well. Subsequent tests with WSPR
showed that it was about 15 dB worse than a full-sized antenna.

Transceiver 10 - 400pF

33 turns on 40 mm
former (eg vacuum
cleaner pipe) removed
then bent around to
form toroid around
goal post. Also works
on clothes hoists with
lesser performance.

Another test was with the railing of a pier about 40m long. It would have only been about two or
three metres above the water. No luck was had on transmit. But it was a good receiving antenna
between 3 and about 15 MHz. Noise was much lower than expected with either a vertical or end-
fed wire antenna.

84
To summarise, the Rowland ring approach represents one way of coupling RF to (or from) metal
objects that you can’t make direct electrical contact to. Results on transmitting are not yet what I
would call ‘good’ but prospects for improvement remain if larger structures can be loaded up,
particularly on lower HF bands. The coupling loop will need to be bigger. A possibility, as yet
untried, could be to use coaxial cable wrapped around a sponge-type plastic flexible ‘former’.

85
 Loading up a metal light pole
Do you live near a sports oval? Does it have lights on tall metal masts? If so you might be able to
make them radiate as an antenna without needing a direct electrical connection.

I described one approach, using a Rowland Ring, just before. My arrangement had it working
well on receive but less well on transmit. And if your pole is fat (like tall light poles are) then the
ring might need a lot of large-diameter conductor. That’s heavy if it’s solid pipe. Or if you’re
using something flexible like coaxial cable then some support structure may be required. The
bulk of both schemes may be prohibitive if your station needs to be hand-carried.

Another possibility, if you’re happy to carry two telescoping poles, is to use a wire coupling loop
held against the side of the light mast. On the higher HF bands the coupling loop operates as a
radiating element in its own right. The pole may or may not be of any benefit. It will almost
certainly detune it, making some form of antenna coupler necessary. And the result won’t
necessarily be better than the myriad other types of tried and tested wire antennas possible with
two poles and some wire.

Bands like 160 metres are another story. Antennas are taller, longer, heavier and harder to erect.
Whereas a nine metre pole is close to a quarter wavelength on 7 MHz, it is barely 1/20
wavelength on 1.8 MHz. Centre or top loading assists with vertical antennas but the loading coils
required may bend your telescoping pole (or worse) if at all heavy. Possession of a good
throwing arm and convenient tree can’t be assumed either.

A problem with another antenna led me to investigate the possibility of tall metal light poles.
Connecting a receiver to bolts at the bottom gave little increase in noise; presumably due to the
pole being earthed.

I did not wish to use a kite, drone or other means to get a wire over the pole. Neither did I wish
to make a direct electrical connection to it.

However I was curious about the results you could get if you could couple RF into it with a loop
held against the pole’s side from the base to as high as possible. If this worked then you could
leave your antenna at home and just take the lightweight items needed to form a coupling loop
and its support.

Even if there were some losses the 28 metre high pole (as was available to me) could give some
interesting results.

My coupling loop, for no reason apart from having it, comprised a rough triangle of 20 metres of
thin insulated wire. A telescoping fishing pole about 8 metres tall holds the vertical side of the
triangle as close to the pole as possible. A diagram is below.

86
 28m metal
mast (eg
light pole)

Uaficcsnciataa
SUM
ASAE
Stee)
Paap
istg

Telescopic pole
coupling loop
20m perimeter Ig
ANN
Ere
Te
SS
Cae
ara

approx
(loop is as open 8 or 9 metres
as possible)

Antenna
Transceiver Coupler
(see text)
° : 2 * :
tied to fence approx B thin insulated wire
4-5 m back from pole

My first attempt on 160 metres was with a 10-watt ex-marine AM transceiver. It was designed to
operate on a boat with a wire antenna that is maybe 30 metres long. There was no VSWR meter
but a small light globe allowed the transceiver’s output inductor to be adjusted for maximum
brightness.

This worked with some good reports on a local AM net. However even better results were
possible with a series tuned circuit in line with the loop. This was nothing more than the ground
tuning unit described before. Its meter was handy when making adjustments. Maximum current
on the meter coincided with maximum brightness on the light globe with some interaction
between the controls. Good reports were received by stations up to 30 km away.

87
Tests were done on 80m, this time with some SSB contacts made. An L-match coupler was used
with an FT-817 QRP transceiver (which has a 50 ohm antenna socket). While there was a greater
chance of the 20 metre perimeter loop radiating on 3.5 than 1.8 MHz, reports were still better
when it was against the pole rather than away.

The third test was done back on 160m with the FT-817. The 20 metre coupling loop couldn’t be
matched with the L-match antenna coupler. It could be matched on 160m with the magnetic loop
tuner previously described with the ground tuning unit not being necessary.

I have not done detailed comparisons with other antennas. However, results are good enough to
give encouragement. Especially on a band like 160 metres were antennas are normally long, tall
and/or heavy and vertical polarisation is favoured for local ground-wave work.

If a metal mast, such as a light pole, is already at a favoured site then the amount of things you
need to carry is dramatically reduced. And you might even get good results out of it, too.

88
 7 HF LARGE LOOP ANTENNA PROJECTS

¢ Rectangular loop for HF

° 6-6-6 vertically polarised delta loop
e¢ 28 and 50 MHz oblong loop

89
 Rectangular loop for HF
Many of us are familiar with the square quad loop. It's an effective antenna. You can feed it at
the bottom centre for horizontal polarisation or in the middle of either side for vertical
polarisation. Because it’s a wavelength perimeter each side is only a quarter wavelength long.
This makes it more compact than a dipole provided you have two suitably high supports.

Something that may make its construction slightly harder is the quad loop’s 100 to 120 ohm feed
point impedance. Unlike a half wavelength dipole (especially the inverted-vee variety) it can't be
fed directly with 50 ohm coaxial cable. A 4:1 balun isn’t quite right either. If you’re only
interested in a single band you could make a transmission line transformer (using 1/4 electrical
wavelength of 75ohm coax) to transform the loop’s high impedance to nearer 50 ohm. Or you
could feed it with open wire line and use a balanced antenna coupler to handle the impedance
matching. The latter is particularly good if you want multiband operation — more on this later.

Another issue with a square loop is height. You don't want the bottom wire to be on the ground.
Raising it a little helps but you still want it to be above head height to avoid crashing into it. So,
assuming you make the square loop from wire slung between two poles, the masts need to be at
least 1/3 wavelength tall.

That's a little beyond the 7 or 8 metre fishing poles many portable QRP operators use. Especially
if you don't use the top metre or so due to its fragility. So most of us just use end-feds and
dipoles instead.

If you still want a loop, or are simply curious, one solution is to make it rectangular. It's still a
wavelength around but it’s wider and squatter. That reduces its feedpoint impedance to 50 ohm if
you make it about 1/3 x 1/6 wavelength and feed it in the middle of one of its short sides. If you
have its long sides parallel to the ground you can erect it with shorter masts. The shorter vertical
sides are more easily fed in the middle, which is desirable if you want vertical polarisation.

90
 supporting rope

1/3 wavelength wide

1 wavelength perimeter

feedpoint 1/6 wavelength high

(for vertical
polarisation)

shorting wire
(feed here for horizontal polarisation)

An example is above. It’s set up for vertical polarisation. That’s most effective for DX
operating if by salt water. Horizontal polarisation is also available if you feed it in the middle of
the lower side although the feedpoint impedance will increase (think of it as something like a
somewhat opened up folded dipole). Another approach to horizontal polarisation, preferred on
the higher HF and VHF bands where getting sufficient mast height is not a problem, is the
oblong loop where the short sides are parallel to the ground. Feeding is in the middle of one of
the short sides (usually the lower). Oblong loops for 10, 6 and 2 metres are described elsewhere
here.

What about multiband operation? This is where open wire feedline and a suitable coupler come
into their own. Not only on frequencies higher than the loop’s resonant | wavelength, but below
as well. Just like with tuned feeder dipoles, you can get efficient operation on frequencies above
about 70% of where the loop’s perimeter is one wavelength. This means that a loop 10 metres
wide and 5 metres high (30 metres perimeter, i.e. a full wavelength on 10 MHz) will also work
on 40 metres (7 MHz). And, again like with tuned feeder dipoles, performance on higher
frequency bands like 14 and 18 MHz will also be good.

91
B2
 6-6-6 vertically polarised delta loop
Have vertical but not much horizontal space? Want an antenna that can fit into a narrow
courtyard in a row or townhouse? Or maybe you don’t want to take up much room on a crowded
beach when you’re out portable.

This versatile vertically polarised delta loop is worth trying. With a perimeter of 18 metres, it’s
just under a full wave length around on 14 MHz. The use of high impedance feedline with a
balanced antenna coupler (described in the first volume) permits multiband operation on all
bands from 10 to 24 MHz. The 0.6 wavelength perimeter on 10 MHz makes this band about the
lowest you can go while retaining reasonable efficiency. Les Moxon’s HF Antennas for all
Locations devotes a lot of attention to tuned feeder loops and is recommended for a thorough
treatment on the topic.

Mast height is a major limitation for the portable operator. The Spiderbeam 12 metre poles,
though good, are too heavy to carry by hand for an appreciable distance. 8 or 9 metre poles are
much more practical. Especially if you need to carry two as is the case for this antenna in an area
(such as a beach) where there are no trees to tie things off to.

This loop’s six metre height is about the longest you’d want to run down an 8 or 9 metre pole,
especially if you want its bottom to be 2 or 3 metres above the ground. You could enclose more
area with a quad loop. Its 24 metre perimeter should allow efficient operation on 7 MHz.
However a square loop needs support on more points. And, it’s harder to take the feedline clear
of a vertical side element than if the wire tapers to a point like this loop does.

300 to 600 ohm

slotted ribbon or
open wire feedline

To balanced
antenna coupler

93
I used flat 300 ohm slotted ribbon as a feedline. This used to be used for TV antenna
installations. It’s quite light for portable use. Options if you can’t get this include 450 ohm
ribbon (heavier and stiffer so less suitable for portable operating) or home-made open wire line.

How did the antenna perform? I haven’t used it a lot. A 5w SSB contact on 20m from VK3 to
South Africa was encouraging. While loops like these are supposed to be directional (favouring
broadside), I couldn’t find much evidence of this on 20m. WSPR produced a good range of
spots on all bands from 7 MHz upwards but reports (as expected) were about 10dB down on a
top loaded vertical erected directly over salt water with an excellent tuned counterpoise.

94
 28 and 50 MHz oblong loop
One of the simplest antennas you can build is the oblong loop. Provided that it is twice as tall as
it is wide its feedpoint impedance is conveniently 50 ohm if fed at one of its shorter sides. This
allows direct connection to coaxial cable without a matching section. You may wish to use a 1:1
balun at the feedpoint but my experience is that excellent results are possible without one.

Pictured below are oblong loops for 28 MHz (left) and 50 MHz (right). Being fed at the centre-
bottom they are horizontally polarised. Not that this matters very much for signals carried via
ionospheric means.

A great benefit for the QRP portable operator is that an oblong loop can cover 28 and 50 MHz
without doubling up on wire and supporting hardware. Also, once you have cut it to length at
home you should not need to trim it again in the field if you’re using the same support structure.

95
 50 MHz oblong 28 MHz oblong

1.80m

1.00m

2.00m 3.60m

feedpoint feedpoint

Length = 6m Length = 10.8m

Diagrams of 28 and 50 MHz versions are above. The 28 MHz version requires 10.8 metres of
insulated wire (which can be medium thickness twin stereo speaker cable or zipcord pulled apart)
while the 50 MHz version needs 6 metres. Each loop is 1/3 wavelength high and 1/6 wavelength
wide, containing a total of one wavelength of wire.

Two lengths of timber dowelling (about 1.85m long for the 28 MHz version) support the
horizontal sections of the loop. I used 9mm diameter dowelling. This is a snug fit into commonly
available plastic irrigation hardware. If 1.85 metres is too long to easily carry you could split
each section into half lengths, with the irrigation hardware holding it together. Use cross-pieces
and cable ties to allow the top section to slip over a telescoping fishing pole if desired.

Further down the pole is the second horizontal section where the feedpoint is. For physical
stability you can either tape it to the thicker lower part of the pole or (better) cable tie it with a
section of pipe sufficiently thick to slip over.

Want both bands? Use the same lengths of timber dowelling as you would for the 28 MHz
version. Have the top and bottom wire one metre wide only (you can see the overhang in the
previous photo) with the horizontal spreaders vertically spaced 2 metres apart parallel to one
another. That should tightly accommodate the six metres of wire required for 50 MHz. Make
any length changes required for your favoured frequency range on this band.

96
For 28 MHz operation temporarily split the 50 MHz loop at the centre of the top spreader. Add
4.8 metres of wire. Run more wire along the spreaders to make the loop 1.8 metres wide and
space them so the wire sides are a straight 3.6 metres. Alligator clips or similar on the ends of all
wires could allow fast connection and disconnection to swap bands.

What other things could you do with this loop? European hams could try a smaller version for
their 4 and 6 metre bands. Another possibility is splitting the loop to convert it to a vertical
Moxon two element beam. The amount of wire is almost identical to the loop described here and
you will get a unidirectional pattern with some forward gain. The main disadvantage is that the
antenna will be critically coupled and adjustment won’t be quite as easy as for the oblong loop.

eA
 8 HF SMALL LOOP ANTENNA PROJECTS

Laptop bag mobile magnetic loop for 30 and 40 metres

‘Hoop Loop’ 21 - 28 MHz aluminium foil magnetic loop
‘Cycle Loop’ bicycle wheel magnetic loop
Figure 8 twin magnetic loop

98
 Laptop bag magnetic loop for 30 and 40m
Inefficient antennas previously thought only suitable for receiving can now radiate a detectable
signal thanks to efficient digital modes like WSPR. This has opened the possibility of HF
transmitting from confined spaces with very small antennas.

The micro-sized magnetic loop described here is a case in point. No bigger than some UHF
antennas, it can radiate a sufficient proportion of an applied 7 MHz signal for transmissions from
it to be detected hundreds of kilometres away, even when used from inside a bus. About the
same perimeter as an A4 piece of paper it can fit into a laptop computer case’s pocket. In
conjunction with the computer itself and an HF transceiver such as an FT817/818 the loop can be
used to send and decode WSPR signals.

The loop is made from 25 mm wide flat aluminium. This is both cheaper and more bendable
than copper pipe. The slightly higher resistance compared with copper was thought an
acceptable trade-off for this.

99
Because this loop is so small you will need a lot of capacitance to bring it to resonance on either
band. A variable capacitor with a 200 or 300 pF maximum, though fine for a 1 or 1.5 m
diameter loop, will be found too small when used by itself with this loop on 7 MHz. The most
painless way around this is to find mica or polystyrene capacitors (between about 200 and 1000
pF) and wire them, either in single or combinations, across the variable capacitor until resonance
(which can be detected with a noise peak on receive) is obtained somewhere in the variable
capacitor’s tuning range. Good mica or polystyrene capacitors have sufficient voltage rating to
cope with QRP transmitting. Disc ceramic capacitors are not suggested though they may be
suitable if you’re only using the loop on receive.

Another possibility, practical as WSPR (and most other digital modes) is only transmitted in a
narrow frequency range, is to use a trimmer capacitor. Most trimmers are too low in value. But
if you’ve got a good junk box you may be lucky enough to have a large compression trimmer

100
that goes up to the say 1000 pF when fully screwed in. This is what I used in the loop pictured.
Or if yours don’t go that high again you can add parallel capacitors.

RF is applied, like most of my magnetic loops, via a gamma-match type tapping along the
bottom side of the loop. Any fairly stout wire can be used for the connection — it doesn’t need to
be insulated as pictured here. You may need to experiment with its position (and/or change the
length of the connecting wire) for best VSWR on transmit in conjunction with peaking the
variable capacitor.

How big does the loop need to be? The short answer is as big as possible for maximum
efficiency. The one pictured, made from a | metre strip of aluminium, is about 28cm wide and
22cm high. Don’t have a metal bender? You can still make this loop. The 3 mm strip thickness
suggested is both possible to bend by hand (against a wooden block) and sufficiently robust.

101
Even when compared to other magnetic loops, the efficiency of this one is low. Magnetic loop
design calculators will say that its dimensions are too small for 7 MHz. And they would be right
if you are seeking to make CW or SSB contacts. However digital modes like WSPR are more
forgiving of inefficient antennas. My experiments there have indicated that this antenna is
roughly 25 dB down on a full-sized wire.

The microwatter’s credo is that if something works with a few milliwatts the next step is to try
with even less power. A similar aim for builders of this loop could be to try it from successively
worse locations as success is achieved. Accordingly, once I found this loop radiated detectable
WSPR signals while outside I tried it inside. Then when that worked, I tried a bus.

The map above shows spots of my signal while transmitting 7 MHz WSPR from inside a
suburban bus. My station included a laptop computer, interface cable, FT817 and the loop
described here. I chose a window seat near the back. The maximum distance shown on the map
is approximately 700 km, though other tests have resulted in further stations decoding my signal.
The next logical step is to try transmitting from a train. These have even more shielding than
buses but success has been had in receiving WSPR stations, again on 7 MHz, with this loop.

102
 "Hoop Loop’ 21 - 28 MHz aluminium foil magnetic
loop
Want a lightweight antenna for low power pedestrian mobile or portable operating on the higher
HF bands? This small magnetic loop could do the trick.

What’s a magnetic loop antenna? It’s basically a tuned circuit that radiates. It’s very small for the
frequency it operates on, making it ideal where space is limited. The trade-off is that its
bandwidth is narrow. You’ll need to retune it every time you significantly change frequency. But
if that’s acceptable then you'll get surprisingly good performance despite its compactness.

Covering 21 to 30 MHz this one weighs just 300 grams. This frequency range makes it ideal for
digital modes and summer sporadic-E work on 28 MHz.

Main element 165 cm

Aluminium foil : circumference
covered with se)3 25 pF
insulating tape trimmer
capacitor

Feed loop 33cm

circumference

xX - X attach coax feedline here

The loop gets its lightness from the unconventional materials used. A salvaged child’s hula hoop
(about 53 cm diameter) provides the antenna’s frame. Over this is wrapped kitchen aluminium
foil to form the radiating element with a gap of just a few centimetres at the top of the loop.
Across this gap is connected a variable capacitor to bring it to resonance on the desired

103
frequency. You can get away with foil due to ‘skin effect’ behaviour of RF currents. Finally, the
connection to the transceiver is provided via a small coupling loop made from a discarded mains
power flex. However I wouldn’t run more than a couple of watts through it.

Parts

Key items needed include:

e plastic hoop about 53cm diameter
e 15cm wide strip of kitchen foil about 170cm long
e Gaffa tape or similar
e 9mm timber dowelling for support piece
e Garden irrigation fittings
e Brass cable tie with nail (4 required)
e Short length of mains power cable
e BNC socket or coaxial feedline to transceiver
e 5-25 pF trimmer capacitor
e 18pF high voltage polystyrene capacitor (optional)
All items are easy to find apart from the two capacitors.

Don’t worry if you don’t have the polystyrene capacitor. Your loop will still work except it
won’t go down to 21 MHz. Instead you will only get 24 to approximately 40 MHz coverage. A
disc ceramic type would be fine for receiving but a polystyrene type is essential due to the high
voltages encountered on transmit at this part of the loop.

The beehive trimmer is another specialised part. They were common in 1970s era VHF FM
transceivers. These can come up at hamfests where they’re sometimes almost given away. Their
benefit is the screw adjustment that makes adjusting the loop to frequency easy.

An alternative is an air-spaced variable capacitor. Also rare but they again show up at hamfests.
One with a 50 pF maximum will cover 21 MHz without the 18pF capacitor required and possibly
also 18 MHz.

If neither option is available you could try making your own capacitor, especially if you just
need the loop for a single band. After all a capacitor is just two parallel plates of metal. Coaxial
cable is another possibility if you’re happy with a single band loop. RGS58 has roughly 1pF per
centimetre so a 20cm length should give about 20 pF. Without the 18pF parallel capacitor about
that length should allow the loop to resonate around 28 MHz.

Do you have a hoop that’s bigger than suggested, eg around 65 or 70cm diameter? It will still
work. In this case you won’t need the parallel capacitor for 21 MHz. Though you might have one
if you prefer 14 MHz coverage over 28 MHz. The only other thing you’ll need to do is to scale
the transceiver coupling loop accordingly.

104
Construction

Building the loop starts like a child’s craft project.

Unroll the kitchen foil by about 170cm along a table or floor. Cut it with scissors so it is a few
centimetres shorter than the hoop’s outside circumference. You won’t need all 30cm or so width
so cut it in to a strip about 10cm wide. Discard or save the rest.
Wrap it around the outside of the hoop. Make cuttings every 10 or 15 cm so foil can be wound
inwards without making too many wrinkles. The idea is to cover all but a small gap of the hoop
with foil.

Except for about 20mm at the ends, firmly wrap the foil with tape.

Now make contacts for the capacitors. Sand the brass cable ties to provide the best possible
connection. Drill small pilot holes in the hoop to fit the nails. Then tightly wrap a tie around each
end where the foil finishes. Use pliers if necessary to bend the pointy end of the tie through the
buckle (it only just fits due to the hoop’s thickness). .

Use a second tie on each side to form the connection to both capacitors (the beehive trimmer and
the optional parallel 18pF). It should be soldered to the first tie on each side. The photo below
shows a close-up before I added the parallel capacitor.

If you have some slip some irrigation tubing over the beehive trimmer. That allows you to make
adjustments with less hand detuning.

105
The coupling loop is next. It’s always 20% of the size of the radiating loop. 33cm circumference
in my case. I used a salvaged two lead power cable. Either solder its ends to a BNC socket or
directly to a coax lead to your transceiver. The photo below shows the arrangement.

Adjustment and use

Connect to a 28 MHz receiver and adjust the variable capacitor for maximum noise on receive. It
should be fairly sharp. Apply a few watts (I wouldn’t use any more with this loop) and note

106
VSWR. It should be close to 1:1. Make small adjustments to the capacitor if it isn’t. If you still
can’t get 1:1 pull or compress the coupling loop as this can sometimes make a difference.

A setting near 28.1 MHz should be adequate for digital modes such as FT8 and WSPR while
28.45 MHz is a good centre frequency for SSB. Repeat for other bands to verify operation on 24
MHz. Then 21 MHz (if you have the polystyrene capacitor).

Only have a fixed capacitor e.g. a length of coaxial cable? In this case connect a general
coverage receiver or transceiver. Tune across from 20 to 30 MHz. You should find a point where
noise dramatically peaks. Add a longer length if your resonant frequency is too high or cut a little
off if it’s too low.

Like with all magnetic loops the tuning will likely be narrow and there will be high voltages
across the variable capacitors so exercise appropriate caution when using. Readjust each time
you change frequency as bandwidth will be quite narrow.

Results and Summary

The loop can perform for efficient digital modes such as WSPR and JS8. You'll also find it
works for SSB, especially for 500 to 2500 km contacts during the summer sporadic-E season.
Just watch the input driving power as the thin foil used may act like a fuse if too much is applied!

107
 ‘CycleLoop’ bicycle wheel magnetic loop
Have you been intrigued by bicycle wheels and wondered if they could be made into an antenna?
Guess no longer as that is the project presented here.

The material alone means that this loop will be of subpar efficiency. Nevertheless, when the
urge to build a project bites, the availability of something can trump how well it works. That is
especially the case with WSPR whose extreme efficiency can conceal a multitude of (antenna)
sins.

variable capacitor

G
feedpoint

Find a spare bicycle wheel that is as large as possible. A large size increases efficiency and the
possibility that it will work below 10 MHz. Split the loop with a hacksaw. This split will be

108
where the variable capacitor will be connected across. Drill holes large enough to pass bolts
through to some chopping board material. This keeps the loop rigid and provides a platform on
which to mount the variable capacitor.

Remove the spokes from the wheel. While bicycle spokes look tempting as elements for a UHF
yagi, their resistance is a likely handicap. However, we do need one spoke for this antenna’s
feedpoint.

This is one of those cases of serendipity one occasionally encounters. Spokes happen to be just
long enough to form the gamma-match style feedpoint. The contact ends are sanded, with the
feedpoint end connected to the centre of the RGS8 feedline to the transceiver, as shown below.

109
The variable capacitor should be mounted as close as possible to the top of the loop. This is so
that the connections between it and the loop are short and stout (unlike pictured below). This
reduces added loss. The square block between the cut ends of the bicycle wheel improves the
loop’s rigidity by reducing flexing.
ay

The size of the bicycle wheel used and the range of the variable capacitor affect what bands the
loop will cover. My 57 cm wheel gave 10 to 28 MHz coverage with a 250 pF variable capacitor.

Even though efficiency is low, my experience with small magnetic loops is that it is worthwhile
to add 7 MHz coverage. This is because of the band’s favourable propagation and activity
characteristics. 7 MHz was achieved by adding a 330 pF 630 volt polystyrene capacitor across
the variable capacitor. If you don’t have a 330 pF, capacitors of different values can be
connected in series or parallel to obtain it. Except for receiving I wouldn’t recommend disc
ceramic capacitors in magnetic loops due to their loss and (often) low voltage ratings.

110
With the assistance of an old mop (in above picture) the CycleLoop was set up about 1 metre
above the ground in a courtyard. A few watts of WSPR was applied in the late afternoon. 10
MHz provided the longest distance of 14 000 km between Australia and the US. 7 MHz also
produced results, with 2500 km to New Zealand being achieved.

As mentioned before this is not what I call a good antenna. Only try it if you have a spare bicycle
wheel. And only then consider it as being useful just for receiving or WSPR transmitting.
Although, with a suitable variable capacitor, you will be able to cover a wide range of bands.

111
 Figure 8 twin magnetic loop
I was reading about various ways of feeding magnetic loop antennas. The most common was a
small loop connected across the feedline. About 1/5 the diameter of the main loop, it is located
at the end of the loop directly opposite the variable capacitor. This is closely followed in
popularity by a gamma-match type arrangement. I use this for most of my loops with good
results.

A less common, but still very simple, alternative is to use a ferrite toroid large enough to slip
over the radiating element. Again, it’s positioned opposite the variable capacitor. RF from the
transmitter is applied via a primary winding of about 5 turns wound over the toroid. Further
information on this appears on the GOCWT website at
http://g0cwt.co.uk/magloops/new_page 3.htm.

Magnetic loops require you to adjust them to change bands or even frequencies within a band.
This is easy enough for normal single band operating, but what if you need to change bands
frequently and quickly? For example, some WSPR transmitters automatically switch between
two or more bands. It would be nice to have a magnetic loop that can operate on more than one
band at once — a bit like a trap dipole.

Shown below is one approach. Instead of one loop threaded through the toroid, there are two. I
only had a small toroid so used thick stranded wire for the elements. While efficiency would be
compromised it would at least demonstrate the concept. It would be the magnetic loop
equivalent of the famous ‘fan dipole’.

(Mi
 FT50-43
eas

5 turns
on toroid

Im freq 2
One loop was adjusted for 7 MHz while the other was set to 14 MHz. There was some
interaction between adjustments but I was eventually able to get them right onto the WSPR
frequencies. Both used 2.5 metres of wire and variable capacitors ranging up to a few hundred
picofarads. A dry timber fence was used as a support for testing.

Lt3
 Wyble capacitors up to
% 250 pF max

The feed point is pictured below. I used 2.5 metres of some fairly thick DC cable that is enclosed
in a thick protective sheath. All but the middle 10 or 15 cm was removed. This provides a good
fit to the middle of a FT50-43 ferrite toroid, with enough clearance for the five turn winding
connecting to the transceiver. Thicker wire would improve efficiency but require a larger toroid.

TE etal ae

The loop was tried on both 40 and 20 metres WSPR during the day. Conditions were poor.
Nevertheless, the signal was detected within south-east Australia on 40 metres and in Western
Australia on 20 metres.

114
velopment ol

Lis
 9 VHF AND UHF ANTENNA PROJECTS

50 MHz half wavelength vertical

2m vertical double extended zepp (with 6m)
Oblong loop for 2m SSB and WSPR
Hourglass loop for 2m SSB and WSPR
2m magnetic loop
Tape measure beam for 2m
Ultralight rabbits ears beam for 2m (and more)
Bobtail for 70cm
Bi-quad for 70cm

116
 50 MHz half wavelength vertical
Do you already carry a telescoping mast when you go portable? If so very little extra space is
required to pack this capable wire vertical antenna for 50 MHz or the “magic band”. Able to be
erected in five minutes or so, it provides good omnidirectional coverage. This makes it ideal for
all modes found on 50 MHz, including FM/repeaters, digital modes and casual SSB sporadic-E
contacts. While most SSBers use horizontal beams, the vertical polarisation of this antenna
won’t hurt performance for contacts beyond local distance.

117
The antenna is a simple half wavelength vertical made from three metres of thin hookup wire.
Almost anything will do. You may have some stereo speakers you could snip some from.

It’s held vertical by being tied or taped to the end of the extendable fishing pole. Alternatively,
you could tie it to a small 1 x 2cm piece of plastic such as from a kitchen chopping board. Then
it can be raised by tying to a line that’s been thrown over a tree branch.

Being a half wavelength, this antenna exhibits impedance in the thousands of ohms. This means
that you can’t simply connect it to 50 ohm coaxial cable and expect it to work. For that you will
need a matching unit at the base of the antenna.

Above is a suitable L-match. It consists of the smaller (60pF maximum) section of a transistor
radio variable capacitor and a small coil. This comprises 8 turns of wire over a 9mm wooden
dowel. The turns are spread over about 13mm. Drill small holes in the dowelling and apply dabs
of glue to anchor the wire once satisfied.

Alternatives exist if you don’t have the variable capacitor pictured. Probably an even better
choice than pictured is a beehive trimmer with a maximum of 25 or 30 pF. These were found in
1960s and 1970s VHF transceivers. They’re robust and would be suitable for much more than
QRP power levels. While I haven’t tried them, and it’s hard to see where the capacitance is set
to, another possibility is the small plastic trimmers that you can still buy online.

Failing all that, there’s the homebrew capacitor option. Two pieces of fibreglass printed circuit
board can be formed into a sliding-type variable capacitor. Even more economical is the use of
50 ohm coaxial cable such as RG58. With a capacitance of about IpF per centimetre of

118
braid/inner overlap, this is suitable for antenna projects like this where a small capacitance is
required. You simply cut. off the amount (in centimetres) that you want your maximum
capacitance to be and solder one end across where you want the capacitance. The free end should
be left unconnected, taking care to prevent stray pieces of braid from touching the inner.

Try any HF antenna couplers you have before doing any of that. While most are specified to only
go up to 30 MHz, you might be lucky to have one with sufficiently low inductance and
capacitance to work on 50 MHz. Then you won’t need the L-match described above at all.

3m vertical wire

8 turns insulated wire on

9mm dowel spread over
transceiver approx 13mm

variable capacitor
10 - 60 pF

To test, erect the wire in a clear area, connect the coupler to it and the 50 MHz transceiver to the
coupler. If the transceiver doesn’t have an inbuilt VSWR indicator connect an external VSWR
meter between the transceiver and the coupler. You may also wish to add a short wire
counterpoise to the ground connection on the coupler (length not critical).

If possible, set the 50 MHz transceiver to SSB. Adjust the coupler’s variable capacitor for
maximum band noise. That will put it fairly near the setting it needs to be. Then apply a few

119
watts power and check the VSWR, readjusting slightly if required. If you can’t get a good
VSWR reading add or subtract turns from the coil. Readjust if you need to make significant
excursions within the band, such as going from 50 to 53 MHz. While I’ve not tried it, you could
try 5 metres of wire and more turns on the coil to make the antenna suitable for 28 MHz instead.

120
 2m vertical double extended zepp (with 6m)

Here’s a vertical antenna I built for home but could just as easily be made into something for
portable use. It’s ideal if you want 2m FM omnidirectional performance that beats the usual
quarter and five-eighth wavelength ground planes.

Its name might not excite you but the features and performance of this simple dual band VHF
antenna should. Easy to build it has more gain than common ground planes. And even some
commercial antennas. It’s just the thing to try when you need to access that distant repeater or
transmit further on simplex.

The basic zepp antenna concept dates from radio’s early days. It was typically made of wire and
used on HF frequencies. John Hassell VK6JAH (then VK6ZGF) described a vertical aluminium
rod version for 2 metres in April 1975 (refer https://www.armag.vk6uu.id.au/1975-april-AR.html
). It was fed with the (then common) 300 ohm TV ladder line. John found it worked substantially
better than shorter more commonly used quarter and five-eighth wavelength ground plane
antennas.

Inspired by that article I built a version fed with 50 ohm coaxial cable. My results have been
similarly good and are described here.

Why extended double zepp (or double extended zepp)?

P20
The zepp was named because it was used on zeppelins. It was an early type of end-fed antenna,
with a matching section comprising parallel lines. Not unlike the well-known J-pole often used
on VHF.

A double zepp has two half wavelength sections, i.e. a total end-to-end length of one wavelength.
This presents a high impedance at the feedpoint, hence the need for the matching network.

Someone found you could get more gain when each section was extended from one-half to about
five-eighth wavelength. With a horizontal wire that gave narrower lobes than what we’re used to
with the figure eight pattern from a half wavelength dipole. That may or may not be useful,
depending on the directions you wish to work and your antenna’s orientation.

All that changes when you make this antenna vertical. On HF this is often difficult because the
vertical extended double zepp is a tall beast — 1.25 wavelengths high. But at 144 MHz and up
this length becomes easy.

With the antenna vertical the radiation pattern becomes omnidirectional, at least for land
communication. Its pattern resembles a squashed donut. Not good for overhead satellite
communication but perfect for long distances over land such as you’d want for FM simplex and
repeaters. And if you did manage to build a giant one for HF you could expect excellent low-
angle DX performance.

Six metres too

There’s another bonus. A five-eighth wavelength on 146 MHz is about the same as a quarter
wavelength around 53 MHz. Which means that if you have two of them you have yourself a
vertical dipole on 6 metres. This makes the antenna a useful dual bander.

I won’t make any claims about its operation on 70cm. Mine had a low VSWR there as well.
Suspiciously low, likely due to the length of lossy cable it was being fed with.

Construction and testing

Instead of aluminium tubing or strip (which would have been better) I used springy metal strip
salvaged from a discarded beach shelter. It’s about 5mm wide and 2mm thick. Strips in these can
be as long as 8 metres, allowing two or three antennas to be made from one shelter. Because this
strip is not quite rigid enough to stay upright on its own, I taped it to a dry timber dowel.

I wouldn’t recommend this for a permanent outdoors or wet weather antenna. If that’s what you
want use a more robust construction method. A later version made from an old TV antenna has
given me equally gratifying results.

122
The dimensions are below. I was worried about the effect of the timber but didn’t need to do any
trimming at all. However it’s a good idea to start with slightly longer lengths. Especially if you
want to build a horizontal version for 144 and 50 MHz SSB work.

1.33m

5/8 wl element
(on 146 MHz)

feedline to transceiver
(preferably via 1:1 balun)
0.23m
spacing approx 10mm
matching section
(on 146 MHz)

1.33m

metal strip
(total 1.56m
for each half)

The feedpoint is at the end of the shorter lengths of the two Ls. I attached a coaxial socket but
you might instead connect cable directly using lug connectors and screws. Your feedline is
vulnerable here and waterproofing is essential for long-term use. A 1:1 balun is desirable but not
essential at this point.

I formed each L-section with my hands rather than a bending tool. This is why the bends aren’t
as sharp as they could have been. The matching section isn’t quite parallel, going from about 3
cm down to lcm near the feedpoint. I used sections of plastic chopping board held with
insulation tape to keep this rigid.

123
You'll need a VSWR meter or (at the very least) a transceiver with a relative VSWR indicator to
check that the element lengths are OK. With the antenna vertical on a temporary mast transmit
at low power on various frequencies from just above 144 to just below 148 MHz while
monitoring VSWR. Your aim is to get close to 1:1 in the 146 — 147 MHz region (or 145 MHz in
Europe). Then do the same for the 50 to 54 MHz range. In this case you want lowest VSWR
around 53 MHz if you want the antenna for 6m FM work in Australia or North America. Those
interested in 6m SSB or in Europe (where six metres is narrower) may need to juggle dimensions
for optimum results near 50 MHz.

A resonant frequency that’s too low means the elements are too long (good) while one that’s too
high means elements are too short (not good).

Results

My reference antenna was a Diamond 2m/70cm vertical mounted at a similar height to the
vertical zepp. It’s about a metre shorter (1.7m vs 2.7m) so you’d expect lower gain. But partly
offsetting that would have been the Diamond’s feedline (RG213 vs RGS58 for the zepp).

Notwithstanding the feedline handicap the zepp performed better on two metres. Signals that
were detectable with the Diamond were plainly readable with the double zepp. Noisy but
readable signals became almost fully quieting on the zepp. On transmit similar improvements
were noted by receiving stations up to 60km away.

These differences are most noticeable around the threshold of readability for FM signals and are
less apparent when signals are stronger. However they still show that the tall zepp made a
worthwhile improvement.

Fewer stations were available on six metres to test the antenna there. But results there were in
line with what you’d expect from a dipole. And summer has produced some long distance
contacts there thanks to seasonal Sproradic-E.

Conclusion

Although rough and ready this vertical gives more than satisfactory performance. It should
compete well with commercially made omnidirectional home station antennas for two metres at
a fraction of the price. And the six metre capability is a worthwhile bonus.

124
 Oblong loop for 2m SSB and WSPR
Some might think that an antenna that is taller than it is wider would be vertically polarised. Not
this one! The Oblong Loop is a slim horizontally polarised loop that can be fed directly with 50
ohm coaxial cable. It’s bidirectional with one or two dB gain over a half wavelength dipole.

This loop is light enough to be supported on a squid pole. Lightness allows height which can
give it an edge over larger but lower antennas. And its bidirectional pattern halves the number of
directions you need to try if doing WSPR tests with stations all around you.

Why wouldn’t you build a square loop? The main reason is its awkward impedance. A square
loop has a 100 to 120 ohm feedpoint impedance. That requires you to make a quarter wavelength
matching transformer from 75 ohm coaxial cable to get it down to 50 ohm.

A rectangular loop like this is already 50 ohm so can be directly fed without a matching section.
Another benefit, if you’re mounting it on a flexible fishing pole, is mechanical. At one-sixth of a
wavelength, rectangular loop is only one third the width of a half wavelength dipole. It’s tied to
the pole at the top (which is thin) as well as lower down where the pole is thicker. Both the
reduced width and extra tie-off point make the loop more stable than a horizontal dipole.

You won’t be the biggest signal on the band with it. But the oblong loop is very cheap, uses just
wire and timber dowelling, and is quick to adjust and build. It could be mounted on a pole or
hung from a tree. This makes it an ideal portable or field day antenna for 2m SSB or weak signal

125
digital modes. If you operate portable and already carry a multimode transceiver and squid pole
then packing this loop to give 2m SSB capability won’t be much of an extra burden.

Construction

Gather the parts. Less than a metre of 9mm diameter dowel and just over two metres of thick
plastic covered stranded wire is all that’s needed. I used wire about 3mm outside diameter,
although you could probably use something thinner, such as from an old mains extension cable.

Cut the dowel into two lengths about 460mm long. Drill two holes, slightly larger than the wire
diameter, about 50mm from the end of each dowel so that they are spaced 360 mm apart. You
might drill centre and/or end holes in the top dowel for support strings.

Start with a little over 2.2m of wire. At over a wavelength that is longer than you need. But it’s
better to start long and cut it short than have to add joins later.

Thread the wire through the holes in the dowel so it forms a narrow U. Bend the ends of the open
sides of the U in so they almost meet. Solder these to a BNC coaxial socket or directly to the 50
ohm cable to the transceiver.

360mm

720mm

50 ohm feedpoint

126
Testing

With a VSWR meter connected in line, or using your transceiver’s internal indicator, transmit at
low power on various frequencies from just above 144 to just below 148 MHz. Your aim is to
get close to 1:1 in the 144 — 145 MHz region.

Note VSWR readings at various frequencies while holding the antenna in the clear. Because the
length specified is too long the VSWR should be higher near 148 MHz than near 144 MHz. Snip
off bits of the wire (less as you get nearer the desired centre frequency) and measure each time to
see the VSWR come down. Each time realign the dowel spacers to form an even oblong.

I ended up with a total wire length of 2160 mm, ie a loop 360mm wide and 720mm high. That’s
one-sixth by one-third wavelength, for a total one wavelength perimeter, just like a quad or delta
loop. Yours might be nearer to 710 or 730mm in height, especially if its wire is a different
thickness.

Results

I tested this antenna with 5 watts of 144 MHz WSPR during a winter’s day. It was positioned
about five metres high on a telescopic pole overlooking a beach. There was some enhancement
with my signal decoded by stations up to nearly 700km distant. Reports received on SSB were
also encouraging.

Either build the lightweight portable antenna described here or make a heavier version for home.
This would make a good ‘listening around’ antenna for when you don’t need sharp directivity or
high gain. It’s a good starter antenna for 2m SSB or digital modes. Or you could scale up for 6 or
10m. With few materials required and quick construction you can’t go wrong!

127
 Hourglass loop for 2m SSB and WSPR
Not long after building the oblong loop (before) I came across this bigger loop described by
K4ERO in December 2018 QST.

Instead of a single rectangle, the Hourglass is two triangle loops, one wavelength perimeter each.
Twice as much wire is used. This gives it a little more gain.

My first version used metal strip from a discarded beach shelter. However a portable hotel loop
could be made from stranded wire (approx 2mm thick) and dowelling. Because it’s so light this
version could also be used outside, hung on a telescoping fishing pole.

The Hourglass is a good choice if most stations you wish to contact are in an imaginary line
through your station. Then you would have an effective antenna without the need to turn it.
Polarisation is again horizontal, making it suitable for SSB and WSPR communication.

370 mm

no connection

1785 mm 1785 mm

180 mm 180 mm total length = 4300 mm

feed point
(50 ohm)

128
The dimensions above are for the SSB end of two metres. The wires in the centre pass close to
one another but do not touch. Cable ties provide some rigidity to keep the loop in shape. If using
metal strip insulation from mains power or Cat 5 cable could provide suitable insulation as
shown below.

My first test with this antenna was with it indoors, hung on a closet door. This could be opened
to change direction. Results were gratifying, with 5 watts WSPR being detected by stations 350
to 400 km distant.

How does it compare with other antennas? A 70cm version would be an interesting project.
However one for 6 metres would be quite unwieldy unless you have a tall tree to hang it from. I
wouldn’t recommend using a metal mast close to this antenna due to unwanted interaction and
detuning. If your mast is metal then you would probably be better off using a horizontal dipole or
small yagi.

zo
 2m magnetic loop

Magnetic loops are normally thought of as HF antennas you build if you lack the room for
something approach full size. However they can also work on VHF, providing much better
performance than a small helical.

Shown here is a small loop I built from a design on VK5BR’s website. It tunes from about 110 to
150 MHz. This makes it good for 144 MHz and even aircraft band reception provided that you
are willing to re-peak it each time you significantly change frequency.

Thick copper
; ; 420mm
wire or tubing
circumference
Transceiver 40mm

130
There’s only a few main parts. The radiating element is a loop of copper. I used copper wire
about 2 or 3mm in diameter salvaged from a high power amplifier inductor or homebrew antenna
coupler found at a hamfest. Or you could use bendable copper tubing a bit thicker than that. It’s
about 40cm long to form a diameter of about 13cm. While this dimension is not critical it can’t
be too long, otherwise the loop won’t resonate up at 144 MHz.

Secondly there is the variable capacitor. You want it to cover about 3 to 8 pF. The minimum
capacitance value is important because you will be set near that when using the loop on 144
MHz. If its minimum is too high you won’t be able to resonate the loop high enough in
frequency unless you make it smaller. Which would lessen its efficiency.

The loop will work with a single section variable capacitor but (like with any magnetic loop) it’s
better to use a dual section type. This is because a single section type relies on a wiper contact to
connect the rotating plates with the capacitor’s frame. This has electrical resistance which adds
to losses in the loop. Whereas a two section type of variable capacitor has no connections
through the frame so is less lossy.

There’s two main types of two section variable capacitor. A dual gang type is pictured below.
The end of the loop is soldered to the fixed plates of each section. The metal frame isn’t
connected to anything. This puts the two sections in series. As well as reducing loss this halves
the maximum capacitance assuming both sections are the same. This is a good thing at 144 MHz
where the loop needs only a few picofarads to resonate.

The abovementioned variable capacitor is fairly rare but possibly even rarer is the ‘butterfly’
type. This also has two sections. However, because of how the plates are arranged, it’s only a
quarter turn from minimum to maximum capacitance. Again you’d connect each end of the loop
to each set of fixed plates, leaving the rotor unconnected.

131
Variable capacitors rarely have their value marked. This is why it’s highly desirable to have a
capacitance meter that can measure low values. The LCR45 that I reviewed in one of my videos
is a good choice, with other functions like inductance as well.

What if you can’t obtain a suitable variable capacitor? Not having one makes this project harder
but not impossible. You could consider building one from pieces of printed circuit board. Or if
you’re only operating on a narrow range around a fixed frequency you could try a short length of
RGS8 coaxial cable. Capacitance for this is roughly 1pF per centimetre.

Because magnetic loops tune sharply, it’s nice to have a vernier reduction drive to make
adjustment easier. If you haven’t played with one before, they are a form of gear box. Instead of
going from minimum to maximum capacitance with one half (or occasionally one quarter) turn
of the variable capacitor’s shaft, the mechanical reduction means that you may need two or three
turns. This is a big help on projects with sensitive tuning, like shortwave receivers and magnetic
loop antennas. If you can’t find a reduction drive (again hamfests are a good source) a substitute
is to attach a large knob (or lever) to the tuning control to make fine adjusting easier.

The picture below shows the inside of the loop. A plastic lunch box gives it some protection.

How is the loop coupled to the transceiver? The picture below shows how. The outside of the
BNC connector goes to the point of the loop directly opposite the variable capacitor. Whereas
the centre is connected, via about 4cm of tinned copper wire, to a point along the loop (doesn’t

132
matter which direction). You might need to try various lengths until you get a 1:1 VSWR at
resonance.

What can this loop be used for? Its narrow bandwidth makes it a poor choice for repeaters. This
is because if you optimise it for the transmit frequency it won’t perform well on the receive
frequency 600 kHz away. But it can be effective if you want something small for SSB or digital
modes.

My main use of it has been on WSPR with good results even when transmitting from the middle
of the city. Another possibility is use on board public transport such as from buses or trains.

133
 Tape measure beam for 2m
Want a small and light beam without fragile breakable elements? One of these might do the
trick, especially if you have an old metal tape measure lying around.

I originally built this three-element beam for 2m FM satellite work. It was needed because low
power satellites hear better than they can be heard. When FM signals are just above the noise
level a few decibels extra gain can lift a weak signal to one that’s pleasant listening. Subsequent
tests have also shown its benefit for land based FM and SSB contacts.

The main materials required are:

Metal tape measure at least 3 metres long (to be cut up)

A wood boom about 70cm long
Small piece of wire (for matching section)
Small piece of kitchen chopping board (for driven element)
RGS58 coaxial feedline and plug for transceiver
Assorted hardware to mount elements

Construction is as per the diagram below. The reflector (long element) and director (short
element) are each one piece. A hole is carefully drilled in the centre of each to provide for
mounting to the boom.

The driven element is a little more complex. It is split into two equal lengths. About 140 mm of
wire forms a matching section across the feedpoint. The coaxial feedline is connected across the
split driven element. This can be done by filing then sanding the paint off a part of the driven
element and soldering the coaxial feedline to it.

134
 1060 mm

The dimensions as given should be adequate. But if you have one do some measurements with a
VHF VSWR meter or antenna analyser. If you need to raise the antenna’s resonant frequency
make elements shorter. Or if it needs to be lowered then extend the elements. This can be done
by sanding the elements outer corners so the metal is shiny and soldering U-shaped wire
extensions to them. Because element ends can be sharp provide some protection by wrapping (as
a minimum) insulated tape around them.

135
The photo shows the beam being used to work through one of the low earth orbiting FM
satellites. I liked the beam’s light weight and ability to fit into tight spaces without damage.
However, the elements’ flexibility can also be its undoing, especially if there is more than a light
breeze.

136
 Ultralight rabbits ears beam for 2m (and more)
One of the good things about small yagi antennas is how quickly the gain increases as you add
elements. For example, adding a reflector to a driven element adds about five decibels of
forward gain. That’s a similar effect to tripling your transmitter’s output power. Another
element, this time a director to form a three element yagi, will provide a further two dB. The
resultant 7dB gain is like quintupling your power output with better results on receive as well.

Unfortunately, there’s only so much you can comfortably carry, and eventually you have to say
enough is enough. Ten elements would be great but the weight and mechanical challenges are
just too formidable. But at the other extreme, a handheld’s helical will give only limited
performance. So, you’ll be wanting something in the middle.

One possibility is this very versatile two element yagi. It’s made from TV rabbits ears antennas
so it folds up small. Extendable elements mean no cutting and measuring is required during
construction. If you like listening to FM broadcast stations (88 — 108 MHz), VHF airband (108 —
136 MHz), and VHF marine band (around 156 MHz) the elements can be adjusted to suit those
frequencies as well.

North American readers may even find the beam also works on their 222 MHz band. I haven’t
tried this. But if you do I suggest closer element spacing (e.g. 25 to 30 cm) to provide good gain
on both 2 m and 1.25 m.

How is the radiation pattern? This beam has a wide front lobe and significant rear lobe. There
are also some sharp but narrow nulls off the sides. These nulls are particularly useful if using
this antenna for FM DXing where there are often stations sharing frequencies and you wish to
null out a strong local station. Adding another parasitic element, so the antenna becomes a three-

137
element beam, will sharpen the main lobe and greatly reduce signal pick-up from the rear. The
main penalty is the doubled boom length that may not be attractive if space is limited.

To build gather the following:

e Two pairs of rabbits ears TV antennas (the type that can spread out 180 degrees — not all
can)
40cm of timber dowelling (about 9mm diameter)
2 x cross piece irrigation fittings to fit snugly over dowelling
2 way terminal block
Small piece of kitchen chopping board or other plastic
BNC socket, coaxial cable and plug to suit transceiver
Cable ties, screws, nuts and other hardware as required

138
Before you drill and cut anything, work out how things will fit together. This will depend on
your materials. The main challenges include (i) fitting the elements onto the boom, (ii)
connecting the feedline to the driven element formed by one set of rabbits ears, and (iii) bridging
the two halves of the other rabbits ears to form the reflector.

My rabbits ears had a cap that could be levered off with a screwdriver. Underneath were
contacts connecting to the ribbon cable that these were fed with. There was also a cavity big
enough to snugly accept the dowel boom with glue to reinforce. This is done for both pairs of
rabbits ears. Element spacing is about 37 cm (not critical) though you may wish to make it
narrower if you also want good results on the American 1.25 metre band.

Now think of a way to connect the coaxial feedline. You may have to unscrew the elements to
remove the existing connector. Find a way to connect each half to the BNC socket. The picture
below shows what I did with a terminal block, stiff wire and BNC socket. The latter was
mounted on a small piece of kitchen chopping board threaded onto the boom near the driven
element (see below).

Finally bridge the connections of the other element to form the reflector. Of course, it doesn’t
have to be a reflector; making it shorter than driven element would make it a director which
would work about as well.

What about mounting so you can put the antenna on a mast? I used two cross-shaped irrigation
tube connectors. Their inside diameter causes them to snugly slip over the dowel boom. The
firm fit allows the antenna’s elements to be changed from vertical (for FM) to horizontal (for
SSB).

Cable ties tie the cross-pieces together. This allows one connector for the boom to pass through
while the other allows the antenna to be slipped over an extendable fishing pole mast. This is

139
about a metre from the top of the mast but at this point the tapering sections are thick enough to
support the antenna without excessive bending.

As a Starting point adjust the elements so that the driven element is about 98 cm end to end while
the reflector is about 5 or 6 cm longer. Transmit a carrier and note the VSWR. Make small
adjustments to get it lower if required.

Find a weak signal on 2m and rotate the beam through 360 degrees. There should be a clear
peak in strength as the beam is pointed to it. There will be a weaker lobe off the back and sharp
nulls off the sides. This test shows the beam has directivity. Gain can be verified by comparing
against a dipole element on its own by collapsing and folding in the reflector.

What have results been like? The folding beam has mostly been used for QRP 2m WSPR and
SSB operating. My station has been spotted by stations more than 400km away. Similar
distance contacts have been made on SSB when conditions have been enhanced. While three to
four elements would have been better, this beam is suitable for receiving signals from low earth
orbiting amateur satellites with a sensitive receiver such as the FT817/818. Little use has been
made of the beam for terrestrial FM work but repeater users should note a substantial
improvement in signals and increase in the number of repeaters accessible compared to a lower
gain antenna.

140
 Bobtail for 70cm
More associated with low band HF DXers than UHF operators, this is the portable antenna you
build when you want to intrigue people at your radio club. Because the chances are that no one
else will have built anything like it. Especially on UHF.

The bobtail can be visualised as three one-quarter wavelength verticals spaced one half of a
wavelength apart. RF from the transceiver is applied to the top of the middle vertical element.
This top feeding gives a low feedpoint impedance suitable for direct connection to coaxial cable.
This contrasts with what is normally done on HF where the middle element is fed at the bottom
with a high impedance feeding system such as via an impedance step-up tuned circuit or antenna
coupler.

1/2 wavelength 1/2 wavelength

Coaxial feedpoint

1/4 wi 1/4 wl

The bobtail has a bidirectional radiation pattern that is broadside to the antenna. You can
visualise this as being towards and away from you when viewing the diagram above on a page.
Observed gain is a few decibels above a dipole. It would be a good antenna to use if the stations
you wish to work are mostly in a straight line (such as up or down a straight coast, valley or
road) with you being near the middle of them.

The bobtail can be either vertical or horizontally polarised. The diagram below shows how it
should be oriented.

141
 Vertical polarisation Horizontal polarisation

How do you build a bobtail? You don’t need much in the way of materials. A 70 to 80cm length
of wood, about 1.3 metres of stiff wire for the element, a two connector terminal block and a
socket for the feedline are the main items needed.

The wire is cut into two. The longer length is about 1.5 wavelengths long. This is bent into a
shallow U. More precisely this is 17.5 centimetres up, 70 centimetres across and 17.5 centimetres
down again. The central wire is also 17.5 cm. Of, if you wish to scale it for another frequency,
the dimensions in metres are 75.6/frequency (MHz) for the ’4 wavelength sides and central
element and 153.7/frequency (MHz) for each half wavelength section.

You might be able to use an old metal coat hanger or some other source of stiff wire. Stiff
galvanised garden wire as sold by hardware stores is another possibility, but it is less conductive
than copper or aluminium.

The picture below shows the area around the centre element and feed point. The longer wire with
the outer elements is fed through one side of a screw terminal block while the other side holds
the centre element. This is fed to the centre of a BNC socket for the feedline while the outer goes
to the outer elements.

142
At least on UHF the bobtail is more a curiosity than anything else. You could use a similar
amount of wire and the timber as a boom to form a 3 or 4 element beam antenna. That would
provide a good amount of forward gain. However it may still be useful where you want a less
sharp and bidirectional radiation pattern.

143
 Bi-quad for 70cm
Those who work with 2.4 GHz wi-fi systems might be familiar with the Bi-quad. One can be
soldered up in five minutes on the back of an antenna connector.

What is a bi-quad? It’s two quad loops fed in parallel. Each has a perimeter of about one
wavelength. A great thing about it is that its feed point impedance is very close to 50 ohm so you
need no matching section to connect it to 50 ohm coaxial cable. Gain slightly exceeds that of a
half wavelength dipole.

Have it like a bow tie for vertical polarisation or rotate it 90 degrees, so it is taller than it is
wider, for horizontal polarisation. The narrow width makes it suitable to support on lightweight
masts often used portable such as fishing poles.

The version described here is for 432 MHz. Each side comprises 66 cm of thick speaker cable.
Mine uses 9mm timber dowel and irrigation fittings to support the wire. Bungs made from semi-
cylindrical dowel fit inside the T-pieces to stop the wire slipping.

There is no reason why you can’t use other more solid conductors instead for improved rigidity.
Each half should be bent into a square with sides approximately 16.5cm long.

144
 feed point

Each loop 66cm of thick

wire (approx. 2mm dia)

Below is a close-up of the feedpoint. It can’t be any simpler with the antenna wire soldered to a
coaxial socket. A cable tie holds it to a plastic irrigation cross-piece in the centre of the antenna.
Another piece of dowelling could be inserted into the cross-piece to support the antenna if using
it vertically polarised.

145
What is the performance like? It offers a good match at the centre frequency and a reasonable
bandwidth. A CW beacon 140 km away over flat land could just be heard when the bi-quad was
held at head height. Changing to a 6 element yagi understandably gave a stronger signal but the
difference was less than expected.

If you’re after a very simple 70cm antenna that’s cheap and easy to build, the bi-quad might just
be the answer you’re looking for. For directivity and some extra gain try adding a solid or mesh
metal reflector a few centimetres behind the driven element. And there’s the possibility of further
gain increases with a ‘double bi-quad’ (look it up).

146
 10 OTHER ARTICLES AND REVIEWS

Things you can do with twenty metres of wire

Length matters: fun with coaxial cable
Exploring lecher lines
Calculating the height of a mast
Making thick shaft variable capacitors useful
Review: the ‘Manual Days’ ATU

147
 Things you can do with twenty metres of wire
Twenty metres of wire is an incredibly versatile length for the HF radio amateur. It’s a quarter
wavelength on 3.5 MHz, a half wavelength on 7 MHz and a full wavelength on 14 MHz. It’s
long enough to be efficient on most popular HF bands while being short enough to roll up onto a
small reel or support with a single tall pole or kite.

Whether you’re after some 14 MHz DX, medium distances on 7 MHz or even something that
can radiate on 3.5 MHz, twenty metres of wire will get you started. Presented below are a few
ideas to set your imagination running.

148
 Quarter wavelength
Transceiver end-fed for 3.5 MHz

radials or connection
to fence or railing

: L-match 20m
Half waveleng th pbupler
end-fed for 7 MHz
(also works other
bands) short counterpoise

Inverted-L gives mix of

vertical and horizontal
L-match polarisation for 3.5 MHz
coupler
and up

counterpoise
or radials

Half square for 14 MHz

L-match |9m
gives low angle vertical coupler |
polarisation signal

short counterpoise
or small ground mat

149
 6.7m Vertically polarised
balanced delta loop for 14 MHz
coupler
(also works 10 - 21 MHz)

wire
line 6.7m

50 ohm rectangular Transceiver

loop for 14 MHz
(vertically polarised) 50 ohm
coaxial
cable

sae i 6.7m Vertically polarised

et i a4m| rectangular loop
open for 14 MHz (also
wire works 10 - 21 MHz)
line

50 ohm rectangular loop for 14 MHz

(horizontally polarised)

50 ohm
coaxial
cable

Transceiver

150
 Length matters: fun with coaxial cable
Feedline length isn’t important where the antenna’s feedpoint impedance is near 50 ohms on all
desired frequencies. The correct length to use is the distance from the antenna to the transceiver.
Provided the cable’s loss is acceptably low on the bands used no further thought is needed.

However at other times length does matter. Certain cable lengths have interesting
characteristics. Cable can be used to transform impedance or make RF filters. Knowledge of
cable’s characteristics can be useful for troubleshooting or estimating its length, even if you
don’t have access to the other end. None of this is new but if, like me, you skimmed the ‘boring’
transmission line sections of the amateur handbooks, it’s worth a recap.

Electrical lengths

We often buy coaxial cable by the metre (or hundred). Loss calculations are done the same way,
calculated per hundred metres or part thereof. But, otherwise the critical factor is the cable’s
electrical length relative to wavelength (and thus operating frequency).

Note the underlining. A cable’s electrical length is always shorter than its physical length. The
difference is because RF signals travel slower through a feedline than they do through a vacuum.

Properties of certain electrical lengths

As we’ll shortly have the means to prove, feedline is frequency sensitive. Certain lengths have
interesting properties, depending on frequency. It would be extraordinary if this wasn’t so; all
feedlines contain resistance, capacitance and inductance, with the effect of the latter two varying
with frequency.

As an example, an electrical quarter wavelength of cable with its far end left open remains an
open circuit if tested at DC with a multimeter but appears shorted to RF of certain frequencies.
In contrast shorting the far end closes the circuit as far as DC is concerned, but makes it appear
open for RF.

An electrical half wavelength of cable can also be made to short RF but, opposite to the quarter
wavelength, requires its far end to be shorted. Some uses for these characteristics are given
later.

Velocity factor

Before we mentioned that RF signals travelled slower through cable than they do in open air.
The ratio between in-cable and through-space speed varies between feedline types and is referred
to as the velocity factor. Common values are around 0.66 for coaxial cable and 0.95 for open
wire feedline. Like decibels the velocity factor is a ratio with no unit. A cable’s velocity factor

16
of 0.66 (or 66%) means that signals through it travel at about two thirds the speed they would in
space.

Does this matter? It depends. The delay is too small to notice on air. The ham down the road
with the open wire feeder won’t snatch the rare DX faster because the signal travelled faster in
his feedline than your coax. But knowing the velocity factor allows the cable to be cut to its
correct electrical dimension. This is vital when relying on the cable to provide an accurate
impedance transformation or phase shift at a particular frequency, as needed with some antenna
projects.

Luckily these calculations are not hard. The first item needed is a general coverage HF receiver
or transceiver with signal strength indication. A sensitive software defined radio with spectrum
display will also work.

Secondly you need a broadband RF signal generator. It puts out a constant level of ‘hash’ over
the radio spectrum. They’re about the simplest radio project you can build and use a few dollars’
worth of parts.

Thirdly you need a coaxial T piece which is basically just three sockets in parallel. Make one
from three panel mount SO239 sockets if you don’t have one. Use short wire offcuts to solder
the inners to each other and the outer frames to each other.

A broadband RF noise generator

The photo above and the diagram below show the broadband RF noise generator. The circuit,
which was described by N5ESE, is a little simpler than other generators because it only has two
stages, not three. All parts are readily available and it should take less than an hour to build.

152
Building one is good training, especially if you’ve never assembled anything from a circuit
diagram before.

RF broadband noise generator

|___‘@)_ RF OUTPUT

2 x 2N2222A or 2N2369
Aa

The generator works because a small amount of RF noise is produced when DC is passed
through a zener diode or LED. The two transistors amplify it to a usable level. Broadband RF
noise sources such as these are used in more advanced (but now old-fashioned) pieces of test
equipment such as noise bridges used for antenna measurements.

A printed circuit board is overkill for such a simple project. Instead mount the parts on matrix
board (3 x 4 cm should be sufficient) or dead-bug style on unetched printed circuit board. All
the ground connections go the the circuit board and the metal case, which is necessary for RF
shielding. A mints tin is ideal, and, if you cram the parts in tight enough, might even be able to
hold the nine volt battery as well. Add a BNC socket for the RF output connection — the mints
tin should be just wide enough to take it.

The transistors, LED and power connections are the only polarised parts. When satisfied they’re
wired correctly apply 9 volts and watch the LED come on. Then connect the output directly to
the HF receiver’s antenna socket. If it’s working the receiver’s S-meter should go from zero
(with the battery disconnected) to s9 with the battery connected. The S-meter reading should be
fairly similar across the whole HF spectrum — proof that the noise generator is working.

Measurements with a quarter wavelength cable open at end

153
Once satisfied it’s working connect your T-piece so that the arrangement looks like the diagram
below. With nothing on the unused socket the noise generator should be audible as before.

coax |-piece
(inners to inners,
outers to outers)

RF noise HF
generator a a Receiver

cable under test

Plug a piece of 50 ohm coaxial cable of about 5 to 25 metres long into the spare socket and tune
around on the receiver. Leave its other end free. Set a fast tuning rate with big steps so you can
cover several megahertz in a few seconds. From about 2 MHz tune up in frequency and note the
reading on the S-meter with the noise generator on. It will initially be fairly constant but you’ll
find a spot where the meter goes down to nothing. Keep tuning and the signal will rise again.

What you observed is the coaxial cable acting as a band reject (or ‘notch’) filter at that
frequency. Signals are shorted to earth so they hardly show on the receiver. Whereas at a
megahertz or two either side the cable has no effect. This peculiar behaviour (occurring when
the cable is exactly an electrical quarter wavelength at that frequency) is due to the signal being
cancelled out by waves being reflected from the unmatched and unterminated far end of the
cable.

Write down the frequency where you got least signal strength and keep tuning up towards 30
MHz or more. You'll find other nulls where the noise drops to nothing. These will be at odd
multiples of where you got your first null.

For example if the first null was at 3 MHz, higher nulls should be at about 9, 15 and 21 MHz etc.
In this case the cable is 3 / 4, 5 / 4 and 7 / 4 wavelengths long respectively, with behaviour
similar to if it was a quarter wave, as on 3 MHz. It’s worth knowing this in cases where you
need the electrical properties of a quarter wavelength of coaxial cable but need it to be a longer
length, for instance in some antenna projects.

154
Measurements with a half wavelength cable shorted at the end

Here’s another trick. With the same setup as before temporarily short circuit the inner to the
braid at the free end of the cable. Switch on the noise generator and find where the nulls are.
They’ll be at different frequencies — actually double the ones we had before. Because doubled
frequencies mean halved wavelengths, the cable will become an electrical half wave at the
lowest frequency and multiples thereof on higher frequencies. Or, expressed another way, an
even numbers of quarter waves.

This works because a half wavelength of transmission line makes no transformation of the
impedance encountered at its far end. In this case it’s a dead short as far as both DC and RF is
concerned, and this remains so every half wavelength along the line.

The same principles of open and shorted transmission line behaviour apply for sound as well as
radio waves. A small speaker and scraps of PVC pipe makes an interesting experiment and
useful passive CW audio filter. The filter’s resonant frequency depends on the pipe’s length.
And just like with the coaxial cable test there will be a difference in its resonant frequency
depending on whether the free end of the pipe is open or closed. Construction details for such
filters are readily available on the web.

Uses for notch filters

Getting back to RF, where would you need a coaxial cable quarter or half wave notch filter?

One example is if your television is being overloaded by a strong fundamental signal from your
transmissions on (say) 144 MHz. In that case you could install a 144 MHz notch filter, made
from an electrical quarter wavelength of 75 ohm coaxial cable, in the TV’s antenna line. This
rejects your signal while allowing TV signals to pass provided the stations are not on an odd
harmonic of 144 MHz. If they are then a shorted half wavelength cable could work better as its
harmonic notches are at different frequencies.

Another application is at a club contest station where multiple frequencies are used
simultaneously. Reception on 14 MHz may be overloaded by the 7 MHz transmitter and you’ve
established that it’s not due to transmitter harmonics. A possible solution could be to add an
electrical quarter wavelength of coaxial cable (for 7 MHz) across the antenna line of the 14 MHz
transceiver. That should reject 7 MHz signals while not affecting 14 MHz operation.

The harmonic relationship of many HF amateur bands can help. If 21 MHz also causes problems
then the same 7 MHz filter should help since it’s an electrical 3 / 4 wavelength on 21 MHz. Or if
you wanted to reject 14 or 28 MHz signals then shorting the free end will make it a half
wavelength transmission line filter on 14 MHz and a two half wavelength filter for 28 MHz.

A pi network in the antenna line is the most effective harmonic filter for a transmitter. This is
because it attenuates everything above its design frequency by a consistently high amount. But

155
if for some reason one wasn’t available then a shorted half wavelength coaxial cable stub (tuned
for double the transmit frequency) across the antenna socket may offer relief on harmonics that
are even multiples of the fundamental. Unfortunately, unlike the pi-network, it is ineffective for
odd multiples of the fundamental.

You need to know the cable’s velocity factor to build effective filters of this type. Fortunately,
this is easily calculated from its lowest frequency notch (3 MHz in the above example) and its
measured physical length.

A full wavelength is the speed of light divided by the frequency. For our purposes we can
simplify this to 300 / frequency in MHz. That’s 100 metres for 3 MHz. 25 metres is a quarter
wavelength.

Now measure the coaxial cable’s actual length. I got 16 metres with the one I used. That’s an
electrical quarter wavelength at 3 MHz (or 100 metres wavelength), which as we mentioned
before is shorter than the physical quarter wavelength.

The cable’s velocity factor is simply the cable’s actual length divided by the frequency’s quarter
wavelength. That’s 16 metres / 25 metres or 0.64 (sometimes written as 64%) which is not far
from the often-quoted 66% for coaxial cable.

Knowing your cable’s velocity factor makes it easy to cut electrical quarter and half wavelengths
sections of it.

Simply divide 300 by the target frequency to get its wavelength.

Divide that number by 4 to get a quarter wavelength.

Then multiply this result by the velocity factor to get an electrical quarter wavelength and cut the
cable accordingly.

Impedance transformation

Electrical quarter wavelengths of cable are useful for more things than notch filters.

Unlike an electrical half wavelength of cable, an electrical quarter wavelength of line can
transform impedances. Because certain antennas are not always the same impedance as your 50
ohm feedline and transceiver, some transformation is desirable. An example is the full
wavelength quad loop which may have an impedance of around 100 ohms. It’s a good antenna
but you might not like the 2:1 mismatch. }

A common method of matching such loops to 50 ohms is to use an electrical quarter wavelength
of 75 ohm coaxial cable between the antenna and the regular 50 ohm line. This works because
the 75 ohms is near the midpoint of the impedances to be matched — in this case 50 and 100

156
ohms. Technically the ‘midpoint’ should be a geometric mean; ie the same ratio exists between
50 ohms and the cable impedance as between the cable impedance and 100 ohms. It’s not in this
case (70 ohms would be closer) but the difference is small enough to ignore.

What about if you wanted to transform to impedances lower than 50 ohms? That might be useful
for some beam antenna designs because adding elements lowers impedance. This would appear
impossible at first glance due to the unavailability of coaxial cable that’s less than 50 ohms. The
solution is to use two quarter wavelength matching sections in parallel to halve the impedance. 2
x 75 ohm lengths produces a midpoint impedance of 37.5 ohm, providing an accurate
transformation to a 28 ohm load.

If the antenna’s impedance is even lower than two parallel electrical quarter wavelengths of 50
ohm cable will provide, via a 25 ohm geometrical midpoint, transformation to 12.5 ohms.

If we take this to extremes, ie a very high open circuit impedance on the far end, the
transformation ratio is so high that we end up with an RF short on the near end. We proved this
earlier with the quarter wavelength notch filter suppressing the signal from the noise generator at
its resonant frequency.

While elegantly simple, quarter wavelengths of cable have limitations when transforming
impedances. They are frequency selective, unlike broadband baluns. Their matching range is
limited as only a few impedances of coaxial cable are readily available. And they’re only good
for purely resistive impedances; complex reactive components will need an L-match or similar to
tune out.

Locating shorts and estimating lengths

You have a length of coax with connectors at both ends. It measures a dead DC short and there’s
no antenna or balun connected. A good multimeter can help diagnosis since the shorted end will
measure a slightly lower resistance. But what if there is easy access to one end of the cable
only?

Here we can exploit the properties of the half wave notch filter discussed before. Connect the
near end of the cable to a T-piece in parallel with an HF receiver and RF noise generator. Little
noise should be audible on any frequency if the short is at the near end. On the other hand, if the
short is at the distant end the cable will have no effect on the noise generator’s signal strength
unless the receiver is tuned to a frequency that is an electrical half wavelength (or multiple) of
the cable’s electrical length. The distance from the receiver to the shorted part of the cable
should be about a third of the wavelength of the lowest frequency that a null is received on (a
half wavelength times typical velocity factor).

Suppose that the cable is fine but we need to estimate its length. Its remote end is open circuit so
we are interested in its behaviour as an electrical quarter wave. In this case we again tune the

US7
receiver from low to high until we find our first null. The cable’s length will be about one-sixth
the wavelength of this frequency (that is a quarter wavelength times typical velocity factor).

Phase shifting, antenna gain and custard pies

As mentioned before, small variations in the time that the signal reach the antenna from the
transmitter normally don’t matter. But they do with multi-element antennas which use small
timing differences to produce gain and directivity.

You arrive at a country park to do some portable operating but find the space taken by local
bumpkins running a custard pie throwing competition. Initially despondent, you watch and find
that the event teaches rather a lot about feedlines and antennas, thanks to its rather strange rules.

The game comprises teams of two launchers, standing side by side, who must throw pies at their
judge in front. A valid hit requires two pies from the one team to land at once. Because the
distances and throwing speeds are the same both launchers need to throw simultaneously and at
the same rate for multiple valid strikes. This works rather well, provided pie passers (also part of
the team) supply each launcher simultaneously at the same even rate.

Winning teams from each round compete in a play-off. This has similar rules except the
launchers must now stand at different distances from the judge. They’re still being passed pies at
the same time and throwing at the same time, speed and rate. However they never hit the judge
simultaneously because the different distances staggered arrival times.

One team got the bright idea that pies should go to the closer launcher slightly later, and he
should throw a moment after the further launcher. That did the trick and, more often than not,
pies arrived simultaneously on the judge.

There was no extra physical exertion as the rate of throwing (1.e. frequency) had not varied. The
only thing that changed is that the launchers were no longer quite throwing simultaneously.
Rather smartly they were using a launch time difference to compensate for their different
distances to the target.

Phased vertical antennas, which provide more gain than a single vertical, work a little like this.
Unlike yagis and quads, where only one element is driven, phased verticals have both elements
driven. Each has its own feedline, connected in parallel with the other at the transmitter end. A
pair of quarter wavelength ground planes, erected a quarter to a half wavelength apart, is
suitable.

Gain in this arrangement occurs in the direction where signals (pies) from the two elements
(launchers) arrive simultaneously. Assuming signals arrive from the transmitter at each antenna
simultaneously (or in-phase) the maximum radiation is broadside to the two antennas in both
directions. This is like the first case where the pie launchers were side by side equidistant from
the judge.

158
If you want maximum radiation in directions other than broadside without moving the two
vertical elements you need to introduce a timing (or phase) difference between them. Like how
we delayed pie supply to one launcher but maintained the frequency of throwing, we do this by
delaying RF’s arrival at the element in the direction we wish to beam towards.

How do we delay RF? Make one vertical the ‘lagging’ element by adding some extra feedline.
The diagram below is a typical example.

1/4 to 1/2 wavelength separation

quarter wave
vertical with feedlines (equal length) directivity
either wire
radials or tuned
counter poise inserted
line for
phase
delay

a be feedlines”
is % connected
leading vertical in parallel lagging vertical

feedline to transceiver
via antenna coupling unit

Want to work the other direction? Simple. Just add a switch or relay to make the other direction
lagging to reverse the beam. Such instant switching is useful for competitive DX contacts where
there’s no time to swing the beam.

How much feedline is needed to create the delay? It varies. Different lengths give different
radiation patterns. An electrical quarter wavelength (expressed as 90 degrees) gives a
unidirectional (cardioid) pattern in the direction of the lagging element. Whereas an electrical
half wavelength (180 degrees) throws a bidirectional pattern off the ends. Or, for a bidirectional
broadside pattern, switch out the added cable completely so that both verticals are fed ‘in phase’
(ie 0 degrees shift).

Complex impedances, matching to 50 ohms, element spacing and optimising nulls have not been
covered here but are part of building phased verticals. Construction requires more study, cut and
try than a simple dipole or single vertical. Consequently, they’re more for serious DXpeditions
and contests than a casual one or two hours’ operating at the beach. Detailed information
appears in the ARRL Antenna book or ON4UN’s Low Band DXing. However, it all becomes

159
worthwhile when you’ve got it right and can instantly null out interference and hear signals other
can’t.

Conclusion

Coaxial cable is more than just a uniform pipe from rig to antenna. Its behaviour changes
according to length and frequency. Knowing a little about this allows one to exploit its
characteristics for a wide variety of antenna and other projects.

160
 _ Exploring lecher lines
Sometimes we get so tied up in applied electronics and radio that we lose sight of the basic
physics that underpin how everything we use works. As an antidote it’s worth occasionally
doing experiments to get us back to these fundamentals.

An example is a lecher line. I don’t know about you but to me it’s amazing that with little more
than a piece of wood, wire, tape measure and an indicator lamp you can measure UHF radio
frequencies to an accuracy of better than two per cent.

Interested? Gather the following common items:

Strip of wood about Ito 1.5 metres long and 2 — 3 cm wide

About 3m of bare solid copper wire (to be cut in half)
Nails
Tape measure
A selection of LEDs (sensitivity between them can vary)
UHF signal source (1 to 5 watt output — eg cheap Chinese FM handheld)
BNC antenna connector and suitable adapter for transceiver (if required)
SRE ag

Knock in a pair of nails near the ends of the timber strip. They need to be about lcm apart.
Then attach two pieces of wire, slightly longer than the timber, parallel to one another and open
at both ends. Make them as taut as you can get without bending the nails. Have the wires
overhanging the end of the strip at one end (shown above). Sand the nails so they accept solder
more easily and solder to the wires.

Solder a BNC connector to the end where you left extra wire. It doesn’t matter whether it’s male
or female if you have a suitable connector for your transceiver.

161
Transmit an FM carrier with the transceiver set to a frequency in the 70cm band. Gently spread
one LED’s wires out so it can make contact with both the wires on the Lecher line. Starting at
the transmitter end slide the LED along the wires, being careful to maintain contact with both.
Eventually it should light. Identify the point where brightness peaks and mark on the timber
with a pencil. Keep sliding. The light will get dimmer and eventually go out. You'll see the
pattern repeat further along. Again mark where the light peaks. Measure between these points.
You will note that peaks occur at regular intervals along the line. As it happens this is every half
wavelength, or, if we wish to express it in degrees, with 360 being a full cycle, 180 degrees is
half a cycle. Reassuringly the points where values are the same (when expressed in absolute
terms — whether it’s negative or positive doesn’t matter here) are also 180 degrees apart as per
the sine wave graph below.

: /é \ /F \ [\ | /\
1 , \ / \ \
0 ee Aan
;3

} fe we: \ f+}...

= j[ \war / \ae / \ / \
Lf
j
3 4 OF WW V/ \/
-4 re
180 degrees

We know that wavelength in metres is 300 divided by frequency (in megahertz). Similarly,
frequency in megahertz is 300 divided by wavelength (in metres). Since we’ve measured a half
wavelength, we can calculate the frequency. Just double what was measured, convert it to
metres (if necessary) and derive the frequency by dividing 300 into the wavelength.

Compare with the frequency displayed on your transceiver to see how far out you were. If you
can, apply a signal at a higher frequency e.g. 450 or 470 MHz and repeat the test. You will find
the spacing between points where the LED lights is less — as you’d expect with a higher
frequency / shorter wavelength signal. Again, do the above calculation to confirm the higher
frequency and compare it to what’s shown. A lower frequency (e.g. 400 or 420 MHz) has a
longer wavelength and thus a wider spacing between LED peaks. ;

How accurate were your results? I got about 2 per cent without any special care. But it should
be possible to do better. While we were taking measurements based on points of maximum
brightness, this isn’t necessarily the best method. Our eyes (and ears) are better at detecting

162
minimums rather than maximums. It’s no accident that many bridge circuits (as used for
measuring properties like resistance, capacitance and inductance) are based on obtaining a visual
or audio null rather than a peak. We are also good at discerning audio frequency shifts,
especially if signals are beaten against one another.

You could apply the null principle to the lecher line. Here is where you need to go through your
collection of LEDs to find the one that lights with the least signal. Other experiments could
include increasing the RF drive, improving impedance matching between the transceiver and the
line or even using sound rather than light to indicate the null. An untried possibility for the latter
is to rectify RF and feed the resultant DC to a voltage-controlled audio oscillator such as
described earlier.

What’s this doing in a book about antennas? The answer is that a lecher line is a form of
transmission line. High and low voltage and current points repeat along a line at half wavelength
intervals. And the principle is often used to make stubs on antenna elements for impedance
matching to the feedline.

163
 Calculating the height of a mast
In antennas height is often might. Have you ever wondered how to measure the height of a mast
or pole without leaving ground?

There are several ways.

You could use trigonometry. If you know your distance from the base of the mast and can
measure the degrees elevation then you can work out the mast’s length. That assumes flat
ground. Otherwise you’d need to factor in the fall or rise of the ground between the mast and
you.

Measuring the angle requires a protractor, a thin tube or window to act as a sight and a plumb
line so the protractor is held level. Basically, a crude theodolite. That will give the tower top’s
elevation angle. With that you can use the tangent function on a scientific calculator (or app) to
convert degrees elevation to height for your distance away from the mast.

Another method requires no angle measurement and only simple division and multiplication. It
needs a sunny day. And the pole must cast a shadow in an accessible place. Here’s how to do it.

1. Find a vertical fence post or stick and measure its height. Or even use yourself.
2. Measure the length of shadow the post (or yourself) casts along the ground.
3. Divide the height of the known object by the length of the shadow it casts. If the sun is
high (such as around noon on a midsummer’s day) the shadow will be short. In other
words, the height to shadow ratio will exceed 1. Otherwise, if the sun is low, the height to
shadow ratio will be less than 1.
4. Immediately measure the length of shadow the pole casts along the ground
5. Multiply this by the height to shadow ratio answer from 3 above to calculate the
unknown tower’s height.

A worked example of this is below.

164
 )
i Xe Unknown height Known height fence
X Known shadow
(tower) Known shadow fence

“s
ex 15m “= o30m
Unknown height 1m o
ff

(tower)
calculated height

Known height
(fence)
2m

Known shadow 15m Known shadow 1m

If you’d rather watch a video rather than read instructions, an example is_ here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Kt2jkJPpuw

165
 Making thick shaft variable capacitors useful
Up to now I’ve cursed the thick shaft air-spaced variable capacitors that often came with valve
(tube) radios and pop up at hamfests. While good for antenna coupler and magnetic loop antenna
projects it was difficult to couple anything to their 9.5mm (3/8 inch) shafts. The radio dial drums
they were attached to are often long-gone.

In contrast the smaller 6.3mm (1/4 inch) shaft capacitors suit numerous new and salvaged grub
screwed knobs. Vernier reduction drives are also often compatible, allowing easier adjustment
and often also a dial.

What if all these have gone and the only variable capacitors remaining have the larger shaft?

Luckily help is as close as your nearest hardware store. Or even your shed.

I’ve found that 13mm plastic irrigation joiners (sometimes called poly fittings) are a firm press-
fit to 9.5mm variable capacitor shafts.

The T-piece pictured makes a nice knob if you don’t mind it looking like a water tap. Use white
paint or correction fluid to form a pointer.

T-pieces aren’t the only fittings that could be useful. An L-piece could form a knob where panel
space is limited. And an I-piece with dowelling could become an extension — potentially useful
for projects where you are mounting the capacitor well away from the front panel.

What about the specialised applications where you need a differential variable capacitor? This is
a rare type of variable capacitor where one section increases and the other decreases in
capacitance. But you could make your own with two 9.5mm shaft variable capacitors and a cross

166
piece joiner. This works because with the capacitors mounted so their shafts are facing one’s
plates are being turned clockwise while the other’s shaft is being turned anticlockwise.

Those unable to obtain or afford vernier reduction drives have often used large knobs as a ‘poor
mans’ substitute. While not quite as good, the larger leverage allows easier adjustment than if a
small knob was fitted. You can use a similar principle by fitting an extension rod to your T-piece
(pictured). 9.5mm dowelling should be a firm fit.
With these ideas in mind, no longer do you need to pass up variable capacitors due to their shaft
sizes. And you might finally find a use for those you may already have stashed away. With a T-
piece knob adjusting them is now as simple as turning on a tap. .

167
 Review: ‘Manual Days’ antenna coupler kit
You might have seen those cheap Chinese “Manual Days’ antenna coupler kits advertised on
eBay. Their price is attractive but are they any good? The answer depends on how you’re going
to build and use it.

ex (CZa “,

What is the ‘Manual Days’ antenna coupler? It’s a small T-match intended for HF portable QRP
work. An inbuilt LED-based resistive bridge allows for easy adjustment, even if your transceiver
does not have its own VSWR indicator.

Inductance is varied with a beefy switched inductor soldered to be back of a 12-position rotary
switch. Plastic polyvaricon type variable capacitors are in both the transmitter and antenna sides
of the ‘T’. A double pole double throw switch gives a choice of ‘tune’ (with the resistive bridge
in circuit) and ‘operate’ (with the bridge out of circuit).

Nick VK2DAP was kind enough to send me a kit to try. It went together over two or three
evenings. Even though there weren’t many parts construction was difficult. The instructions
were not clear and did not warn of the many pitfalls I encountered.

In fact, building a bad kit can be harder than constructing something from scratch due to
different expectations. This is because kits lull you into a false sense of security that prevents
you asking the sort of ‘will it fit? questions that come naturally to the from-scratch builder.

168
Here’s some (mostly minor) difficulties that I encountered during construction

* Component layout on printed circuit board slightly different to photos in instructions

* Holes in printed circuit board much larger than component leads making mounting harder
* Spacing of holes in printed circuit board too narrow for one resistor supplied
* Error in printing on the circuit board with regards to connections to the small toroid
* Marking in front panel drilling template for anchor hole for rotary switch did not quite line up
with dimensions of switch supplied
* Moulded stand-offs in box needed to be removed before one of the variable capacitors could be
mounted
* Lack of advice regarding the correct positioning of some side drilling template labels. If the
wrong way around this can cause the BNC sockets to foul the variable capacitors.
* Inability to fit knobs supplied to variable capacitor shafts
* The risk that the tune/operate switch may have intermittent loss which saps precious power

Others encountered other difficulties. I suggest reading their blogs or watching their videos if
you intend to construct the kit to learn from their experiences.

Some of the coupler’s specifications look dubious. For example, claims that the coupler could go
down to | MHz and handle 15 or 20 watts during transmit, despite the small variable capacitors
used.

Offset against these concerns is the kit’s low price. It is quite likely that the kit costs less than
you could get the parts for. And it definitely works — I could get it to tune up a 22 metre end-fed
wire on all amateur bands between 3.5 and 28 MHz and had contacts on 7 MHz.

My suggestion if you do buy this item is to regard it not as a kit but an economical way to buy
the parts needed for a QRP antenna coupler. Then approach it like you would a ‘from — scratch’
project. That way you’ll be thinking more and will likely make fewer errors.

169
 11 FINDING THINGS OUT

With many facets covered here, I haven’t gone into vast detail on each one. You may want
further information on something that sounds interesting.

How do you get it?

The first step is to read articles and watch videos by those who have done it. Note the equipment
and skills needed. Learn the terminology and key words. Then search Google to unearth further
information. Particularly read beginner experiences — some articles by those more experienced
gloss over obstacles (e.g. computers not talking to hardware) that can appear insurmountable. A
little preparation lets you ask better questions, avoid beginner mistakes and the purchase of
unsuitable or unnecessary equipment.

Almost every sub-interest has a ‘scene’ that you may wish to associate with to learn more or ask
questions. Devotees of special interests are normally welcoming of those wishing to join it,
especially if they’ve made the effort to learn the basics. Involvement is particularly important
for a facet like club contesting or microwaves where you are invariably arranging activities or
expeditions with others.

If you’re in a city of a reasonable size there’s likely to be others that you can tag along with for
your first experience of a particular sub interest. Some may be associated with local radio clubs,
although the larger special interests have state or national clubs of their own.

If you’re in a less populated area or have a demanding work schedule another way to engage
with the masters is through online forums. The major sub interests have categories on forums
attached to qrz.com or eham.net. Alternatively look for smaller online forums devoted just to
that facet, Facebook groups or email lists. These can sometimes be hard to find or inactive.
Check recent posts on websites and in other forum discussions for links to good ones.

Once you find and subscribe to likely groups read archives of past posts. Pay special attention to
FAQs or ‘sticky’ posts. Use the search function if available — someone just last week might have
asked and had answered the same question you wanted to pose.

170
There are right and wrong ways of asking questions online. A question asked well is a courtesy
to those who may answer it while one asked poorly may get no or unsuitable replies. The
knowledgeable people you want to hear from are neither mind readers nor have time to write
book-length answers.

Specific questions that can be answered in a paragraph tend to get the best replies. The ‘How
long is a piece of string?’ type don’t. Sometimes it’s useful to include steps you’ve taken to find
the answer yourself or briefly mention options that you know people will mention but which are
unsuitable (e.g. a huge antenna if you have little space). The manner of asking (e.g. tone and
spelling) is also important, since you are seeking favours from strangers who are in no way
bound to answer.

Examples of bad questions

* what is best arial for all bands amatuer radio??

* What is best HF transciever

* What time day can I work dx 1 call and call no one come back ever think they ignor me

Examples of good questions

* My yard is 20 metres long but narrow. I can fit a 10 metre tall mast in the middle. What is a
good antenna for 40 and 80 metre contacts up to about 1000km?

* Seeking suggestions for an only home HF transceiver for a new ham. Needs to be 100 watts
and preferably new. $1500 budget but would prefer some left over for a portable QRP rig later in
the year. The IC718 or IC7300 seem OK but the FT450 looks small for my fingers. I don’t need
FM, 6 metres or a band scope screen. What would you get?

* What are the best times to work Japan on 15 metres SSB? Do any of you regularly achieve this
with 10 watts to a 3 element beam?

It’s the nature of the internet that some answers will go off-topic, some will be from people with
less experience than you while others will be gems. Follow up books, website links and videos
suggested from the latter. And don’t hesitate to ask for an elaboration if there’s something about
a reply you don’t get.

Knowing terminology for each facet is essential. Just enter words in Google or YouTube and
you'll find more relevant pages.

Background research, finding where the knowledgeable people are and asking the right
questions. These are the keys to learning about a new facet. Follow them and one day you may
become the expert beginners seek to ask.

171
 12 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Peter (mis?)spent his youth at rubbish tips in Western Australia, taking apart given radios and
TVs and building electronic projects that mostly did not work. He avoided soldering until
figuring out that new solder on a shiny tip works better than reusing solder gathered from the
chassis of vacuum tube radios.

Milestones included the construction of a crystal set, discovering shortwave broadcasting on a

tube receiver and a simple ‘electronic organ’ from a Dick Smith Fun Way book. Hours were
spent putting wires into springs on a Tandy 150-in-1 electronics set. Amazingly some wires
could be pulled out and the project would still sort of work with only half the parts in circuit.

Two back to back AM/shortwave radios led to the discovery of amateur SSB activity and a
novice licence. The following year was spent building transmitters no one heard. A one tube
crystal-controlled CW transmitter from the 1973 ARRL Handbook provided the first contacts —
mostly CW/SSB cross mode on the 3.579 MHz TV colour burst crystal frequency. The value of
frequency agility was an early lesson and various VFOs were built, most of them drifty.

Further construction enabled more bands, more modes and smaller gear. Projects included a 7
MHz VXO CW direct conversion transceiver, 2m FM portable transceiver, and a 14 MHz CW
transmitter for Cycle 22, then near its peak. Later favourites included HF DSB and SSB
transceivers (often using ceramic resonators, ladder crystal filters, NE602s and BD139
transistors) and phasing SSB equipment.

Limited space led to experiments with magnetic loops and HF pedestrian mobile. The joys of
the latter (along with the perils of a trailing counterpoise) were first discovered with a converted
Johnson Viking CB on 28 MHz. This was mounted in a carpeted chipboard box with battery and
1.5 metre whip. A move to a beachside suburb brought further HF portable and pedestrian
mobile activity which remains an interest to this day.

Peter is a prolific writer and video producer with items on the web and YouTube.

172
P73
 13 THANKS

Thank you for reading.

I invite you to share your comments and thoughts on review sites such as goodreads.com or via
the VK3YE Radio Books Facebook page.

If you enjoyed this book and would like more material please visit http://(www.vk3ye.com

There’s many articles, projects and ideas on various facets of amateur radio.

Also, should you wish to browse Amazon please click on the link from my site above.

This referral helps support the site through a small commission on any purchases made at no
additional cost to you.

174
 14 OTHER BOOKS BY VK3YE

Equipment - Antennas - Operating - Strategy

Minimum QRP
Doingmore with under

Minimum QRP: Doing more with under five watt amateur radio contains tested strategies for
low power success on the HF bands. Equipment, antennas and operating are all covered in detail.
Its crafty tips for working the most with the least should become more valuable as solar activity
declines in the next few years.

Minimum ORP is for a broad worldwide audience. Newcomers, the more experienced and those
returning to amateur radio are already benefiting from its contents with brisk early sales since its
release.

Minimum QORP is available as a Kindle e-book. You can read it on a portable e-reader, your
home PC or other device. Packed with over 200 pages of information it's yours for under $US 5
or equivalent. A paperback edition is also available in some countries.

Further details, including a table of contents, list of reviews and ordering information can be
found at vk3ye.com or by searching the title on amazon.com .

U73
 _ Simple antennas and accessories
to operate from almost anywhere |

Hand-carried QRP antennas is the book that takes the mystery out of portable antennas. After
inviting you to assess your needs, it discusses the pros and cons of popular types. Its style is brisk
and practical with almost no maths.

Many ideas for cheap but good materials suitable for portable antennas are given. Beginners and
those returning to radio after a break should especially find this section handy.

Finally, there’s construction details on a variety of simple but practical antennas and accessories
suitable for portable operating. All have been built and tested by the author over almost 30 years
of successful QRP activity.

Hand-carried QRP antennas is available as an ebook readable on most devices (free software
available if you don’t have a Kindle). A paperback edition is also available in some countries.

Further details, including a table of contents, list of reviews and ordering information can be
found at vk3ye.com or by searching the title on amazon.com .

176
 By the author of Minimum QRP
TA 2 ae
- Getting back into
aie as
= Fe ee
What's new and wh it you forgot |

si Peter Parker vk3ye dot com |

Getting back into Amateur Radio is for those who have let their radio activities lapse but are
considering a return.

In a clear, conversational style, it brings you up to date with what’s changed and what you may
have forgotten. In almost no time you’ll be tuning the bands even if you don’t yet own a
receiver.

Getting on air is easier and cheaper than ever before, with a huge range of modes, bands and
activities to choose from. You may even be able to become relicensed without sitting another
test, depending on your country and documentation.

Ideas on antennas to use are given, with special help for those with limited space. And if you’ve
forgotten operating procedure there’s a refresher course on the various way to make contacts in
this book.

Getting back into Amateur Radio is available as an ebook readable on most devices. A
paperback edition is also available in some countries.

Further details, including a table of contents, list of reviews and ordering information can be
found at vk3ye.com or by searching the title on amazon.com .

Lh
 By the author of Minimum ORP

What is now out there and how do you start?

Both questions are answered in 99 things you can do with Amateur Radio.

It’s an ideal primer for the beginner. It tells you things your class instructor probably didn't have
time to cover. Try some of the facets suggested. Be amazed with what you can do even with an
entry-level licence and simple equipment. Or, if you’ve been licensed for a while 99 things you
can do with Amateur Radio makes a good refresher on new modes and challenges now
available.

99 things you can do with Amateur Radio is available as an ebook readable on most devices. A
paperback edition is also available in some countries.

Further details, including a table of contents, list of reviews and ordering information can be
found at vk3ye.com or by searching the title on amazon.com .

178
 _ Over 1500 radio terms explained a

Entering amateur radio? Are you returning after a break away? Or maybe you've tended to
specialise in a few facets. Whatever your interests in radio, ///ustrated International Ham Radio
Dictionary is for you.

In a clear, conversational style, it presents definitions for over 1500 amateur radio and electronic
terms. Technical and operating facets are both covered in depth. Including country-specific
terms, the dictionary is applicable worldwide.

Many definitions have photos or diagrams. Others go into more detail than you might expect. All
up there's over 50 000 words.

It makes an ideal companion to the usual study manuals if you are studying for your amateur
radio licence.

And, if you hear an unfamiliar term on the air, you will soon be able to follow the conversation
with the ///ustrated International Ham Radio Dictionary at hand.

179
 VK3YE's
Australian ~
: Ham Radio |

The Australian Ham Radio Handbook will help you become a radio amateur, set up a station
and make contacts on air. Written for Australian conditions it covers practical topics that existing
licence study and theory books miss. For beginning and experienced hams alike, it's an ideal read
for anyone interested in taking up, continuing in or returning to amateur radio.

What's in the book? First there's a quick tour of what amateur radio can offer. That includes
things you can do right now, with no special equipment or licences required. Then it describes
how to get your callsign and set up a station. Equipment and antennas are covered next. You'll
find information on what items are necessary and where you can get it, whether you choose to
buy new, buy used or build your own. Later you'll learn about what different radio frequencies
do, the diverse activities hams enjoy and winning tips that will get you contacts almost any time
you turn on.

Near the end we cover things you can add to make your equipment more versatile, technical sub-
interests and how you can learn more. All up it's over 100 pages of solid information that
deserves to be in any Australian amateur's shack.

For news on these and future books please subscribe to VK3YE Radio Books on Facebook or
VK3YE's channel on YouTube .

180
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Printed in the USA
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660679B V00011B/305
 Radio amateurs love building antennas. Building on the top-selling Hand-
carried QRP antennas, this practical manual describes more than thirty
portable antennas and accessories to build and try. And you'll find a
sprinkling of reviews, ideas and theory articles.

Complementing the lower-HF focus of the first volume, More Hand-carried

QRP antennas devotes more attention to upper HF, VHF and UHF antennas.
But you'll still find projects for bands down to 1.8 MHz. Everything presented
has been built and tested by the author over almost 30 years of successful
QRP activity.

Peter Parker VK3YE was licensed in 1985 and has been building and operating
- amateur radio gear ever since. His website can be found at’ =>
and. YouTube channel at iitto://Www.youlu0s
cony yave .