I think the best HF antenna in the world bar non is the one you build yourself! After that first DX contact on it the sense of achievement is never forgotten. It's fair to say the options are mind boggling but half the fun is breaking out a big roll of wire, a tape measure and the sidecutters and just going for it. As ray from Radio Workshop says "Don't buy antennas, all they are is just bits of wire and aluminium make em". Do a bit of research have a go knock up a dipole get it in the air and spin the dial!
These types of videos are my absolute favorite. Tim explains what he was thinking when he first started considering hf antennas and this is super valuable for new hams. You are unlikely to go from an HT to a back yard full of thousands of dollars of high end antennas, so Tim does a great job getting real about where we should start. Cheers, Tim.
Absolutely true. First thing I bought was a 49:1 unun and a spool of wire. Even if you haven't a lot of space you can get a lot of bands. And dipoles rock. Very easy to make and they get great results. Get a 10 metre dipole up, chaps and chapesses. You will get some DX with 10 watts easily.
Everyone should build an antenna early on if they can. It's the most affordable way to go and you just can't beat the hands-on experience of constructing, raising, trimming & tuning your own wire antenna. It's almost a "rite of passage".
I’ve been licensed over 25 years. Started with making dipoles out of electrical wire strung through trees. Cheap & easy (except for the frustration of trimming : ) Still using wire. Can’t put up a Yagi. Tall vertical out (XYL decision :) wire is cheap & fun. You can do do all kinds of experimenting for a few bucks (quid :)
My first antenna was a homemade 40-meter "double bazooka" dipole with the elements made from 75-ohm cable TV coax. I found a website that had a calculator to figure out the lengths based on the coax type used for the elements (can't find it now). The thing works so well that it is STILL my primary 40-meter antenna. A piece of advice to newbies to building antennas: if you are considering making a fan dipole, don't get too greedy with the number of elements- especially if you don't have an antenna analyzer. I've been mucking around with a homemade 5-band fan dipole for 10/12/15/17/20, and I still don't have the thing tuned enough to be usable. Anyway, if you're considering a wire antenna, BUILD IT. There's no sense spending $80-250 USD on an antenna made with $20 USD worth of parts!
Tim I have enjoyed your videos. I am now going to disagree with something you've said in this video. You stated that the random length wire (9:1 unun) would be needed to bring the antenna into resonance. I'm certain you are aware that all the tuning unit does is match the transmitters output impedance with the input impedance of the antenna. It doesn't bring the antenna into resonance. It is definitely a compromise antenna but many of us in HOA areas find it a very good, low cost option. Not meaning to be critical. Your videos are very good.
Good advice here. 40 meter dipole as inverted "U" saves more space than inverted "V." I have used a home brew inverted "V" for 40 meters made from speaker wire, put an mfj autotuner (100w) on it and could use it for 80 to 10 meters, including WARC bands. As a newbie I paid my dues and bought for a lot of money a commercial antenna for "6 to 160 meters" without a tuner that promised great performance. It sucked! My homebrew random wire antenna performed better (A/B testing)! Don't believe the marketing in the fancy ads. Anything that says "military" or "tactical" should be handled with a great amount of skepticism. Making one's own antennas is a great way to understand our hobby much better. I don't know electronics and don't have the fine motor skills to wield a soldering iron on tiny electronic components (I can put connectors on coax cables), so experimenting with antennas and learning about electromagnetic propagation is my way of enjoying our hobby. I have experimented with antennas since becoming a radio amateur (in 2015) and have used commercial end fed half wave antennas, both multiband and monoband types. Currently I am using a multi-band endfed antenna (no tuner necessary) for my qth. Noise level is low, propagation is good. For portable work I use mono-band end fed half wave antennas. It keeps the bulk and weight down in my backpack.
Thank you for your thoughts. I think I will be very happy with building a 40m dipole to get started in HF. It gives me the opportunity to enjoy learning and becoming proficient on one band and I also have the enjoyment of future DIY antenna projects. This was very helpful Tim! Blessings, Marc
Finally. A straightforward video that avoids going into "what you could do" and gives some simple and practical "what you should do" advice. I've been trying to decide what HF antenna option would best work for me (starting out) and it has been a pretty frustrating experience. I was afraid I wouldn't have enough room to do a simple 40m dipole, so it was leading me down a bunch of rabbit holes. After this video, I think my time is better spent figuring out if I can make that work instead of chasing down every possible antenna idea. Thanks!
Very interesting subject. As an M6 I used to buy my antennas for silly money simply because I lacked the knowledge and experience to look at building them. Antenna building is a mystical subject, but I was advised by a fellow ham to try and build and now I only build my own. A restricted 10w or 5w on my 817 demands the best resonant antenna possible to get the best from my station, that is why all my antennas I now build are of a wire construction and built to resonance. I don't need a tuner and have a bank of lightweight center fed dipoles for 80 - 10, I don't operate much higher than that on HF. I would implore any new M6/7 not to be hesitant and get out there and with a simple center piece and two lengths of cheap wire, build what may be the best antenna you will have. Many Thanks Tim, thanks for sharing. OBTW, I do have a 49:1 and it has been fairly successful.......... doesn't beat a dipole though :)
Great video Tim, worked hamsticks from the car for the 1st few weeks when getting licenced but 1st home antenna outside of 10/11m was a homemade wire V dipole on the remains of an old fishing pole, 6m high, worked K2TRD and had a good few minute chat with him, couldn't believe it as an M7, after watching vids from you and the DX Commander I added 40m to it to form a fan dipole and even added some little elements for 6m one afternoon when it was open, blew that myth I had of needing to spend big money on antennas.. Kept the thing up all year even after putting up the DX Commander Vertical as it was great for listening on due to the low noise.. I'm not a brain box but I could see that if you've only got 10w don't waste time turning most it into heat in your tuner. Think the myth of these 9:1 antennas comes from the height of the sunspot cycle when you can make tonnes of contacts from a piece of string your dogs cocked it's leg up and peed on. 73.. Jim 2E0HKM
I was bogged down in Info-overload and losing my Mojo for the Hobby... I'm about to sit my entrance level Ham licence here in New Zealand so a utter Newbie. I wish I had come across your vid earlier as you outline what I'm sure a lot of us experience when first setting out on this journey, becoming overwhelmed by all the boffins and advanced tech speak on youtube, it's a deep rabbits hole that has dollar (pounds) attached at the bottom of it if you don't do your homework. You have done a fantastic job of crunching the process down for me thank you for taking the time to shoot this vid. In NZ you need 50 contacts on some of the safer bands before you can play on on the rest, so I was that guy looking for the Holy Grail Antenna that gave me access to all the nets down on 80 mtrs (as each callsign counts towards the magic 50) and the scope to find where my home was on other bands as Hams seem to develop their favorite gotos base and shaped on what kit they can afford to put up. Cheers again.. Now where are my wire cutters and that drum of braided wire .... Regards and 73's Kris
Thanks Tim for that,.. I use an end fed 132 foot, in my arsenal. Nice, I have a dx cmdr all band vertical, like them both,.. Started following yr channel a short while ago, like yr content...my first contacts on a homebrew dipole for 20m was with 75 ohm super el cheapo rg6 , but , it worked, Im certain more rf was lost than radiated, I watch Cal, Carl, n now yr chnl from UK,.. all the best, 73
Tom it’s great to have a variety of antennas and the efhw is a great choice along with the DXC vertical. Really appreciate the subscription and your continued support too. 73
My first HF antenna is an off center fed, half wave, dipole long wire. I've got it up in a tree and the antenna is stretched out through the woods and tied on one end about 8 ft. in a tree. The other end is tied to my fence post. I've got to get it down and measure it so I can get the SWR down on it. I use a 4:1 matching transformer (balun). 73 from K9POW in eastern Tennessee.
I have a 66 feet long wire in an inverted V and has performed quite well bringing contacts from Europe to Japan in favourable conditions. I had to choose this as a monoband dipole can't take me to other bands.
This video is gold for a new general class like me who’s starting to put together my first HF station. Might have to watch this one again with a notepad handy. : ) ~ 73 Dan K6JBA
I’ve had the pleasure of watching many RU-vid videos. My channel helps to teach ham radio and encourage people to come into our hobby. This is a subject I’ve covered before, however, a “fresh voice“ is always nice to have. I’d love to use this video on my next show to help explain to the people that watch my videos the importance of antenna building as well as and I thank you for covering, the importance of good feed line. I kept waiting for that part… And you came through brilliantly. I think this is an excellent video. It was well done and it was well laid out. I’ll make sure and include the link to your channel in the description section as well as your call sign and name before I play the video on the show. Thank you so much for taking the time to make such a very honest and humble video on something that many new hams have such a problem with. Well done mate! All the best from Oregon, Larry de K7HN
On 80m especially I use a 50m long random wire, it's fed into a T-match in the shack via a cold water pipe. With careful tuning it's a decent way to operate all 80-10m. As you say Tim you need a good radial /rf ground to tune against, if course this help greatly with the signal to noise ratio. Great video again Tim, we need good mentors like you to keep the inspirational ideas flowing (especially new starts). Best 73 GM0KET
The first HF aerial I built was a shortened 40 metre dipole which featured in the G-QRP Magazine SPRAT a design by a Scottish operator Ken Maxted I believe I put it up at 12 feet and worked Armenia still got that Serial in my shack
Newbie myself. Just got me General here in the U.S., NY - KE2ALN. No transmitter yet for the HF bands, looking to set up an SDR dongle to do some poking on the 20 meter band. Your video was inspiring. - what is lacking is I need on the antenna itself, so many videos on equipment but there means nothing without a good antenna. I am attempting to build a rudimentary dipole but with high quality cable, wiring, insulators and balun. This will be obviously for receive only for now, but I feel the same - the antenna is crucial to the hobby and if not addressed properly, can deter a potential hobbyist like me. It needs more attention, so I am grateful you are addressing this topic.
One of the best advice for the beginner. So, I am hearing a lot of antennas to cover different bands and that explains why when I see vids of people's shacks they have 5,6, 10 different radios...$$$$$
Im new to HAM this year, 2020, and got my Extra in August. Started HF with a Chameleon Emcomm III end fed. Installed it in an Inverted L with the vertical going up 24’. Also installed a really good ground system, multiple counterpoise for 20 and 40, and a choke. Its been working really well for me. Then run my RX audio through a Heil Parametric EQ and a powered speaker. This setup allows me to tune in TX pretty well with a reasonably low noise floor.
Tim G5TM ....thanks. Im enjoying it. Considering adding a 40m dipole just for another option. Not sure if its worth the effort or not. Also, what is your opinion on getting a longer endfed.....from 65’ to 130’? Will there be any improvement on 40m...or enough to justify the change...or can that even be answered without testing? 😁
Late comment but fascinating subject. I have a small town garden, managed to squeeze in a half size G5RV at one point, also tried the standard 9:1 EFW and a GPA 80 vertical. Ironically the best results I have had in terms of dx so far has been using the old Solarcon A99 on 17m, 15m and 10m. Some time later I started to dabble with FT8, so monitored PSK Reporter trying different antennas. Same results. In a way it has dictated I only really use the higher HF bands, which is fine as I prefer those bands. Plus the vertical doesn’t offend the xyl or neighbours unlike having twin feed hanging down in the centre of the garden and wires everywhere. I will eventually try the EFHW at some point though. 73
I know there's a plethora of factors in choosing an HF antenna. My first was a homebrew dipole for 40m. My second was an 80-6 OCF that I bought from W8AMZ(sk). It was amazing. My first rig was a Kenwood TS-440SAT and it made contacts from Asiatic Russia to Australia and an untold number of places in between. The OCF Dipole with a Balun Designs 4:1 UNUN became my "go to" antenna.
I worked with a guy years ago that was part of the south west DMR group, always been interested and so far stretched to two RTL SDR dongles and got a custom made long wire HF to hide in the loft so the Mrs does not find out haha, will install it this weekend with the kids when shes at work
I went the commercial route. Due to space restrictions at my QTH I have a 10mtr. telescopic pole with 6 band cobweb + X200 VHF/UHF. This is left lowered and flat on the roof when HF is not in use (stealth). Also the Buddipole is sometimes used for 40M or for 2 mtr horizontal yagi in the small area I have. I used it portable for a while but have now build my own 2 EFHW one with 2 core and 80-10M 134' and 2nd the same but with a 110uf coil at 40M with with another 2.5 mtr wire also gives me 80-10m but at 66' a lot shorter. Next project is building my own yagi's for 2M and 70CM for which I already have a couple of knackered tape measures. The Buddipole will be moved on very soon as not getting the use now. Passed my foundation last August and just starting study for intermediate again now online is available. But I have no knowledge of electronics (and no real interest to be poking about inside my radio TBH) but I do have experience of electrical engineering so halfway there. Building and operating using my own built antenna is most rewarding I have to admit. Next upgrade, 1/2 an acre next to the beach :)
I used a KW202 rx and 204 tx with a Joystick Junior and the h.f. tuner and 160m tuner when first licenced, It was really a long wire with a loading coil at the end with a Pi Tuner but at £2.50 for the lot it was worth it for the tuners. I think they had it for years and glad to see it go. A doublet for many years after. Lots of good ideas on here. 20m to 10m dipoles in the attic now and an outdoor 60m inverted vee squashed into my tiny garden. G4GHB..
@@timg5tm941 Yes I know that. It is just weird to hear "for the 20 meter band we need a 60 foot dipole" or something similar. Not a fault with your video, just an observation from a metric person.
I have a EFLW bought from HFendfedz my furthest contact was Fiji from Texas (6300 miles) on 17 m FT8. But indeed it is very noisy. Lately I was using a 20m inverted-V (yard is not bigger) or a 20m vertical both home made. Best results so far with the inverted-V (low noise level). Run it with a 40ft spiderbeam attached to the back fence. Just a SO239 mounted on a piece of plastic with two brass bolts and nuts to connect the wires onto and some paracord to tie off the ends.
Thank you for the video, Tim, for a newbie this and many others have been a godsend for me to help my understanding and helping me to have the confidence to self build. Thank you for your advice 😊👍 Steve M7KIM
Could I kind ask. I am looking to attach this to a chimmy on my roof. Could u help please with advise. I dont have a radio and looking to buy second hand... again could u help with advise. looking to get a SIGMA EURO-COMM HF AM-PRO Mini Dipole 40m 7.1 MHz - what radio should I use it with.
May I ask if you are licenced? If not, I would look into joining a local club and chat to the (wise) older heads there. Many of these guys have tried a variety of antennas over the years and can give you some very sage advice. Personally, I would refrain from buying any expensive gear until you get your licence. 73
At 2:38 you say 80m down to 6m? It's the other way round. 6m is higher frequency than 80m. My source for information in early 1980's was ham friends, dial up BBS's, printed periodicals, and the Amateur Radio Relay League Amateur's Handbook. I was a single parent, buying a house, with a sustainable income until I factored in paying for daycare and scrimping on other needs like paying the water, electric, and gas bill, plus having money left food. I almost was not able to afford this new hobby. I didn't want to buy a used "boat anchor" for a "first" transceiver and new was not a consideration. I didn't have enough electronic skill to build my own. Thanks to the Heath Company, Benton Harbor, Michigan a kit radio was an affordable option to begin this hobby. I had changed daily pocket change for about one and one half years and enough to buy Heathkit HW-9 kit radio with accessories. Just under $200, US dollars in 1985, would provide me with a kit for a QRP transceiver, power supply, ATU, and the W.A.R.C. bands. My first antenna was a fan dipole that was pieced together with wire scraps from pieces of wire I found in dumpster at a construction site. Thankful for my 7th grade industrial arts teacher for teaching how to solder wire together like the telephone lineman. With a borrowed antenna analyzer I fashioned together a resonate 5 band fan dipole tuned for the middle of the CW portion of each band. Many ham friends tried to discourage me from building a QRP transceiver telling me that I would get discouraged and probably lose interest in the hobby. My target date to get on the air with my own equipment was the end of 1985 so that my 8 year old Son and I could enjoy this hobby together (we both had been enrolled in the Novice License class in September 1985). My kit from Benton Harbor arrived in the Spring of 1985. I was able to assemble the HW-9 and accessories halfway through the Novice License class. The class was scheduled for 10 weeks. I already knew Morse before enrolling in the Novice License class. I was doing well in the class. Around the 8th week I heard that Volunteer Examiner tests were being given (3rd Saturday of November 1985). I obtained the FCC Form 910 and took the test. I had no problem with the Morse part and only missed one question of the written portion. I reported to my Novice License class instructor that I took the Novice License test and passed but since I missed one written question I would finish the last 2 weeks of lessons. My Novice License arrived the 2nd week of January 1986. It would nearly the 4th week of January before I could call CQ. I tried the radio the same day my license arrived in the Post but it didn't work. I wasn't able to determine why it didn't work. I thought a friend with good electronic skills could troubleshoot my radio. By end of 3rd week January 1986 I was informed that the radio was in working condition. I did make my 1st QSO on the HW-9 at 5 watts with my pieced together home brew fan dipole on 80m. In building the antenna I was encourage to use low loss RG-8 coaxial cable and to wind 6 to 8 turn coaxial choke at the feed point of the antenna. No one said anything about a balun. I learned in short time that I was causing interference to close proximity neighbors of their stereo and television sets. I offered to put in filters on their equipment but they declined. I solve my problem by changing the feed line from coax to 450 Window line. The only balun in circuit was the one contained in my ATU. I didn't begin using a balun until 10 years ago (2000). I have 2 commercial bought transceivers that will transmit 100 watts output but have had the finals warmed a couple times at that power. Most often maximum output is 5 watts. My QRP transceivers transmit from 250 mw to 4 watts depending on my mood. I have been a CW OP since my 1st contact (1st contact was 3rd party 12 years before being licensed). Until 2019 I made only 8 phone contacts but I have found there are times I want a contact and it has to be on phone so now I do it more frequently. Prior to 2006 I thought there are a lot of QRP OP's in the UK and Europe. Then I learned that entry license classes of those countries have transmit power restrictions. No wonder then that many of my contacts were QRP both ways. Hope you enjoyed some of my history. 72 de KB8AMZ
This was a very unexpected video! I came here hoping that you would show one and how to go about it but that commentary and your "random thoughts" is priceless! I have been off-air for the last 25 years and my licence has expired. I shall not attempt to get it renewed but rather am working towards making my #VU3RiH to my SK Father's #VU2Ri! I have already made a 20 metres dipole using water-hose (insulators), a wooden block and a high-quality copper electrical wire and only my Victorinox Swiss Champ. No other tools were available here, then. I have not been able to test it, yet, but, God willing, I shall soon be on air and doing my things on that 20 metre. Next one shall be a 40 metre as I have ample space where I stay. 73s from India, DE VU3RiH.
Hey Tim James from South west Wales here, currently going through my foundation license currently, I’ve learnt more from this video than I have in the 3 weeks I’ve been training, do I detect a south Wales accent there? Looking at getting a handheld to start listening in until I get my licence and then looking at getting a duel band vhf/uhf so I can hit my local repeaters which will be mounted in the car then looking at building a shack and getting into hf but the hf will be a mobile rig, keep up the good work, I have subbed 73’s
@@timg5tm941 Hey Tim nice buddy, I’m from Swansea but now live in Pembrokeshire, hopefully once I get my license I’ll catch you on the air buddy, you too hope you and the family have a good one keep up the good work, Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda
thanks for your videos Tim they are really helpful. i purchased an EFHW from uk antennas which covers 10-80 and planning to get it up over the summer but at 120ft going to struggle as my back garden is a bit on the small side but have been told by a good friend that i can double it back on itself and will still get 10-40 coverage although 40metres will be a half wave is that correct?
Hmmmm if you double it back on itself it will basically alter its length by 1.33 times it’s original approx and de tune it. Can you get it up a reasonable height and hang it down/ run along a fence?
What's your view on using 75 ohm twin feeder with HF dipoles ? I use it as it is very tolerant (not so lossy as coax) of high SWR when tuning a dipole on other non-resonant bands with an ATU.
I’ve never used 75 ohm but I have read somewhere that if you feed a 1/2 wave dipole with a 1/2 wave length of 300 or 450 ohm LL that you’ll get a good swr match for the dipole and for each harmonic. This is fed into a 1:1 current Balun and then coax to the radio. No ATU. Might be worth a go with the 75 ohm too? 73
@@timg5tm941 fantastic! should be backyard antennas only not mobile, and to be permanently installed not just for a temporary circumstance. In other words you're choosing four HF antennas to use and keep from here on out.
I am the exact person that I believe this video could help. I just got my license 2 weeks ago. I don't personally know any other operators to ask for help. I went and Bought an ICOM 7300 and a power supply and it's still unopened in the box because I don't know how to make an antenna and I don't want to destroy the receiver. I wan't to turn it on and listen for a bit and become comfortable with working the receiver. Is there a receive only antenna that I could quickly put together? I'm afraid of unknowingly transmitting and wrecking my unit. Could you possibly explain how I could put something together just so I can fiddle around? Thank You
hi im doing a uni project and i wanted to transmit a radio frequency from 10 - 100 MHz but the lengths are insane like 7 meters for the discone , 10 m for the di pole can i shorten it but still have the same frequency? btw i just finished prep year so im super new to this type of stuff. what can i do? cus btw im using a radio signal generator and i just need an antenna to transmit the frequency
Don't buy aerials. It's supposed to be a technical doing hobby. You're not likely to build a 3 element Yagi for 20m but dipoles or inverted vee are so easy to make and tune, or long wires or a doublet with a tuner, both multiband. And you save money, wire is cheap! When I started with 100 Watts and 60 foot long wire I worked VK on 20m. Good for 80m to 10m with a tuner. I made a Joystick copy last year, 160m to 10m with 26 feet of wire. Not efficient on Top Band but it gets me on. Bill, G4GHB.
The title implies that this would helpful for a beginner...and then you launch into a load of heavy duty jargon which is way above the knowledge of most novices (myself included)..very disappointed.
