Ham Radio Vertical Antenna Projects
Guides and projects for building vertical antennas, including designs for HF, multiband, and specific bands like 160m, 80m, and 40m.
Vertical antennas are a popular choice for many ham radio operators, especially those with limited space for large wire arrays. These antennas are known for their low angle of radiation, which can be very effective for working DX on HF bands. They come in various configurations, from simple ground-mounted designs to more complex multiband systems, and are often easier to install than horizontal antennas.
This category offers many antenna projects for hams looking to build their own vertical arrays. Operators can find detailed guides for constructing multiband HF verticals, including trapped designs and those using fishing poles or irrigation tubing. There are also resources for specialized projects like balloon-supported verticals for low bands, phased vertical antenna systems, and portable setups using magnetic mounts. Specific designs, such as the Hudson antenna for 80 and 40 meters or broadband verticals like the G8JNJ, provide practical examples for homebrewers.
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5 Band 1/4 wave Telescopic Antenna. The 20m to 10m, antenna is simple and cheap to make, and has a performance that matches commercial antennas but at cost considerably lower. The design was purposely based on a telescoping fibre glass fishing rod as this allows it to be easily stowed away in the car. -
A project of a semi vertical trap antenna that can be tuned for 7 bands -
A dual band 40-80 vertical antenna on an 18m Spiderbeam Fiberglass Spiderpole, with monoband performance -
A vertical antenna project for POTA operations. This shortened antenna is aimed to work from 20 to 40 meter band implementing a loading coil, with an additional wire lenght, determined by on field testing and tuning. -
Add bands to your Hustler xBTV Series Vertical -
Theory and origins of W4RNL Asymmetrical Hatted Vertical Dipole AHVD for portable operations. -
An home made Butternut HF9V clone antenna by OH2GVB -
This article documents the author's journey in building, modifying, and testing a DIY short vertical antenna for 40, 30, and 20 meters, with potential 80m capability. Initially inspired by Parks On The Air (POTA), the author explores pedestrian mobile operation and details various experiments to enhance antenna performance. The piece highlights challenges, SWR tuning, portability, and practical results, emphasizing a balance between efficiency and size. Ultimately, it showcases the adaptability of DIY antennas for portable ham radio applications. -
Double T Bar Vertical antenna are vertical antenna with cross bars on the top and bottom. These crossbars provide capacitance loading thus reducing the size of the antenna -
This article describes a simple yet effective multi-band vertical HF antenna design that performs exceptionally well across 80m to 10m bands. The antenna consists of a 13.4m wire mounted on a 12.4m Spiderpole, complemented by four 12m radials and a ground rod. Initially tuned with a manual LC circuit, it was later upgraded with a CG3000 remote auto ATU for convenient band switching. Despite antenna modeling software suggesting limited performance on higher frequencies, the system demonstrated excellent DX capabilities across all bands, outperforming more complex vertical antenna designs. -
This Field Day Vertical Antenna project is the result of many years of attending various field day sites and realizing that what was needed is a simple, easy to assemble vertical antenna. The design of this Field Day Antenna is not very novel and leverages ideas from Butternut verticals and ARRL publications. The one essential requirement was that the antenna can be raised by just one person. The design of this Field Day Antenna is an above ground mounted ground plane vertical. -
A homebrew fishing-rod vertical using a very nice design from EB5EKT. This antenna works 20, 30, and 40M bands by selecting the tap points using alligator clips -
YF1AR multiband vertical antenna, based on orginal concept by VE7BS. Consist of 6 vertical elements and 6 base radials with a single 50 Ohm feed line. -
YF1AR 80 to 40 meter vertical antenna project -
The advantage of 5/8 wave antenna is that it has the lowest angle of radiation and has about 1dB more gain when compared to 1/4 and 1/2 verticals. So the 5/8 should be the favourite choice for DX. -
The antenna is comprised of three lengths of 12 foot aluminum which telescope together. -
An easy to make, cheap, no trap, multiband wire vertical antenna by PA1M -
An HF vertical antenna by N3OX with a flexible capacitance hat -
This page offers a tool for hams to design vertical antennas for portable use on different HF/VHF/UHF bands. Vertical antennas provide omni-directional transmission and reception, making them ideal for DX contacts. By adjusting the antenna's dimensions and viewing radiation patterns and VSWR charts, hams can optimize performance in various terrains. The tool also accounts for the impact of sloping ground on elevation radiation patterns. Perfect for hams looking to enhance their portable radio setups and improve long-distance communication. -
Learn how to build your own QRPGuys DS-1 40-10m short vertical antenna for ham radio operators. This page provides detailed instructions on constructing this antenna, which covers the 40 to 10-meter bands. Whether you're a beginner looking to get started with antenna building or an experienced ham radio operator looking for a new project, this resource is useful for anyone interested in DIY antennas for portable or QRP operations. -
This page offers an online tool to calculate the dimensions for a quarter wave antenna based on a specified frequency. It helps hams design antennas for optimal reception and transmission properties, using 1/4 wavelength elements. The calculator ensures a matching impedance of 50 Ohm without the need for additional components. The page is useful for amateur radio operators looking to build efficient antennas for their radio communication setup. -
An article about the Rybakov 806 Vertical antenna. The classic Rybakov configuration is a 7.6m or 8m ( aprox 25 or 26 feet) wire fed through a 4:1 UNUN -
Relevance of a proper ground systems on short HF vertical antennas, with an analysis on a vertical antenna for 160 meter band -
The reason for making this antenna was the desire for a vertical (hence DX-ish) antenna that would cover at least 20m that would fit on my 5m fishing pole. This antenna can work on 20m 17m 15m bands and it is suitable for SOTA operations -
A multiband quarter wave vertical antenna that works on 5 bands. -
This antenna project came out very nice. It's a rugged homebrew multi-band trap vertical antenna that works the 10, 15, and 20 meter amateur radio bands. The antenna can be mounted on the ground or on a mast. Mounted on the ground the antenna has a low take off angle for working DX. If mounted on a mast the antenna will acheive both a low angle as well as another radiation lobe that has a much higher take off angle. -
Simulation of a top loaded vertical antenna for 1.2 MHz -
This antenna is an omnidirectional and multiband and it is well suited for DX enthusiasts with limited space. Each of the parallel circuits (trap) behaves like an isolator on its resonant frequency. -
This PDF document provides detailed information on the design, construction, and tuning of trapped vertical antennas with radials for ham radio operators. It covers the theory behind trapped antennas, practical considerations for installation, and tips for optimizing performance. Whether you are a beginner looking to build your first HF antenna or an experienced operator seeking to improve your station setup, this guide offers valuable insights and instructions. By understanding the principles outlined in this document, hams can enhance their operating experience and make the most of their radio communication capabilities. -
A simple and awesome wire monoband antenna, very usefull for portable and dxpeditions usage, consist of two elements, a driver and the reflector. This endfed halfwave gives a very low take off angle and is very suited for chasing DX. -
Experiments on vertical antennas for HF bands.