Antenna Switch Designs for Amateur Radio Stations
Find schematics and construction guides for building antenna switches, including remote-controlled and multi-position models.
Antenna switches are essential components in many ham radio stations, allowing operators to quickly select between multiple antennas for different bands or operational needs. These devices simplify station setup, especially for those with limited space or who operate across various frequencies, from HF to VHF and UHF. Whether for contesting, DXing, or general rag-chewing, a reliable antenna switch helps manage the antenna farm efficiently, ensuring the right antenna is connected to the transceiver at the right time.
This category features numerous antenna switch projects, from simple manual coax switches for QRP operations to more complex remote-controlled units. Hams can find designs for multi-position switches, including those for Beverage antennas, and innovative solutions like the WiFi wireless antenna switch for smartphone control. Many articles detail homebrew antenna switch construction, often using relays and powered over the coaxial feeder, providing practical guidance for operators looking to build their own custom switching solutions.
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A 2-way remotely operated HF antenna switch, based on an idea supplied by G3YEU -
A wifi remote antenna switch that can be controlled from a smartphone app -
An inexpensive coax switch. shows a proven inexpensive home-made antenna selection switch. If you question the use of a cheap slide switch and SO239 coax sockets, read on. Measurements in a physics lab showed there to be practically no reflection on HF and even on 70 cm the SWR was below 1.3 : 1 -
An easy to build antenna switch with common rele -
An easy to build antenna switch for long wire antennas, expecially designed for sloper antennas -
To enable switching of a large number of antennas in a two radio setup, and get a smooth solution, calls for a lot of consideration. -
Antenna switch at K6XX -
Remotely controlled antenna switch that can switch between 5 antennas -
How could we share the Beverage antennas on more than one station using this homemade remote antenna switch, a project by TK5EP -
Sharing beverage antennas with this switch boxes is possible. This article describes a 6-position remote antenna switch for Beverage antennas on 3 bands (160m, 80m, 40m). It allows selecting one of 6 antennas for each band without affecting other receivers. The system uses a control box with a rotary switch and a separate splitting box with bandpass filters for each band. -
Remote Control Antenna Switch made with two circuits board -
KO4NR coax cable antenna switch construction by ve3cgc -
HF/6M antenna tuner preselector and antenna switcher project by ON6MU -
Open-Wire/Twinlead Antenna Switch -
remote antenna switching project by EI7BA -
A 4 way remote antenna switch project -
An homebrew remote antenna switch by vk2zrm -
W4KAZ article on antenna switches -
6x2 coaxial remote antenna switch, completed unit showing weatherproof relay box and station control unit. -
This article presents a method of controlling preamps, antenna switching and polarization switching remotely without the use of control cables. -
w4kaz antenna swicth -
Have you problem with your RG cables ? This page describes a smart antenna box using an RG-cathode for 3 antennas. The remote control needs just a simple wire and the GND for remote-control -
An home made antenna switch with a Dummy Load selector. If you forget the radio is connected to the open or grounded side of the switch and you try to transmit, it is very easy to damage the finals of your transceiver. -
A Programming-Free Automatic Arduino Antenna Switch project published on NCJ -
The author describes building a remote switch box to control the direction of two reversible Beverage antennas. The switch uses a buried cable and relays to select the desired antenna direction from the shack. The design is simple and uses common components. -
Building an automatic 8ch USB Relay switch using an existing Ameritron RCS-8V Remote Control Coax Switch and an externally mounted 5-way switch. -
A four position HF antenna switch with PC control -
A project of a 5 Antennas Relay Switch Box, all Switches & Relays have both contacts wired in parallel to improve reliability of operation, to prevent static build up, when an antenna is not in use the feeder coax is grounded. -
Cheap and simple fully automatic antenna switching that permit to automatically select the proper antenna based on transceiver status activity. -
Open Two Radio Switching Protocol Antenna Selector on ATMEL ATmega8 microcontroller -
Benefits in implementing a remote antenna switching system and a sample remote antenna switch project -
In pursuit of enhanced station efficiency, the author describes crafting an Arduino-based smart antenna switcher for an SO2R setup. Faced with manual antenna switching challenges during contests, the project utilizes a Logos Electromechanical 4x4 Driver Shield and a Power Screw shield for seamless functionality. Despite its raw appearance, the automatic switcher proves indispensable in contest scenarios, prompting considerations for future improvements and standardization of station control protocols. -
This is a remote antenna switch I use in my attic to connect transceivers in the basement to multiple antennas in the attic. The goal of this project is to be able to remotely connect one of the antennas in the attic to the only antenna cable available. -
The F6AOJ RX splitter project was created to split the antenna signal from an LZ1AQ receive loop to multiple receivers, such as radios or SDRs. The design is simple to build and effective. The splitter, mounted on the back of the LZ1AQ control board, provides two outputs—one for an Afedri SDR and another for a K3 transceiver. Measurements show a damping of -3.01 dB at 1 MHz and -3.10 dB at 30 MHz, with a low SWR (max 1.07 at 30 MHz and 1.4 at 60 MHz).