160m DX Mobile Aerial

M0VEY shares insights into constructing a 160-meter mobile DX aerial, detailing the process of sourcing materials and assembly. The project began with a goal to avoid a £50 commercial antenna, instead utilizing a £10 reel of enamelled copper wire and salvaged components like alloy tent poles and plastic water pipe. A friend fabricated a custom stainless steel tube for mounting, featuring a 3/8” thread for a mag-mount, enabling secure vehicle attachment.

The aerial's design incorporates four alloy tubes, one plastic tube, and a five-foot whip, engineered to split into two pieces for convenient storage. The loading coil, wound with approximately 115 feet of 0.75mm wire onto a plastic former, was then sealed with blue heat shrink. M0VEY reports successful operation, making contacts across the UK and Europe, with the aerial standing about ten feet tall for local nets at 1.972 MHz and taller for the DX window around 1.845 MHz.

Future plans include a base-loaded 160m aerial and an 80m version, leveraging components from the existing 160m DX Mobile Aerial to maintain a similar overall size with a smaller coil.