Quick Easy portable HF antenna
Building a portable Resonant Feedline Dipole (RFD) for HF operation with coax and wire
Description
The Resonant Feedline Dipole (RFD) HF antenna design utilizes a single piece of coaxial cable and a stranded wire section, forming a 1/4-wavelength radiator. This configuration, based on a 1997 ARRL Handbook design (page 20.17), functions by RF traveling on the inside of the coax shield and returning on the outside, creating the second half of the dipole. A choke wound into the feedline prevents RF current from flowing back down the feedline.
Construction details include using RG-58a/u coax for a 75m version, with a 1/4-wavelength section of stranded wire soldered to the center conductor. The document provides choke dimensions for RG-213, RG-8, and RG-58 coax across 3.5 MHz to 28 MHz, specifying cable length and number of turns. Dipole dimensions are also tabulated for frequencies from 3.6 MHz to 28.4 MHz, listing overall length and individual leg lengths.
Field tests included deployment near Bryson City at 5 feet off the ground and as a sloper during WCARS Field Day in Asheville, yielding successful local and regional contacts.