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A home made J-Pole antenna for 50 MHz. This article describes how to build a J-Pole antenna for the 6-meter amateur radio band. It's a good choice for those who want an antenna with better performance than a simple wire dipole, but at a lower cost than buying a commercial antenna. The project requires soldering copper pipes and some specific materials, but can be built in a day

This article describes a simple but effective wide bandwidth six metre antenna

The best antenna is the simple Dipole. If you have height, you even can put up a quarter wave vertical or an inverted, but sometimes you may need shorten version by 4S7NR

This drawing shows a simple 10 meter wire J-pole antenna designed for 28.4 MHz. It is a vertical, end-fed Zepp-style antenna made from common materials and intended for easy home construction. The main radiating element is a straight length of stranded copper wire, either 14 or 18 gauge, cut to about 16.5 feet. At the top, the wire is supported by an insulator, allowing the antenna to be hoisted vertically. The matching section is made from 450-ohm ladder line, approximately 7 feet 9.5 inches long, and shorted at the bottom. This matching stub transforms the impedance so the antenna can be fed with coaxial cable. The feed point is tapped about 6 inches above the bottom of the stub, with the shield and center conductor connected at the proper points. A choke balun is formed with five turns of RG-58 coax in a 4-inch diameter loop to help reduce unwanted RF on the feed line. The drawing notes that this antenna has about 0 dBd gain, similar to a dipole, but offers an omnidirectional pattern and low-angle radiation when installed high. Its main advantage is practical performance, simple construction, and effective coverage for 10 meter operation.

Selecting an appropriate antenna system for shortwave broadcasting involves evaluating various types based on performance, cost, and operational parameters. This resource details the critical specifications for broadcast antennas, including average and peak power ratings, directivity, takeoff angle (TOA), horizontal beamwidth, and gain, emphasizing that a 100-kW transmitter requires an antenna rated for 150 kW average and 400 kW peak. It clarifies that low TOA signals travel thousands of kilometers, while high TOA is for local coverage, and nearly all modern shortwave broadcast antennas are horizontally polarized. The article explores specific antenna types, such as Log-Periodic Antennas (LPAs), which offer wide frequency ranges (e.g., 2-30 MHz) and directional patterns with 11 dBi gain, costing from $20K to over $100K for multi-curtain versions. Dipole arrays, also known as curtain antennas, are prevalent in international broadcasting, featuring steerable beams (±15° and ±30°) and mode-switching capabilities to alter TOA, with high/low pairs costing over $1 million. Fan dipoles are noted for omnidirectional patterns, smaller size, and lower cost for low-power applications, while rhombics, though simple, require resistive termination and incur several dB of I2R losses. Balun considerations are crucial, as most communications baluns are not rated for the higher average and peak powers of AM broadcast transmitters. Modern shortwave antennas utilize durable materials like Alumoweld wire rope for radiators and support elements, avoiding copper, fiberglass, or materials prone to stretching or deterioration. Feeder systems for high-power stations often require tapered-line baluns to convert 50-ohm unbalanced power to 300-ohm balanced for connection to the antenna.

This project started as a result of renewed interest in 40 meters coupled with the desire for an antenna system that would be more effective than the simple dipole.

This article describes a simple, inexpensive, dipole antenna that will rival the performance of a ten-meter beam.

Calculate your dipole, 3 element yagi and a simple dipole

NC4JB Josh explain in this article how to setup a simple and cheap indoor dipole antenna that can be used on almost all HF bands

K4TR Manufacture and sell simple dipoles, half square 2 wire phased vertical arrays, end fed zepp antennas, G5RV antennas. 1:1 baluns

A Center-Fed Half-Wave Dipole is probably the simplest of antennas to construct and use. It is usually suspended between two supports, from it's end insulators, and has the feedline hanging from the center.

End-Fed Half-Wave Antennas (EFHWAs) are analyzed for their utility in portable QRP operations, emphasizing their simplicity, efficiency, and predictable radiation patterns compared to other portable antenna types. The discussion contrasts EFHWAs with vertical antennas, random length wires, and center-fed dipoles, highlighting the common pitfalls of each, such as ground system dependency for verticals and feedline issues for dipoles. The article details the electrical half-wavelength calculation using the formula L (Ft) = 468/F(MHz) and explains how EFHWAs can be resonant on harmonic frequencies, enabling multiband operation. Various deployment configurations are presented, including the inverted L, inverted Vee, sloping wire, and vertical setups, each with specific advantages for radiation angle and polarization. For instance, a vertical EFHWA offers a low angle of radiation suitable for DX contacts without requiring an extensive ground system. The resource also addresses the counterpoise requirements, suggesting a quarter-wavelength wire or connection to a metallic structure for decoupling. A schematic diagram for a simple parallel-tuned circuit tuner, based on the _Rainbow Bridge/Tuner_ design, is provided, detailing component values for 30 and 40 meters, including a 6 microhenry toroidal inductor and a 20-100 picofarad mica compression capacitor. The tuner's adjustment process for SWR matching is also outlined.

How to create a simple but effective half wave dipole, illustrated instrucions on how to build wire antennas

Simple DIY stealth apartment antenna for 20m and 40m. It is basically a ZigZag quarter wave dipole antenna

A 40 ft vertical dipole antenna that can cover HF Bands from 80 to 10 meters winding a dipole in a 12m HD telescoping fiberglass pole

The page describes the construction of a simple omnidirectional, vertically-polarised dipole antenna for two metres using coaxial cable. It can be used indoors or outdoors, with no extravagant gain claims. The project is low-cost and can be completed in about 20 minutes.

A simple, cheap, efficient tv antenna that you can make yourself.

Put up the longest dipole you can fit, feed it with open wire line, connect it to the balanced output of your tuner and poof! Instant multiband antenna. Is life really that simple?

D3+ High Performance Antennas for Field Day. This article describes versatile broadband wire antennas. These antennas will double your effective radiated power over a dipole, will be easy and inexpensive to build and install, and will be simple to match.

The simple dipole is perhaps the best antenna for consistent performance. Basic page on dipoles by G3PTO

This article describes the design of an antenna for local contacts on 7MHz, including a simple and efficient matching system that presents a 50 ohm load to the transceiver.

A simple beam antenna offering good performances on 3 bands by 9m2mso

The half wave dipole antenna is a simple and practical antenna model that consists of a half wavelength long centre fed conductor.

A simple online folded dipole antenna calculator

A simple 7 bands off-center dipole wire antenna designed to work on 80 meters band and that can cover also 40m 30m 20m 15m 12m 10m with acceptable SWR

A simple TRAP-dipole project for 20 and 40m bands includes EZNec simulations

This 4m Slim Jim Antenna is cheap and easy to build yet it greatly out performs the more usual dipole due to its low angle of radiation. An SWR of 1:1 is obtainable across the 4m ham radio FM band with a simple adjustment.

A simple center-fed dipole made just with a thin-wall PVC pipe, aluminum tape, and RG-8X coax

Centre fed half wave dipoles make great, simple and effective antennas for the HF bands. Sometimes however, the centre feed is not ideal. This great project will improve the overall antenna performance.

An home made vertical dipole antenna made with simple material. The antenna has a total length of aproximately 16 feet. In this article appeared on June QST 2019, the author explain how he reached the optimal confirugation changing and adjusting the lower part of the antenna, trimming and spacing correctly the copper wire. PDF File to downloas

A scanned PDF of this interesting book on HF Dipole antennas published by Stanford Research Institute

A simple coax dipole antenna for 144 MHz by 9A7PJT

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.

A dipole antenna for 7 MHz support for this antenna is fiberglass military mast

A simple to build full length 20/40 dipole antenna to be used in inverted vee configuration

A 2 meter dipole antenna by KV5R

Dipole, inverted V, full wave loop and grond plane antenna quick reference plans

Based on a simple project based on a 2 elements Yagi for 20m band, and then becomed a triband yagi with a open-sleeve feed system

An excel spreadsheet that in a really simple way checks how much to trim your antenna elements. Download the xls file and watch the presentation video include in this page

This simple antenna modelling windows software by F5IMV wil calculate a dipole,extended double Zepp,G5RV, ZS6BKW and many other wire antennas by F5IMV

An economical dipole for simple QRP HF homebrew rigs

This article serves as a beginner-friendly guide to constructing a simple VHF dipole antenna for 2 meters, perfect for novices in the hobby. With an emphasis on affordability and simplicity, it explains the basics without overwhelming technical details. Recommendations for coaxial cable and mounting methods are provided, offering practical solutions for effective communication. By following these instructions, novices can build a functional antenna without breaking the bank.

A simple drawing schematic of a portable field dipole for 14 MHz with dimensions in meters and instruction for setting up the antenna and to store the radial for easy transportation

A simple dipole for 40m band feeded with 450-Ohm openwire feedline includes MMANA Gal files to download

A simple portable antenna for SOTA VHF is described in this article dedicated to portable operations

In this article, author examine stresses placed on common-mode chokes (aka baluns) as hams use/abuse them, examine the efficiency of simple dipole multi- band antennas and their feed systems. Stressing a Balun.

The OCFD Off-Center-Fed Dipole Antenna is an excellent multiband antenna that is relatively simple to construct, yet gets quite decent performance.

A simple portable dipole antenna for the 40 meter band using a total lenght of 18 meter. It can be used for 80 to 10 meters coverage using a antenna tuner.

Make them simple then Make them work. The LAZY H antenna is a general type of antenna that is in the curtain array family. By placing two 1 wavelength dipoles in a plane that is at right angles to the direction of maximum radiation and keeping the proper in-phase current condition to each element, you can achieve a high gain bi-directional antenna.

Dipole antennas are some of the simplest antennas to build in addition to being very efficient and solid performers. I wanted to make a simple dipole antenna for QRP portable operation that could be used on multiple bands.