Everyone got a favorite...

What's the consensus on antennas for broad band coverage?

I had a G5RV that worked pretty well pretty much the entire spectrum years ago. It took all sorts of shapes apart from the standard Inverted V, and it was a coated wire so it even went through the trees pretty well. It did great on QRP for me even thought that was typically 40m.
Due to a move I had to start using end fed antennas, and I put up a 40m Zepp. It works a charm but not I have an all mode/band radio again and I'd like to get back to broad and tunable coverage.
I have an old Hy-Gain vertical that was a general coverage antenna and it does work, but not nearly as well as a wire. Directionals are fine but working mostly 20-40-80 I don't have the wallet or the real estate for beams. Wires have gotten me the most bang for the buck over the years and I'm sticking with that. What I have noticed though is I can probably swing a G5RV again or similarly sized dipole, or I could give a multi band end a go with the room I have using the center support and running the end out to the rear of the property.

What sort of simple wire antenna's are working for you? What makes sense on a .5 acre lot that's only got some 150' to spare?

Thoughts?

Best 73,

de N2QFD AR SK..

N2QFD{Queen City BBS}:// "Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me right now?" - Craig Ferguson

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n2qfd wrote to All <=-

What sort of simple wire antenna's are working for you? What makes
sense on a .5 acre lot that's only got some 150' to spare?

EndFed Random Wire EFRW with a 9:1 unun and a common mode choke. Then it's just a matter of experimenting with wire lengths. It's not perfect, it's a little noisy, you'll need a tuner but you will get all HF bands, maybe even able to match up on top band.

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Everyone got a favorite...

What's the consensus on antennas for broad band coverage?

I had a G5RV that worked pretty well pretty much the entire spectrum years ago. It took all sorts of shapes apart from the standard Inverted V, and it was a coated wire so it even went through the trees pretty well. It did great on QRP for me even thought that was typically 40m.
Due to a move I had to start using end fed antennas, and I put up a 40m Zepp. It works a charm but not I have an all mode/band radio again and I'd like to get back to broad and tunable coverage.
I have an old Hy-Gain vertical that was a general coverage antenna and it does work, but not nearly as well as a wire. Directionals are fine but working mostly 20-40-80 I don't have the wallet or the real estate for beams. Wires have gotten me the most bang for the buck over the years and I'm sticking with that. What I have noticed though is I can probably swing a G5RV again or similarly sized dipole, or I could give a multi band end a go with the room I have using the center support and running the end out to the rear of the property.

What sort of simple wire antenna's are working for you? What makes sense on a .5 acre lot that's only got some 150' to spare?

Thoughts?

Best 73,

de N2QFD AR SK..

N2QFD{Queen City BBS}:// "Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me right now?" - Craig Ferguson

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Mal, Yo u ever hear about the Slinky Antenna?
Long time ago, 1960's or 70's I saw a article in a Ham Magazine, can't recall which one.
It is for 80M .
Two metal Slinkeys, piece of plexiglass ( plastic) between them.
It is a Dipole.
I made one and have it in the attic here.
Do a search for "slinkey antenna" and maybe some place like archive(org?) might find it for you.
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Mal, The plastic used between the two slinkey's consists of 3 pieces.
A square piece larger than the diameter of the coils.
Two narrow pieces each ran through the edge of a slinkey, and placed at right angles on either side of the large plastic piece.
I drilled holes to hold the small pieces on the center piece.
Glue may work, not sure tho as metal Slinkeys weigh a lot

Oops, just remembered I used 4 Slinkeys for 80M .
I soldered two slinkey's together on each end of my attic Dipole.
One slinkey on each end may do the job for 40M .

The antenna ends run North to South in my attic. Can't remember if it favors E-W qso's or if I worked any N-S stations with it.

73 Ed
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Currentyly my only rig is a Baofeng& sometimes a counterpoise..

im at that point where i can up my game since i'll have a bit extra to spend on a
budget hf rig yet prefer something solid and with open firmware,etc.


Any low budgett hf setups (QRP is fine with me) for a bit of SSB thrown in? :D

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n2qfd wrote to All <=-

Everyone got a favorite...

What's the consensus on antennas for broad band coverage?

Hello n2qfd,

I use an inverted-V dipole tuned to 40m on my roof. The center is in the middle of the roof where my tv antenna pole is located.

Works very well for 40m, but tunning it to anything else is not very efficient. On 80m it is completely deaf.

73,

Rotorek

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I do remember that Ed!

I think I recall seeing ads for them once even. That would make a great attic antenna it would be spared rusting out in the weather and I think they don't want to be stretched out too far anyhow for loading.

Mal

N2QFD{Queen City BBS}:// "Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me right now?" - Craig Ferguson

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You know I haven't made any SSB contacts on it yet!

Any low budgett hf setups (QRP is fine with me) for a bit of SSB thrown in? :D

But I'm CW kind of guy. I read in a group list onnthe G106 people are drilling holes or enlarging existing in the handymic to get more drive. My only issue with BaoFeng here was it was Quiet too. I have an old dual band HT from them and used it to finally make a field connect to an RMS node using Winlink. had to hoop up a ladder line jpole and hoist it up in a tree but it worked!

N2QFD

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I use an inverted-V dipole tuned to 40m on my roof. The center is in the middle of the roof where my tv antenna pole is located.

Works very well for 40m, but tunning it to anything else is not very efficient. On 80m it is completely deaf.

YES I have been here. This is how I flew my G5RV of past. Today I have no anchor for half coming off the house as a center. However,over the last 10 years I ran a conduit to the garage and can now use it as my center.

N2QFD

N2QFD{Queen City BBS}:// "Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me right now?" - Craig Ferguson

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n2qfd wrote to All <=-

Everyone got a favorite...

What's the consensus on antennas for broad band coverage?

Hello n2qfd,

I use an inverted-V dipole tuned to 40m on my roof. The center is in the middle of the roof where my tv antenna pole is located.

Works very well for 40m, but tunning it to anything else is not very efficient. On 80m it is completely deaf.

73,

Rotorek

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Yeah,

I'm set with my 40m Zepp in the same fashion. Hamfest in 2 weeks and I'll look for a G5RV type dipole to see if I can get a little better with my tuner and hear/output more.

73,

N2QFD

N2QFD{Queen City BBS}:// "Does this need to be said? Does this need to be said by me? Does this need to be said by me right now?" - Craig Ferguson

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