I know this has been on several times before, but it is worth reminding folks of my 10m antenna that can be made from easily obtainable material, is small and really works. If you are after a simple 10m antenna, this may "fit the bill". It was in Practical Wireless many years ago and is on my website.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/antennas/homebase10-10m-halo .
My latest RadCom arrived yesterday.
One major dealer is advertising widely (the RSGB must really value this income) and I could not help noticing a major antenna manufacturer selling antennas (on the centre pages) via this dealer for £3899.99 and £4199.99!
If this major UK dealer decided to "hang up his boots" and leave the amateur market then RadCom would have to radically change. It would probably have to shrink and come out less often. The only amateur radio magazine remaining on newsagent's stands would really struggle.
Now, I am not able, nor wish, to say how you spend your money. However, for me, these antennas are not amateur radio. A fan dipole covering all the higher HF bands could probably be made for the cost of a few coffees out. So you might be a few dBs down on a big tower with one of these antennas on the top, but you will probably save a 4 figure sum in the process.
In the end, we have to understand what our hobby is really about. To me, there are 2 major sorts of radio amateur: (a) those who just get out their credit card and (b) those that experiment. I prefer the latter.
In my view, the writing is already on the wall. I personally see a battle looming between the credit card operators and experimenters. In my view credit card operators will merge with CB. Experimenters?
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However, this is not my idea of amateur radio fun. I prefer to see how far my QRP signals reach with very modest, low, antennas.
Each to their own.
For reasons I do not understand my 8m dipole has gone to resonance at about 49MHz. It is simpler to replace the antenna and coax. Assuming the weather is OK, I may try doing this in the next week.
At the moment I am inclined not to apply for an 8m TX permit again, but instead concentrate on ISM rules and WSPR. In the UK this means 10mW ERP and compliance with IR2030. In the UK this is totally free (no licence needed) and I believe open to all. As long as there are people monitoring, much of Europe should be within range on 8m WSPR in the Es season.
Quite a good multi-band antenna is the end-fed via a 9:1 balun. At the end of the wire it presents a high impedance and the 9:1 balun drops the impedance to a low SWR, certainly less than 3:1 that can be tuned via the auto-ATU in many modern rigs. On many radios an ATU will not be needed at all. With QRP, RF on the coax is not usually an issue. With high power, more care or a counterpoise may be needed.
At the moment I am using an end-fed antenna. I have not found a counterpoise necessary.
Commercial versions are available (e.g. from Moonraker), although many make their own.
Sometimes people want a wideband antenna covering several bands. One to consider is the bicone. these can be quite large, but can cover several bands.
At one time, a very popular 23cm antenna, for ATV I think, was the bow tie designed by G8GML (now SK). As I recall it was 2 diamond shaped elements with a solid reflector. I think it had a useful (not high) gain and a fairly broad forward lobe.
For DX contacts, a decent beam with lots of forward gain is usually essential, but such an antenna might be better for me than the PCB HB9CV that, I believe, is supplied with the 23cm transverter that should come next month.
What I am wondering is does anyone make this commercially and at what price?
Such an antenna might be useful on 70cm too.
UPDATE 1907z: As David says in the comments, Wimo make such an antenna. It looks expensive.
As regular readers will know, I am buying a 23cm 2W transverter from SG-Labs in Bulgaria. I think at one time they supplied a small 23cm PCB antenna with it. I have to check if this is still the case.
Looking around, 23cm commercial antennas look very expensive. As the majority of QSOs would be local(ish), I am wondering what you would recommend? As my fine motor skills are not good these days, I don't think I could make one. In the past, I would have made one! Is there one that would be ideal for me?
Next year, all being well, I hope to try some /P 23cm operation in some of the RSGB organised activity contests (UKAC). I am wondering if there is a popular antenna used in these contests?
Clearly very high gain antennas will give good signals, but will miss stations that are out of the very sharp beamwidth, whereas smaller antennas will have broader beams, but less gain. Perhaps, stations use one antenna for hunting, then a sharp, high gain one when on beam.
It is a very long time since I was on 23cm and then only RX.
Is there a favourite antenna?
See http://g0kya.blogspot.com/2009/02/rybakov-vertical.html .
See https://amphenolprocom.com/media/pdfdocs/hf-5000.en-GB.pdf?timestamp=1660739714.
One photo shows the matching arrangement and the other the full whip.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/antennas/70cm-4el-yagi .
In the next 48 hours, I hope to erect a wire dipole for 8m. Years ago this would have been trivial, but I am not good on ladders since my stroke in 2013.
Putting this up requires a minimum of 2 ladder climbs. Luckily, both are not very high, so I hope to manage these.
I am really looking forward to experimenting on 8m TX.
My floored loft has not been visited by me in 8 years!! There is quite a bit of amateur gear in one of the boxes.
UPDATE 1352z: Small steps! As I get very tired these days I am doing this is small steps with rest in between. So far I have (1) cut the 8m dipole to length, (2) drilled the hole from the outside into the shack for the coax, (3) lowered the 10m antenna so I can attach the 8m dipole to it and (4) shortened the length of the nylon insulator that holds the 10m antenna in place. Now I need a rest!
Some years ago I wanted a simple antenna for the band and the Homebase-10 was born.
See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/antennas/homebase10-10m-halo.
Judging by the results on FT8 RX today with my very improvised 15m antenna, I am tempted to convert my Par end fed antenna to 15m.
I suppose I could make it cover 10m and 15m by putting up 2 wires. Already today, I have spotted 350 stations on 15m FT8 RX. Don't forget that some of the time the PC had closed down with a flat battery too! With a "proper" antenna , I would expect even better results.
All that should be needed to cover 15m is a longer wire.
I have just received the latest newsletter from a major UK dealer. It included 2 products that seem pointless to me! For over £115 you can have a box that disconnects the antenna. For £190 you can automatically disconnect and ground 2 antennas. Surely you can just unplug antennas? Am I missing something here?
Sorry, but this seems to be another way for the manufacturer and dealer to make money from gullible people or people with deep pockets. I for one will not be rushing...
Last year, this developed a fault.
I strung an end-fed wire using the Par transformer out of the shack window. The VSWR looked low, so I assume this Par transformer is fine. At some point I shall re-erect this tri-band antenna, but with new coax. Either there was moisture in the coax or the plug had failed.
In the past I have been spotted all over the planet with this antenna and 500mW WSPR on 10m. It is good for 35W, although my absolute maximum is 10W and often much lower. With WSPR and FT8 it is far lower.
Since taking it down I have realised I can check if the coax was faulty by connecting a 10m dipole (endfed at the shack) and running the wire down the garden. If it is the coax I can replace it and get on 10m, 20m and 40m.
With this antenna I had 10m spots from all over the world (including Australia and Antarctica) with 500mW WSPR.
Lots of people are talking about the new Yaesu FTX-1F transceiver due "in early 2025". Very little is known about it yet (as far a...
