Top 5 HF Ham Radio Antennas for Beginners
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- Опубліковано 28 лип 2024
- Professor Jim N4BFR teaches you the best HF ham radio antennas for beginners!
If you're new to HF and want some extra help, we also offer a full online class to help you get your station setup and learn how to operate: hamradioprep.com/hf-masterclass/
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#hamradio #hamradioprep #worldradioleague - Наука та технологія
I just passed my technician test about two weeks ago. I am now KC1TWE.I now want to get my next license.
Luckily for you, we offer general and extra courses! Check them out at hamradioprep.com/license-courses/
Congratulations!
You have done well.
It will never be easier to get your General ticket than now. A bunch of the material overlaid with the Tech exam and you already know that stuff. Just saying. Best hit while the iron is hot.
General was easier for me than Tech.
Good luck and 73
Good content without the confusing jargon. Good lesson. Good quality audio. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great video Jim. I started my ham radio journey in April. Got my Technician in May, General in June and Extra in July. I used Ham Radio Prep for all of them and couldn't have done it without you. Great on line resource. I really enjoy all the other videos you put out such as this one and the HF Masterclass. Thanks for all you do and Merry Christmas.
My first antenna was the ARRL / QST kit for about $90. It was a great learning experience for me, giving me 40-20-15-10 bands as a sloping wire. -KD2ZZA
Wow, this was a whole lot of jargon. I'm just a technician but I've been an electronics in audio, video, computers, power distro, all my life. But d***, I'm gonna have to spend hours online researching all this terminology. This is a long way from a beginner video.
Got my General today. Thanks for your class, you had me ready.
Thank YOU for studying with us, we appreciate the support! 🙏
Excellent video. Well-presented, both verbally and in use of illustrations. Succinct, no wasted time. Paced just right. Logically organized, solid overview at end.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I used ham radio prep to study for my technician and general license. Yall guys are a great resource. I enjoy yalls videos. I also enjoy the music choice in the videos. Thanks for everything y'all do for the ham radio world. 73's
Professor Jim says: Thank you!
So i drive truck, flatbed. A couple years ago I got the antenna building bug. Needed something to do in my freetime I guess😂 28-53 foot of metal makes an interesting groundplane. But building them myself was a really rewarding experience!
Did you consider making it the antenna instead of groundplane?
Great video and appreciate your delivery style and putting things in context to easily follow and understand,
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks Jim, great video. A fun part of the hobby is building and trying different antennas. It will be even more fun as we leave winter behind.
My first HF antenna as a beginner in the 1980s was a parallel fed dipole with approximately 2x 75ft length and a matching unit. Never had such a good antenna again as I never had that much space available again as in my parents‘ garden 😂. Nowadays I go with either resonant end fed EFHW or some kind of vertical monobander on my portable fiber mast and I can recommend both for beginners as well. Not much space needed, works great without tuner and easy to use at home or in portable operation.
Thanks for the info! Appreciate the real world experience!
Really good advice on what kind of antennas you can use.
I am repairing our stations here in Sweden and I have got some on the bench that were run with G5RV, end fed antennas and and Windom antennas with broken SWR bridges and output stages due to high voltages at the feed point. The G5RV is not an all-band antenna as it is designed for 20m and endfedd antennas and windom antennas also have high voltages at the feed point on some bands. My advice is antennas in resonance or ladderline feeding with a tuner designed for ladderline feeding if you want to run several bands
This is kind of hard for me with limited math skills.
Trying to teach myself though.
I really want to get into this stuff.
Anther excellent video Jim. Thank you for making antenna sense out of a complex issue in ham radio. Thank You
Thank you for the kind words! That's exactly what we're trying to do with the education - make it accessible so that we can get new hams licensed and on the air.
I started on HF in July with an end-fed random wire setup. 41' of "invisible fence" wire connected to a 9:1 UNUN I bought on eBay. I get great signal reports (12-80M) from all over the US and a few other countries. For the price of coax and the matchbox (less than $70) I got one great antenna!
I had a lot of fun with multiband dipoles and Windoms and the G5RV doublet. Of course, I used a matcher (tuner). - AA6LJ
Hey there! Thank you for clear explanation of this aspect of ham radio. Im grab this vid to learn some terms in english
Thanks a bunch
Have nice day!
Bye for now
A very thorough video.
Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
An EFHW (End-Fed Half-Wave) antenna is a popular choice for Ham radio operators due to its simplicity and effectiveness. It is a single-wire antenna that is typically half the length of a full wavelength, making it easy to install in a variety of configurations. The EFHW antenna is fed at one end and can be mounted vertically, horizontally, or as an inverted L, depending on the available space and desired radiation pattern.One of the key advantages of the EFHW antenna is its versatility, as it can be easily tuned to multiple bands by using a matching network or antenna tuner. This makes it a great option for operators who want to operate on multiple frequencies without the need for multiple antennas.When installing an EFHW antenna, it is important to ensure that the wire is as straight and high off the ground as possible to minimize losses and maximize performance. Additionally, proper grounding and lightning protection should be considered to ensure the safety of the equipment and operator.Overall, the EFHW antenna is a cost-effective and efficient choice for Ham radio operators looking for a simple and versatile antenna solution.
Awesome video! Appreciate the breakdown on such a broad subject! 73s KI5IBD
Hi Jim. Nice overview of "starter antennas". I put the starter antenna in quotes because at 50 years in, I'm still using dipoles every day. I do have to call you one one thing though. None of the antennas you featured included a trap. A loading coil yes, a trap no. A coil is exactly what it says it is, a coil of wire. A trap is a coil and a capacitor in parallel. It is a method of getting multiple bands on one antenna. Topic 2) Hamsticks make pretty good loaded, not trapped, dipoles for 20 meters and up where they are lightly loaded. They do work on 80. But, they are so heavily loaded that their band width is microscopic. Topic 3) My first antenna as a Tech was some coat hangers I soldered on to a SO239 for 2 meters. That thing worked great. Your summation right on. Any wire you can get in the air and tune to your radio is a great antenna. And, building it yourself adds an extra 1/2 dB. Or, so I've been told.
Instructor Jim says: Trapped antennas are another good option. We think they are a little more advanced so we didn't include them.
Many thanks learning many things here
Glad to hear that
Thank you.
The best use of money in the ham world is only $300 for a DX Commander Rapide. You have 40M-6M, a relatively small footprint (16 radials of 10 feet), and a strong DX game. Oh, and I'm currently using Ham Radio Prep to study for my Extra. I take the exam on December 27. Your app is awesome. Happy holidays!
THANK YOU so much for the ongoing support. It's thanks to folks like you that we can continue to build new educational materials and technology. 73 and Merry Christmas from the Ham Radio Prep team!
Did you pass? Was the test difficult?
Please do an HOA friendly version of this.
Great idea - we will add this to our plans!!
@@HamRadioPrep That's awesome - one of the reasons I haven't actively pursued upgrading from Tech is because I live in an HOA neighborhood and while all those antenna look good and such, someone wouldn't like it. Yeah I know there's probably a bunch of other videos out there, but who to believe is the real question. I am planning on upgrading this year, so this and a good beginner HF rig is in my future. Appreciate it! Mike KC3AIL
I live in an HOA. Currently I just put up a portable vertical whip antenna. A bigger problem than the HOA for me is we don't have trees in West Texas to hang a stealth wire. I'll probably get a telescoping mast strapped to a fence post to raise an EFHW in an inverted V
Jim, thank you for this video - and all that you do for hams. The subject of antennas is full of science and opinions. I used your software to help me successfully prepare for and pass my technician and general exams - so, I AM a fan. In my OPINION, the DX Commander (any of them, actually) are a great tool for beginners. Anyway, best holiday wishes, 73 KQ4IXD
Thanks Jim. All useful information. Got to call foul slightly on the 'ease' aspect of an end-fed though, given I've been trying to get one into my honey locust tree for the last two weeks with no success.😏 Slingshot, weight, fishing line, paracord etc, incredulous neighbours wondering what the heck I was doing too. 😂 I'll persevere! On buying a commercial one or making one yourself, though I'm still studying for the Technican course with you, I decided on a self-build using an LDG 9:1 unun (which Ham Radio Outlet recommended for a 'random' end-fed), ceramic insulator and some Cerrowire from Home Depot, since I figured the same issue - how to get it up there - would be just as much of a challenge whether it was bought or self-build.
Professor Jim says: So sometimes things don't work out as easily for everyone. "Easy" compared to a dipole I think, because you need two high lines there. Good luck!
Nice, high quality ham content 👍 Easy to digest and clear price ranges for every option. Very nice.
Thanks so much for the kind words! That's exactly what we're trying to do - break down these concepts so that we can help out more new hams.
There's some great antenna info here. I subbed.
Thanks Jim
de K9DWB
Thanks for the sub!
As to vertical antennas I would like to throw the DX Commander series into the mix. As a brand new General in summer of 2023 I found the Classic from DX Engineering to be both affordable at
It all depends on propagation. You could have a 200ft tower and 2000w. If conditions stink, you're yelling in the dark. If conditions are good, you can use a coathanger and talk to the globe.
I use a Hyendfed 80-10 EFHW. Excellent antenna. I have zero issues. They make the best EFHW. Construction is outstanding. It’s the only EFHW I would ever buy.
Don’t have a lot of time, want to just buy one that works on 2m, 70 cm, 10, and 6 a verticals, if possible….any suggestions? I’ll build later but for now just starting with Tech license…
Thank you
You're welcome
I’m going to be getting a home base station for my first in the next 30 days I’ve been researching ham for a year now and I still want to get involved so that tells me to pull the plug
Yep, I've used or made all 5 🙂
❓❓❓Great info***BUT***why, when describing a "dipole," did the video first show what appeared to be three (3} "wires?"Was there a reason to initially show it this way? Very confusing🤔Thanx & 73😃🇺🇸
I'll put in my vote for the Horizontal Loop "Skywire" antenna: the biggest and highest you can hang it in your yard. You won't be disappointed. It gives you all bands and very quiet omnidirectional receive. On transmit you get all your signal out at a low angle (best for DX) . Use 450 Ohm Ladder line for low loss. I add a 4:1 Balun and a short coax jumper into the tuner, then a jumper into the radio. Be sure to disconnect and ground this antenna when not in use and whenever bad weather threatens. ( for fun, you can rubber band a fluorescent tube bulb to the ladder line and watch it flash at night in a thunder storm)
Nice reference. My only recommendation would be photos of actual installs rather than descriptions.
Good call! As we produce more content about actually installing and building antennas, we'll be sure to link to them!
Still have a very high tv antenae along side my house. Could this be useful?
If your in the uk asda sell a washing line with a metal wire in it about 20m cost £2.50 . A couple of insulators and coax you have a good hf dipole . Best contact was central USA from Ayrshire Scotland on 20m with 80 Watts. We're having a bit of a contest at the moment one club member as done the ultimate England to Sydney using 90 Watts on a long wire ( 1 and 1/2 washing lines about 30m
Great tip! We've heard of people using electric fence wire, old Ethernet cable and more.
Would have enjoyed some photos of radials you mentioned, as well as other examples...
73's
Good call!
80 meter Rombeck at 80 meters up. The joy of wire antennas. So many different configurations with wire antenna design. 80 meter Rombeck or simple hook feed lines to a barbed wire fence and give her a try. Send a feed line wire up 500 feet with a Helion ballon and ground it. Hopefully not in the summer, TOO much static. And see what yall get?
End Fed non resonant wire requires a 9:1 Unun, not a Balun. Unless Fed with ladder line, both the coax AND the end-fed wire are unbalanced components of the system. Unbalanced-Unbalanced… Unun, correct?
Definitely an un-un needed as opposed to a balun. Like you say, both antenna and feeder are unbalanced. A balun is used when feeding with a ladder line or to a centre fed dipole antenna.
Great video, thank you. Question, will the internal antenna turner of the Yaesu FT-991 or Kenwood TS-450S work in combination with an Chameleon CHA EMCOMM 2 wire antenna? Still at HAM radio.
That's a "it depends" answer for sure, but each internal tuner will tune the antenna down as best it can. For some configurations and bands, this will get you down to 1:1, and for other configs and bands, it might not. 73!
@@HamRadioPrep Thank you so much for your reply. Always best to get others opinions.
Strange a fan antenna was not mentioned. Take a look at my multiband DX-antenna on my channel. A very cheap building project. A NanoVNA would be very useful, though.
Professor Jim says: Thanks for the suggestion, we will consider that for future videos.
Great presentation, thank you! I have one question. I see a lot of information on the 80-6 meter end fed, but I have the room, and the height, and want to go with a 160-6 meter end fed. I can't seem to find the wire length for that particular band. I'm wondering if it just isn't something that works well, or is just not as popular. Basically I want to mount the feed end outside my shack at whatever height I can get by with, maybe installing a phone pole. The long wire will go out to a tree out back that is over 60' high and about 300' away. About 100' away from the shack inline with that tall tree is a shorter tree that I will be going through just as a resting place to keep the weight of the wire down a little.
Our instructor says if it's an end fed half wave you can use the (468/Frequency in MHz) formula to calculate the full wavelength, then divide by 2. For 1.8 MHz that would come out to 260 feet.
@@HamRadioPrep That makes sense. I do have a tuner, so in theory I should be able to tune other bands then?
What about a Windom?
Gives you 80 meters fairly easily and does very good on other bands.
Another great option! Maybe we need to do a part 2!
Your 3rd option, the hamstick antenna looked like a CB antenna I can find at any truck stop. Is that what it is or is it something different?
It's going to be a little different, but a similar concept. Each hamstick is going to be at a specific length for the band, so a CB antenna from a truck stop will be catered towards the CB bands.
Protect your eq. Nobody talks about LIGHTHNING ARRESTORS. 73 k5AAF
Unplugging your antenna from your radio, when not in use is the best lighting arrestor.
Do you recommend the mfj 1979? I have hoa restrictions and only want 1 antenna
We haven't used it. Might work well on 10 meters.
Emergency HAM radio noob here. Just getting into the hobby.
Question....What's the best (for the money) ALL BAND, ALL MODE, MOBILE radio transceiver I can buy?. I want a radio that can be used... both, in the house, and on the road. I assume all mobile radios can also be used indoors
Check out our HF radios for beginners video for a good place to start! ua-cam.com/video/zURNxqAypiQ/v-deo.html&lc=UgzAmCnQqUMrhSeBnJ54AaABAg
If you ask 10 hams which is the best antenna you'll get 20 diffrent answer . At home I use an end fed long wire about 30m long . On the car and rv I use ham sticks and converted cb anttenas. for portable my favourite is a rybakov if there's no trees around or a dipole if the is trees
My problem is the mast. How do I get my G5RV Jr 33 ft in the air?
Our instructor Jim says most people find a point in a tree and suspend the center from there. You can also look for something like a telescoping fiberglass mast. Several ham related companies make the masts or you might find them at a military surplus store.
@@HamRadioPrep Perhaps to a video on the 'top 5 antenna masts'? Sadly, I don't have any trees on my property, and it's a small lot not quite big enough for guy wires. I think my only option might be a self supporting tower type system, and that is just out of my price range.
The best antenna for beginners by far is an EFHW . Why? 1) inexpensive - good versions at MFJ are less than $100. 2) no tuner needed on resonant bands; get a 40-20-15-10), 3) if you can, deploy horizontally, between two large trees, high up, I’m talking 50 feet, an amazing directional pattern with about 2 dB of gain on your lowest frequency, and lobes achieving higher gain at higher frequencies.) You can deploy it vertically as well. Stay away from Buddipoles if you’re a beginner. these are very expensive antennas, more suited towards specialized/portable operations, and cannot be permanently installed. They’re also painful to tune and not amenable to frequency changes because of their trap design.
Buddistick was my first HF antenna. It’s been great. YMMV.
@@plemieux84 A buddipole was my first, it was fine, the end fed half wave is better, costs less, and I dont have to uninstall it when I’m done.
Hello, great video for beginners. I'm interested in making my own antenna and was wondering where to get the 3d design for the center element and insulators. Would you mind providing me a link? Thank you!
I can’t help you if you’re dead set on 3d printing. But if you want to go a little low tech, they can be cut out of cheap acrylic you can buy at any hardware store.
@@kd8opi that’s true. He just mentioned in the video that they 3d printed it and figured they could provide me the design. Anyways, thank you.
Acrylic, plexiglass, pvc pipe, I've used them all. A very simple insulator. Cut your acrylic or whatever into a rectangle 1.5" by 3". If you want a coax connector, drill a 5/8" hole dead center. That's the diameter of the connector. Drill a couple of holes just big enough for your wire to pass through on either end. If you want to solder your coax directly to the wires, drill couple of smaller hole in the center. Just big enough to pass the center conductor in one and the shield through the other. Just add solder. As a guess, this will be cheaper and stronger than 3d printing. At least it would be for me. I'd have to buy a printer, then learn how to use it.
@@hammathguy3995 100%. I’m not down on 3d printing, I think it’s cool. It may be overkill for a simple wire antenna but it could be fun to print specialized parts. Still, like you, I’ve “made” insulators from trash bits or cheap pvc/acrylic. It’s just so easy. Printing a specialized enclosure for a torrid/transformer would be interesting, or a spreader for a fan dipole.
I get confused. Isnt a Balun . Balanced to unbalanced. So a 49: 1 is a Un Un as coax is Unbalanced and output to a single long wire is also Unbalanced. But they are marked Balun. ? Cheers from old George still learning.
It's a bit like "copy" and "Xerox" - Balun gets generically used to talk about the device the bridges coax to antenna. Thanks for pointing this out and we'll try and be more clear in the future.
My First HF Ant Is a Hustler 6BTV/Now a 5BTV & Soon To Be A 7 BTV & It Hears Really Really Good ! I have ben into Radios for 35+ Years But Just got my First Ticket in April o 2023 Then Upgraded Soon After ! My HF Ant Is Ground Mounted to btw I Also Have a Random Wire Up just as a RX Only Ant That Hears Pretty Good as well ! I Do Want To Get On 160M so bad i Cant See Straight & I am Going To go With a Dipole for 160m and 80m ! !
I run the 4, but have a 5 in the box, not sure if it's worth the time to install it
@@buzzsah I Really Like Mine But i enjoy 80m i got about 75khz-100khz on 80m & love to listen a lot to 160m band ! I Also had another NIB 5btv other than the new one i got up! I Am Planing on Adding 12m & 17m to mine Very Soon I also like 60m but i have heard that will cause the 40m band to get very narrow an i use 40 more than i would 60m so 12 & 17 is all i will add & then my find something for 60m later on ! I just got my first ticket n April of this year so i am still trying to build my station from the ground up & Sadly I Just Do Not Have Deep Pockets like a lot of hams do so it will take me some time to get ever thing sorted out & I love to try New Things To !
I just ordered coax and pl259 with 176's not sure if it will make it up this year, but march should work. @@bigchew3149
Please, use also meters, tnx :-)
Question. I had 140 ef hooked to ic 718 with AH4 tuner. The wire went from the ah4 at 15ft above ground, to a tree 90ft. In the tree I had a pulley with 110 ft of 3/4 line/rope with a 50lb counterweight 4ft from the ground to allow wind movement of the tree. Now, after 3 years, the line/rope broke and down came the antenna ef. Due to the time of years, I was not going to climb the tree so the ef is now 20ft not 90. Will this work for now?
Our instructor Jim says it could work on 10 and 12 meters, and maybe 15 depending on the actual length. Test it to see!
KN6UNC here, not really looking talk, just want to listen
Looks like Jim Gaffigan's older brother.
Instructor Jim says: That's the second time I've gotten that comparison.
Make that third, cause I thought it too. 😂😂 Came across this looking for diy dipole videos... Thank you. Well put together and easy for a lowly tech to understand.
G5RV
Sounds like good content overall, but I'm not convinced that "for beginners" is the right label.
If you're using an EFHW you will need to tune it. The counterpoise is the shield on the coax as you said...so how can an unun correct that for all installations ? You will not need a fancy tuner, but some kind of adjustable capacitor will be needed.
A "pole" is not a wire and it doesn't refer to a physical pole like a telephone pole. A pole is a polarity. The polar caps on the Earth are on the extreme North and South. A magnet has two poles we call positive and negative. A electric field can have a single positive or negative pole which we call a monopole.
This is critical, understand what "balanced" means. The dipole is balanced when each pole of the antenna has the same RF energy. A coax is "unbalanced", b/c the inner conductor will typically have a different amount of energy as the sleeve conductor.
Your use of the term "trap" is incorrect. A trap is a filter that rejects frequencies. A long antenna can have traps to electrically shorten it when an operator applies a higher frequency.
A loading coil with TAPS is what you are referring to.
Those side views suck. Just keep the front view.
I'm not even going to try and watch this guy's videos. The only thing beginner about them is the title.
100% buddipole. No way you will get 1 under 300.
What's this about cost?
Make one!
Balun $30. Make one!
Nothing wrong with making dipoles. I use dipoles in the attic, 5 bands, 20m to 10m. Single band dipole $60. Make one! Mine didn't cost that.
OCEF $60. Make one!
G5RV. too big for me. Dollars again Make one!
Mag. loop. Make one!
End fed half wave. $90 - $200. Make one!
80m dipole $60. Make one!
Ham Stick. $100. Make one!
33' vertical $250. Make one !
G5RV $100. Make one!
I thought this hobby is about learning.
No I don't like this video. Buy everything and learn nothing. We did a radio exam to get a licence so use that knowledge.
G4GHB.
What the hell is "feet" , come on peps it's not all about the USA and you have an international audience when on You tube , while of cause I can crunch the numbers, It demonstrates a level of arrogance to the rest of the modern world out there that use metric . Just saying ZL1KJT
Our instructor Jim says: Thank you for the comment. While our courses are focused on US hams, we'll consider the international audience in future videos.
Thank you.
Watch out for this guy in person. He attacks men's rears.