Great tips Chris. I use my Buddistick for home ops in the HOA restricted Condo I live, and get decent results. I have mine mounted on a Buddipole tripod with a Versatee. An antenna analyzer is very useful and almost necessary to quickly get the best results. I also use the Buddipole Triple Ratio Balun on EVERY installation. It cuts down on common mode currents on the outside of the coax, and also helps when the resonant point is over two to one. Sometimes it just take a switch of ratio on the Balun to bring it home. I recommend using it on all installations. I am a cw operator and usually don't use any more than say... 35 watts. 90% of the time that power level is more than adequate for a qso. Good stuff Chris! Thanks for continuing to put out good info on setups. 73's K1YPB
Chris, these are great innovations and enhancements to the Buddipole system. I have made thousands of contacts over the years with the Buddipole and Buddistick. I can deploy this antenna at a park in 5 minutes and be operating without fuss. With the FT891 there is no need for a tuner.
You can try lowering the end of the counterpoise to about 18 inches off the ground. That may lower the swr a little more. Might have something to do with tuning out the capacitve reactance?
Looks like it has a much higher Q than the Wolf River Coil. I get a much flatter sweep on the WRC without all the fussing with the radials. If he just put out two more radials I suspect he would get a much flatter SWR curve.
Great antenna. The only thing is that counterpoise/radial that needs to be up on the air. If you are doing 20 meters that would be around 16 feet long. Love the bag that comes with it.
Great video. I was having a tough time with 40 Meters. I ended up with my radial less than a foot off the ground to get 1:5 to 1 at 7.110. I will try this method out next time and see how it works.
I too am having a rough time tuning up on 40 meters. I'll post my notes back here once I achieve my tuning. I love this antenna design and I am not going to quit until I get it. :)
I believe the answer is absolutely. I'm sure there are those here who understand antenna ground plane theory and design better than I, and they could correct and clarify what I'm about to say, but you should see somewhat greater transmit and receive distance in the direction the radial points on the horizontal plane. Think of reflections, where the signal comes off the whip, and it's being drawn downward by, and reflected off the ground plane (radial), and then outwards like an egg on it's side, with the long end of the egg pointing towards the radial, and the whip antenna positioned more central to the fat lobe of the egg. This is more unidirectional, whereas adding more radials makes the pattern more round or omnidirectional. Three 1/3 wave length radials would make a triangle radiation pattern (triad), with very rounded corners on the triangle (think of three circles mostly overlapping at the center, with the antenna whip coming up from dead center of that intersection), and four 1/4 wave radials in a square orientation (left, right, forwards and backwards), would be result in a near circular radiation pattern (four circles instead of three), a square with very round corners. This pattern, with the radials flat from the termination point also results in the signal being somewhat elevated as well (mostly like a doughnut that's laying on the radials). Being high on a hill, you will actual find greater distance communication with others who are at the same elevation as you or higher, and those at lower elevations will lose your signal somewhat closer. If you slope or angle the radials down slightly, the signal will tend to run closer to the horizon or below, reaching downward into the valley below (lowering the doughnut). Disclosure ;I am not an engineer, but a human and imperfect. I wish to learn and know as well, so any constructive criticisms and corrections are welcome. Please keep the flames to a minimum as we are all learning and we all have our expertise and opinions, and they may not be both at once.
How about using one or two pop up canopy weights using cable ties to weigh down the base. Or use three of them, one for each leg of the tripod? The tent weights have a slot about 1/2 wide. Could the weights slide over the end of the legs. Or use ties. Remember, some placed stakes ate a big NO NO!
Just came across this video. I have the original buddistick so I assume the tunning will be the same. My radial wire is not color coded…what is an approximate length for 20 meters? I can check with the rig expert 230 stick but it would be nice to start in the vacinty of a good length. Thanks Andrew
The coil on the original Buddistick is similar but not the same, I don't believe. So the length of horizontal element will also be different. But I don't have a measurement length with me right now
If it's elevated it's a counterpoise and needs to be tuned. If it's on the ground then it's a radial which doesn't have to be tuned because the ground detunes the radial........I think that is a downside of the of the Buddi Pole/Stick.
The video is good ... but hasn't it happened to you that when you measure with the analyzer it is swr low and when you connect the cable to the radio you see that the swr is super high?Is it like a fake swr bass, that is, is it not true or when you play the analyzed swr does the swr go up and when you release it it goes down?
Another vote for RigExpert stick, but I got the pro version. Henry Radio from LA (his eBay store too) currently has it for $329 with manufacturer's 2 years warranty. It covers all the way to 600MHz. May not be the cheapest, but you will also get a built-in Bluetooth connection that allows for remote monitoring from your phone or tablet. It normally retails for $389+ at most other places.
I have the Buddipole BP extra vibrating arms low band coil longer whips what a waste of money, it now makes sense why they only demo 20 meters, all you do is spend spend spend to get additional addons for 80m and struggle to even tune 40. Now you need to buy a triple balun to try and get 40 &80 forking out around $800Au dollars I now prefer my PAC-12 or JPC-7 3rd of the cost 2 minutes to tune up and on-air, less than 1:3:1 across 40m well out preforms this antenna, just my finding spent days trying to tune the Buddipole BP no more
@@plemieux84 your money would be much better spent on a JPC-7 OR PAC-12 antenna which does 40-6 meters easily and with z DIY coil you get 80 i use these for POTA and have much better sucess 100 times faster to tune and you dont need to keep buying accessories
An American company. And since the USA has more Hams than any country in the world, they're also a successful one. They do have dealer relationships in lots of other countries too. So whoever deals Ham Radio equipment in your country, contact them and ask that they carry this brand.
No one here. And Nothing in Australia. This company has a postal issue. I’m getting lots of items from the USA, China and Britain. Go figure ! They aren’t only USA 😳 For example, how big a company is the DX Commander ? That arrived In a little under 2 weeks ? America is bigger, yes, but don’t be one eyed about it. More Hams, so what ? Piss poor excuse !
@@BurninWires there are dealers in Australia. Instead of crying about it and calling them a worthless company, go do something about it. If they're worthless, then why do you care if they don't deliver down there?
Great tips Chris. I use my Buddistick for home ops in the HOA restricted Condo I live, and get decent results. I have mine mounted on a Buddipole tripod with a Versatee. An antenna analyzer is very useful and almost necessary to quickly get the best results. I also use the Buddipole Triple Ratio Balun on EVERY installation. It cuts down on common mode currents on the outside of the coax, and also helps when the resonant point is over two to one. Sometimes it just take a switch of ratio on the Balun to bring it home. I recommend using it on all installations. I am a cw operator and usually don't use any more than say... 35 watts. 90% of the time that power level is more than adequate for a qso. Good stuff Chris! Thanks for continuing to put out good info on setups. 73's K1YPB
Chris, these are great innovations and enhancements to the Buddipole system. I have made thousands of contacts over the years with the Buddipole and Buddistick. I can deploy this antenna at a park in 5 minutes and be operating without fuss. With the FT891 there is no need for a tuner.
Thanks Jason and Chris. I just got my Buddistick and was wanting some more explanation on tuning it. Great timing for me 😊
Glad to help!
Thanks for all the great help, as always!
My pleasure!
You can try lowering the end of the counterpoise to about 18 inches off the ground. That may lower the swr a little more. Might have something to do with tuning out the capacitve reactance?
Looks like it has a much higher Q than the Wolf River Coil. I get a much flatter sweep on the WRC without all the fussing with the radials. If he just put out two more radials I suspect he would get a much flatter SWR curve.
Most likely it's because you are using a much longer whip on wolf river coil. The high Q is due to the coil usage, so longer whip will help.
@@fubolibs4218 That makes sense.
Great antenna. The only thing is that counterpoise/radial that needs to be up on the air. If you are doing 20 meters that would be around 16 feet long. Love the bag that comes with it.
Great video. I was having a tough time with 40 Meters. I ended up with my radial less than a foot off the ground to get 1:5 to 1 at 7.110. I will try this method out next time and see how it works.
I too am having a rough time tuning up on 40 meters. I'll post my notes back here once I achieve my tuning. I love this antenna design and I am not going to quit until I get it. :)
Interesting, does the single radial also have an effect on direction of transmission ?
I believe the answer is absolutely. I'm sure there are those here who understand antenna ground plane theory and design better than I, and they could correct and clarify what I'm about to say, but you should see somewhat greater transmit and receive distance in the direction the radial points on the horizontal plane. Think of reflections, where the signal comes off the whip, and it's being drawn downward by, and reflected off the ground plane (radial), and then outwards like an egg on it's side, with the long end of the egg pointing towards the radial, and the whip antenna positioned more central to the fat lobe of the egg. This is more unidirectional, whereas adding more radials makes the pattern more round or omnidirectional. Three 1/3 wave length radials would make a triangle radiation pattern (triad), with very rounded corners on the triangle (think of three circles mostly overlapping at the center, with the antenna whip coming up from dead center of that intersection), and four 1/4 wave radials in a square orientation (left, right, forwards and backwards), would be result in a near circular radiation pattern (four circles instead of three), a square with very round corners. This pattern, with the radials flat from the termination point also results in the signal being somewhat elevated as well (mostly like a doughnut that's laying on the radials). Being high on a hill, you will actual find greater distance communication with others who are at the same elevation as you or higher, and those at lower elevations will lose your signal somewhat closer. If you slope or angle the radials down slightly, the signal will tend to run closer to the horizon or below, reaching downward into the valley below (lowering the doughnut). Disclosure ;I am not an engineer, but a human and imperfect. I wish to learn and know as well, so any constructive criticisms and corrections are welcome. Please keep the flames to a minimum as we are all learning and we all have our expertise and opinions, and they may not be both at once.
Yes, there should be some directionality favoring the broadside of the counterpoise wire.
How about using one or two pop up canopy weights using cable ties to weigh down the base.
Or use three of them, one for each leg of the tripod? The tent weights have a slot about 1/2 wide. Could the weights slide over the end of the legs. Or use ties.
Remember, some placed stakes ate a big NO NO!
A table showing the settings for the Buddistick Pro with the Long Whip would help
I spent an afternoon making my own in the backyard. It didn’t take long going through the bands.
Question: can you attached the low band coil on the other coil so you can then have 6-80 mtrs with the buddistick pro??
You have to swap this coil for the low hand coil and swap this wire assembly for the longer wire assembly.
Just came across this video. I have the original buddistick so I assume the tunning will be the same. My radial wire is not color coded…what is an approximate length for 20 meters? I can check with the rig expert 230 stick but it would be nice to start in the vacinty of a good length.
Thanks Andrew
The coil on the original Buddistick is similar but not the same, I don't believe. So the length of horizontal element will also be different. But I don't have a measurement length with me right now
What about using the Versatee and balun?
Can you tune the radio by changing the position on the coil.
Yes but those changes are larger than just moving the radial or the whip
Couldn’t you just move the tap over one slot on the coil to make it a partial turn shorter?
Will the direction of the radial affect the signal coming off the wip?
In theory, yes. In practice... maybe. It depends more on your elevation and surroundings, really.
Will this work for lower power radios like a Xiegu x5105?
Yes, absolutely
If it's elevated it's a counterpoise and needs to be tuned. If it's on the ground then it's a radial which doesn't have to be tuned because the ground detunes the radial........I think that is a downside of the of the Buddi Pole/Stick.
The video is good ... but hasn't it happened to you that when you measure with the analyzer it is swr low and when you connect the cable to the radio you see that the swr is super high?Is it like a fake swr bass, that is, is it not true or when you play the analyzed swr does the swr go up and when you release it it goes down?
No. The only way for that to happen is a bad connector somewhere.
Will this antenna take 100w on FT8 ?
Yep
Is he too close to the antenna during SWR metering?
Nah...not necessarily. But the demo was about how to tune the antenna itself, so stand at the distance you prefer and repeat these steps.
Best budget antenna analyzer?
I use the RigExpert stick 230 for this antenna and more field work.
Xiegu G90 😳
I’m going to test a theory for a video. Radial for swr and whip for freq.
Budget would have to be a Nano VNA.
Another vote for RigExpert stick, but I got the pro version. Henry Radio from LA (his eBay store too) currently has it for $329 with manufacturer's 2 years warranty. It covers all the way to 600MHz. May not be the cheapest, but you will also get a built-in Bluetooth connection that allows for remote monitoring from your phone or tablet. It normally retails for $389+ at most other places.
hey Chris....de KA4KOE
I have the Buddipole BP extra vibrating arms low band coil longer whips what a waste of money, it now makes sense why they only demo 20 meters, all you do is spend spend spend to get additional addons for 80m and struggle to even tune 40. Now you need to buy a triple balun to try and get 40 &80 forking out around $800Au dollars I now prefer my PAC-12 or JPC-7 3rd of the cost 2 minutes to tune up and on-air, less than 1:3:1 across 40m well out preforms this antenna, just my finding spent days trying to tune the Buddipole BP no more
I’ll buy it from you
@@plemieux84 sure were are u
@@plemieux84 your money would be much better spent on a JPC-7 OR PAC-12 antenna which does 40-6 meters easily and with z DIY coil you get 80 i use these for POTA and have much better sucess 100 times faster to tune and you dont need to keep buying accessories
@@arcskeepingyouconnected7537 I just looked these up and they are totally just Buddipole knockoffs. It’s the exact same setup/parts/etc.
A bubbipole knock off id check yr history and i guess untill u have owned both and tested both u just assuming
SWR does not tell much about real antenna efficiency. It would be nice to explain how to measure the antenna efficiency rather it’s SWR.
Waste of time, don't deliver to the South Pacific. What type of company is this ?
An American company. And since the USA has more Hams than any country in the world, they're also a successful one.
They do have dealer relationships in lots of other countries too. So whoever deals Ham Radio equipment in your country, contact them and ask that they carry this brand.
No one here. And Nothing in Australia. This company has a postal issue. I’m getting lots of items from the USA, China and Britain. Go figure ! They aren’t only USA 😳 For example, how big a company is the DX Commander ? That arrived In a little under 2 weeks ? America is bigger, yes, but don’t be one eyed about it. More Hams, so what ? Piss poor excuse !
@@BurninWires there are dealers in Australia. Instead of crying about it and calling them a worthless company, go do something about it. If they're worthless, then why do you care if they don't deliver down there?