Unlocking the Secrets of the Half Square Antenna: Understanding its Design and Functionality
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
- Let's unlock the the Secrets of the Half Square Antenna - How to build a half-square antenna and let us look at the gain structure. Maybe a 40m band project. Ideal if you have some trees maybe? Callum.
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The full wave version for 20m can be voltage fed at a bottom corner with an efficient 56:1. Then you’ll have a nice cloud burner half wave on 40. The broad side gain as a full on 20. For 15 and 10 you’ll have gain about 3dB or sometimes greater than a quarter wave vertical. On 10m it’s largely omni directionally so.
I built an end fed one using a 49:1 and a pair of 7m DXC poles after seeing Tim’s video. I am impressed with it, especially on 10m where I am being spotted most days on FT8 in VK using only 50w. Mark, G6DDX
Yeah would be embarrassing as they were supposed to be my “friends” with the possibility of an office romance
omg! this is extremely simlar to a military feild expeidant antenna!! just missing the "slide"... awesome! please build this..!! the slide is the spot where you feed the antenna..to dictate the wave..( if my memory serves me right.. back in my military days..) looks soo familair though!! AWESOME VIDEO ALWAYS!
Very interesting..!
Build all the things! I always enjoy and learn from your videos.
OK Mike, we're half way through one of the biulds right now.
Callum, you're good keeping my mind active and fresh. I thank you, a million+1
Half-Square Antenna's are great, especially on Field Day. From my Illinois FD Location, I can set them up to be Bi-Directional to NYC/New England and Southern California. They Null Out WA/OR and FL very good. Ideal for QRP. They don't need Height to perform well, 20' is good for 20m and 15' works on 10m and 15m. A pair of Fibergalass Step Ladder's, some Schedule 40 Plastic Pipe 1" or 1-1/2" and a couple sand bags and you're in business. I have never tried 80m, but other than awkward, 40m was quite nice. On 10-20 they can be "rotated" easily if not using Trees. 73 de kc9ih
Nice!
Thanks for modeling this Callum! I’ll try it end fed with my 56:1 auto transformer. 73zzz!
When using a reflector, the formula to calculate the distance to space the reflector is wavelength/5.26=distance in meters
For sure build one , I put one up just for fun 6 years ago for 20 meters with a qrp radio as a demonstration for a friend . We had fun into Canada and Florida from IL.
Lots of people make them In Florida with screened in porches that live in HOA . They use the aluminum framework somehow .
Ah. OK!
Yes, build and test. 👍
We're on it..
Yes Callum, please build one . I have built one as an end-fed with a 9:1 unun, 2 masts at 25 ft, and 102 ft of wire (British military kevlar core wire from DX Commander) I have also configured the same parts with one mast and the other 77 ft as a sloper. They all seem to perorm well, but I havent compared them against any other antenna.
OK Ed.. I'm looking how I can do this east/west
They seem to work well on the lower bands. I made one for 20m band and had it up quite high, feed in the top corner direct with 50ohm coax. Made some contacts but it didn’t seem to out perform my end fed.
Yep.. For 20m band, you need to go a lot higher..
The Half Square is my very favorite DX weapon in my arsenal. You can also do a whole lot with one wavelength of wire folded up in different ways.
Yes I suppose you can!
now you got me thinkin would be interesting to see how it works.
oh it works fantastic
If you have the time, definitely build one and demo it.
Yes Mike.. Maybe 20m
Yes, I would love to see this build! 🙂
OK, let me finish the Starduster copy..
HI Cal , you can also feed it at the bottom of one of the down legs with a 49/56:1 unun and it will work on the higher bands as well and give you still the gain at the original designed frequency whatever that maybe, I am going to build one and see how it works out. Love your work keep it up.
Regards
Dave.
Yes.. I hate transformers! LOL
Yes Cal so do I, they can be lossy at higher frequency and at a 1000 watts not my cup of tea.
Take care Dave.@@DXCommanderHQ
I have talk to hams that really like this antenna. I have been meaning to build this for 2 years but just haven't had the time.
Same!
Another possibility is to put a third vertical wire in the middle and then the antenna becomes a bobtail curtain. You can feed it at the top corner just like you're doing now directly with 50 ohm coax or you can feed it at the bottom middle wire using a 49:1 transformer. If you build the reflector the same size instead of making it slightly larger then you can choose which direction you want to favor just by switching your coax connection to one antenna or the other! And the other cool thing is these antennas can be flipped upside down so that the coax connection point And the long horizontal section is at the surface or ground level and the vertical elements are pulled straight up to the trees.
Hello Pat, thanks for contributing.. I can't get the model to work in software for the bobtail "middle" element, so I don't quite have the confidence! But I'll have to look at it. Thanks for the Upside-down tip!
@@DXCommanderHQ I just think it's awesome that you're showing different antennas very very cool The more we know the better we are!
@@DXCommanderHQ
Certainly do able, for a great video on the phased array portable bobtail curtain check out K6ARK's UA-cam video where he takes this antenna for a SOTA activation. Have been thinking about building one of these for some time so would appreciate any build and insights you may have ua-cam.com/video/tL5dLKW-6Wk/v-deo.html
@@DXCommanderHQ Hi Callum, I've modeled a 20m bobtail curtain and can send you the mmana file if you want to take a look.
Would like to see that in action Cal - So my vote is to build-it lol (Only because I have two trees in my garden) 😉
Yes OK Martin!
Hi Cal , I have had up 2 versions of Half Squares designed for 20m voltage feeding first version using a 9:1 UnUn all wire and squid poles to support, 2nd version using two vertical aluminium tapered tubes 5.2m long and your fantastic quality insulated wire horizontally between them as the phasing wire 10.3m.
The vertical elements are mounted on fibreglass insulators on 4x2" timbers 3.9m high, with my 9mx9m shed as a counterpoise fed via an Icom AH4 remote Autotuner.
Both versions work extremely well especially on 20m with DX from Australia to Europe and Australia wide strong signals on 40m.
I wound love to see you do some testing on Half Squares and your findings Cheers Greg VK3KV
Yes OK, I would be keen on direct coax attachments and no transformer.. We will eventually do this. Hang on :)
Love this antenna, my best 40 meter wire antenna ever 🙂
Nice!
Hello, yes will work and works , I’ve build one half square for 20m band for my QRP filed days activities, and the results are amazing ,definitely you should build one and test it out with little more power then my 1 to 5W. My best QSO using this antenna was VK station and me running just 1W . Many 73,s de M7SZY.
Sounds great! Wow.
Would love to see you build this or the bigger “Bobtail curtain” version! I’ve been interested in these antennas for a long time. 73’s! 😁 WB3CFN
Yes, I looked at the Bobtail but couldn't get the model right.. So I didn't have the confidence..
I have been thinking of building a half square or the one with three vertical elements called the Bobtail Curtain for the last 35 years now. Never got around to it. I would love to see you put one up and see how it performs in the real world - SWR etc thanks
Only 35 years? I have hope then! It might be another 35 weeks this end! So many build ideas. Today, I hope I am finishing off the tri-band "starduster" thingy..
@@DXCommanderHQ the must be the bottom spotted diamond that how you get inside the spaceship
Regards
independence day
I believe you should have a Half Square in your line up to sale. There's several good articles on the internet about this antenna.
73
Well, thing is, you can buy 100m of wire and you're away :)
Ive loads of trees around me and would love to see your build and results. de Paul.
OK!
I would love to see you build a half square antenna,
I recently built my first antenna. The project started as a plain old 40 meter dipole that morphed into a fan dipole with 3 elements... 40, 20 and 15 meters that also gives me about 1/3 of 6 meters without the need for a tuner.
I would be interested to find out if this half square could be done with a fan dipole...
Yeah, I really want to give it a try...
used have run half square antennas on 15m, 17m, 30m, 20m, and 40m with very good results. If You want a proper DX monster run a phased pair of half squares side by side 1/4wl apart. I used a carefully matched pair of half squares for 17m with Christman phasing method and battered lumps out of Japan and Malaysia with 5W :-) I prefer to run QRP and make the antennas do the work. - also used half squares strung between trees operating away from home to bag a load of contacts in S.America. Well worth a bash. 73 de MM7WAB
Wow. Sounds fabulous.
Great video, .... again.
Half square, looks very interesting. Yes please build one. I guess it will always be a single band antenna?
Yep.. To achieve the gain.
Single band if current fed at the top corner but multiband if voltage fed at the base of one of the verticals.
Great video , the only way I could fit my end fed half wave in was to run it similar mine is 10m on both ends vertical with 20m horizontal interestingly it works superb on 80 which obviously it’s a halfwave for but as a half square on 40 being a full wave on 40 it doesn’t work as well as my old end fed half wave using half the amount of wire , I’ve always presumed lobes are being produced being the second harmonic, it is being fed via a 64 to 1 at 2 ft above ground
I never checked the harmonics and a transformer but yes, you can end-feed these.
🙀
I guess I'll need another roll of Dx10 Cal, very interesting video mate, I'm limited to what i can get away with here but i do happen to have two very tall trees close enough to hang it. Watch this space El Lordo Callumski.
Callumski! LOL
go from shack to tree feed in shack corner coax 45dg away from nearest vertical leg 50ohm
I've recently built a 20m half square with two fishing poles and some wire. Very light and I did 5w with it and it was a surprise to those that I worked with it as I didn't call /qrp. I just added it at the end of the QSO that I was 5w. Most were surprised as my signal was stronger than they expected from a QRP rig. That said, I wasn't doing well with anyone off of the sides of the antenna. It was also pleasantly quiet to listen with. I used lead fishing weights to hold down the ends of the vertical elements. I think this would be a good project for 40m with the 12m masts. I don't think this would fit with my Jackite 30ft. masts unless I make a small inductor to shorten the two verticals. Deploying it by myself also took a little planning but eventually worked out. Thanks for the video!
de WE2DX
Craig.. That sound very good!
As the maximum radiation occurs at the top of the two vertical sections, you can fold the bottom end of the verticals inwards, outwards, parallel to the ground as not much radiation happens there, only very high voltages. Half-squares can tolerate quite a lot of compromise and still work well.
Great video! I would love to see you build a half square. I’m going to build one too and test it out here in the middle of the US. 73, Adam N0ZIB
Do it :)
you will be amazed
Hi from ST2KI ..Ilike be the way you present ideas 🎉
Thank you!
Callum, what do you think about alternate feed points for these? I've been modeling one at 33% from the bottom of one leg with a 4:1 or 6:1 balun and it seems to turn it to a feasible multi-bander.
I don't have an opinion since I would be firstly more interested in the gain structure. Assuming it half-works, then it'll work :)
With my weird lot on the edge of a cliff, this might be the perfect antenna. Build away
Go for it.
Would live to see this one built. I've heard of the Half-Square but never had any experience with it. I have 3 100m rolls of DX10 coming for my 80 loop project, I can use some of it to build one of these!! Do I have enough trees?? I need to plant more!! Or order some 12.4 or 18 m poles!
Plant more trees. Cheaper - but takes a long time!
you will not regret it its the best dx and receive antenna iv made world wide g90 10 watts
I wonder if you could model a half square with a reflector AND a director? If so, you could assemble quite a blowtorch to point at an "area of interest", sans conventional tower and three element beam. I also wonder if it could handle other bands with additional vertical elements. Might be interesting at 10/15/20 where the dimensions wouldn't get unwieldy? 73 DE W8LV BILL (W8LV/VE3 prepandemic)
I think for the effort, the old Double 2-pair of phased (flamethrower) would be easier..
Build Away my Man!!!! Have some fun!
John! I will EVENTUALLY get around to this one.. One of the few I haven't yet built.
How far away from the antenna do you built the director and how much bigger is it? Hoping to build a 20m half-square to SSB to Bouvet island from Southern California, USA. Also, what do you do w/ the drooping ends? Tie a weight there so it doesn't flop around in the wind? Appreciate it! Good overview.
OK - I mean all this depends on bands.. ANd I don't have the proportions to hand. If you want another 3dB, you could just use a parasitic reflector on a vertical.. UNless you really have 4 very large trees for 2 x half-squares.. You will have to build one and work it out I am afraid.
@@DXCommanderHQ Appreciate it. I'd have to put up some masts, as I'm in the treeless desert. I'm going to go ahead and build a 15m half-wave and see if I can improve it somehow. Cheers.
What ya could do is from the middle section towards the from drop just replicate that twice and have them joining in the middle,i would do it myself but ive only got a tiny yard😐
That's for Bobtail (I hink you are refering to).. Never got that to work in software (yet)
@@DXCommanderHQ i mean u leave it as is for the half square but just add the extra bits on it
Dear Commander Callum, thanks for this. Would a balun (1:1) be required, or useful, at the feedpoint?
For a strtaight vertical, I poersonally don't bother. It is good practice ANYWAY to stick a choke just outside the shack to stop wigglies from coming back down to the shack.. Now for a dipole etc, a choke is more important.
What would it be like if you put the driven element in the centre and a reflector either side would it be equivalent to a three element beam
Most likely a similar gain to a high 3 element. I have not made the calculation.
3-ele beam. Possibly but I would have to model that..
M0OLT , Hi Cal.. Great to chat at Hamfest.This is what I bought pole for. I already have one pole. Is it the top ‘wire’ length only that needs to be half wave? Can I have drops nearer and bend top wire or must the physical distance between drops be half wave? As you know I only have 7m yard. I want 10m for 14Mhz. Dont want build just a28Mhz Too wet at the moment so wont rush yet.
Yes, top is one half..
So a phased array with one fed 90° lagging would have greater front to back?
Yes.. However, there's a "magic" number, I believe 71 or 72 degrees, not quite 90. Here's a good calculator: www.va7st.ca/christman.htm
@@DXCommanderHQ Thank you.
Hi Callum Hope you are well. ... I run a rectangular loop in the vertical for 10m ... It is fed in the middle with a 240 toroid for stopping any RF, swr is 1.1.1 ... I have the antenna on my QRZ I would imagine it possibly has a 3db gain but not sure, any chance you can model it on MMANA.
I have to say it works exceptionally well...
Mike M0csi ...
Mike, send precise details.. Height above ground / height of each corner etc and I'll make a video about it.
Hi Callum. Hope you are well
Regarding 10m rectangular loop antenna.
Dimensions for antenna for 10m top and bottom wire 1.79m or 5.88 ft.
In the vertical wire 3.58 m or 11.77 ft total wire length 35ft 3inch or 10.76m.
I use a 240 toroid 5 / 4 winding to stop any RF. Or you could use a 1to 1 balun.
This antenna can be made for more or less any band preferably HF I use a fibreglass pole approximately 18 ft at the feed point and then goes up some 6 feet or so for the total antenna.
Price wise can't give a price next to nothing except for the fibreglass pole of course and the 240 toroid.
Mike M0csi
Manchester.
I built one of them anttenas but fed mine from the base for 40m worked verry well into euro land never worked dx with it chris
Base is possible with a transformer, yes.
Calum, i have know a ham that go to mountain tops in so-cal with a double bobtail curtain and is able to make multiple qso,s across the US on 15 meters. there is also a fellow in Australia doing a similar thing not sure what band. Andy N6AJH. btw i am in Wroclaw Poland not NC USA
He could do the same with a dipole or a vertical.. He's making a hill out of a mountain! LOL
soccer goals will be disappearing and repurposed for added antenna elements / gain
Since this is a full wavelength of wire, you could feed it at the end with a 49:1 transformer. Still optimum gain on the design frequency, but resonating on half the design frequency, as well as all harmonics of the "half freq". It is also possible to make phased arrays, two half squares 1/4 wavelength apart. Then it is possible to switch the main directions.
I would very much like to see a build and test of that, as you have an antenna range ;)
Have you ever considered trying the Bobtail Curtain? This can be fed in similar ways to the half square, but it is a single band antenna only. The Bobtail should operate like 3 quarter waves in phase.
I have considered building a Bobtail (maybe two phased) for, say 15 or 10m, just to have some gain from my garden.
Vy 73 de Jan, OZ9QV
Yes, I read a lot of folkls using 64:1 transformers on 40m like this. No idea of the pattern up higher though.
@@DXCommanderHQ I am prety sue it will be a cloud warmer on 80m, and funny patterns on the higher bands ;)
I have tried some similar antennas, but was never sure how high above the ground might be best. This example here has the vertical ends 12 inches above the ground? Is that right? That's just a general gap above the ground, regardless of frequency,? With just the length of the wires cut for frequency. That makes it easy then. I'll use some para cord to attach the ends to concrete blocks, to keep them from blowing around.
Yes, just 12 inches.
The bottom end of the verticals really need to be out of reach, say 8 foot minimum off the ground as there are extremely high voltages present at those points.
@@dezwatson6993 I once tried a dipole inside the house attic and with100 watts I started getting arcing from the antenna ends to the wood of the rafters. No more attic antennas at 100 watts for me. 12 inches from the ground might set fire to the leaves on the ground.
Hello! Thank you for the great video. Can you share the MMANA-GAL file for half sq. antenna? I build one, but when I specify the feed point to be at the end, the impedance is looking very strange ...
OK.. lift it off the ground by 10cm (0.1m) and it'll work.. ELSE - send me the file and I'll take a look at it..
@@DXCommanderHQ Thank you - here is the file: drive.google.com/file/d/1HxNoIBWUFbcKJJYV6pc6xVE2DNWx1jkp/view?usp=share_link
@@DXCommanderHQ sorry, my stupid mistake - I forgot to add a counterpoise and reactance was way out. I added it and now it is looking fine
@@polzovotel Brilliant!!
how well would this work on 11m? all so how about height? looks like something you could move around on 12m and up.
Bottom line is that a cheap CB antenna at 6/7m high would outperform I guess.
@@DXCommanderHQ thanks.
OH thats great! what if ya elevated the half square? Feed it at the end mabe?
End feed will make it a usable antenna on half the frequency and all harmonics of that 1/2 Wave. Probably funny radiation patterns on the non the "non-designed" bands, though ;)
You can and it perfoms same.. I'm a 50 ohm nut, that's all :)
Cal it's very similar to an EWE antenna?
Now.. It can be, yes.
Go for it Cal!!! Jim M7BXT
Done!
Can you add more bands if you add a third or fourth leg
Erm.. On a half-square? I've not considered it. Like a fan dipole? Maybe.
Callum, you might want to fool around with a 10m version. 10m is hot right now and likely going to stay that way for a bit. I am thinking about doing a 10m 1/2 Square.
I have been thinking of a 10m Bobtail Curtain, or maybe two as a phased array.
Don, I have a different monster I am building right now for the top end of HF.. Coming soon.
allright MR dx commander, i like your channel i find i very interetsing and i really do learning somthing here. but i am going to take the ham test in less then 30 days in Norway so the 26th november is my dday. I have used a full pen and one and a half book to write while i learn, i have yellow papers everyvere in my book. but there is one thing i just dont understand and that is the Superheterodyne Radio in a complicated easy way. Can you help me. I will have that on my test, they told me that. And how to i understand this Middle Frequency. Thank you sir.
Tom, good luck. As regards your "Superheterodyne Radio in a complicated easy way", no I cannot help. I budgeted to FAIL sme of my exam, on the basis that I would get 100% in the parts I planned to pass. Overall, I did pass (of course). So don't worry. Get everything else right :) ALternatively, join the Discord server (discord.io/dxcommander) and ask under Home Brew.. There are people there that can assist in a discussion with you.
@@DXCommanderHQ sir. Okay i will join. And thank you for answering my question. I wish you a nice day. 73.
I predict it to be noisy on the receive
If you half the square from top right to left bottom and half it you get the left triangle
Independence day
Build it Cal you'll like it I have one for 20m .....DE W3LES
I will.. So many projects :)
PLEASE BUILD IT
Well did you build it?
Not yet.. This month is the 160m long end-fed.. Previously this one: ua-cam.com/video/V8Qq4-0_TjQ/v-deo.html
@@DXCommanderHQ can you not put a crank up tower in the lot? Much more rigid at 70-100ft😆
Why not build the second one as a director? Less wire, and directors have a stronger influence in most designs I am aware of.
Actually, I disagree. Reflectors give the most bang for your buck.,
Calum
A couple comments. You talk in dB. I think the reference is dBi in your modeling program? Anyway I have built several half squares. The one for 80 meters may have been my best antenna ever! However it all depends on height of the antennas you compare it to. On 80 meters you need a dipole higher than most hams can afford to beat the half square. On 40 a dipole usually equals or beats it. On 20 the dipole at almost any height really beats it! A dipole at half wave high has close to 8 dBi gain. Very hard to do on 80, not too hard to do on 40 if you have trees and on 20 and above half wave is easy to achieve.
If interested here is my club presentation on the 80 meter bent half square: ua-cam.com/video/2SBGdPMnH-E/v-deo.html
Absolute reference is dBi BUT once you have your reference, you can compare in dBs.
@1:38 that's 1/2 one way, 1/4 wave up, 1/4 down, that's a wavelength. Can you not add? 1/2 not 3/4. Seriously.
Obviously not, clever cloggs.
GREAT VIDEO BY A GREAT MAN ABOUT A GREAT LITTLE HALF SQUARE LOL m7rfs thanks cal
Thanks 👍
Hello,
I don't know how to use antenna modelling software so I have to ask. From my understanding the vertical elements of the half square do the radiating. So does the horizontal element need to be at the top? It would sure be easier to set up by turning the antenna upside down with the phasing line at ground level and feeding it without a transformer. I understand the tripping hazard but for portable work where I'm by myself it would be easier to set up. What does the modelling software come up with?
Well.. You are SORT OF looking at a system called Phased Verticals. Similar pattern. But a coax splitter in the middle - running coax to each vertical.
Heck yes lets see this thing come to life. not like you dont have anything going good stuff as always Callum de W9US
Haha.. Got a big build happening right now..
@@DXCommanderHQ oh please tell more Callum 🤔🤔🤔🤔
Build it build it. Did you build it already? ciao W6LDM
SOON! (well, next year now!)