How TO. Builds a Hamstick Dipole
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- Опубліковано 9 лют 2025
- In Part 2 in this series, I try out a 20m hamstick dipole. I was pretty impressed with the results and how they were different. I guess that answers that question!
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👉 20m Dipole Bundle: geni.us/gEjI2WB
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👉 75m: geni.us/mM4j9Am
👉 10,15,20,40,75 kit: geni.us/BqKp0bU
(You know this but: get qty 2 to make a dipole)
👉 Single Antenna "Mirror" Mount: geni.us/GurB
👉 Double Antenna Mount (Dipole): geni.us/WR1PII3
👉 Pole Mount: geni.us/vWdupi8
👉 3/8ths X 24 to SO-239 Adapter: geni.us/dVNllmC
👉 Buddipole for Tripod and Mast: www.buddipole....
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Picking up a set of 10 20 15 and 40 tomorrow with the mount can't wait to send it up on the painters extension pole
@@paulmorrow8228 sounds like a fun day!
Interesting antenna and the commentary of the mower racing is hilarious.
Adam! Good to see you again! Thanks!
I've built several of the dipole mounts for hamsticks. I used the single dipole ones for portable for a while then decided to build a quad mount with an aluminum project box. Works great and gives you two bands without having to change anything. I use Shark Mini's because they are easier to transport and handle and you can leave them put together. I store and transport them in a pvc tube large enough to handle sets for each band, except 80. I always had decent swr but a friend suggested an MFJ-909 impedance matcher at the antenna feed point and it really made the difference in hot having to adjust the whips at all. I've made a lot of FT8 contacts using that setup. Quick to put up and take down. I use a speaker tripod and pvc to about 7ft.
I like that 909 box, just a little touch up to add to the inductance created in the antenna coil.
These antenna experiments in the field are great, TO. Thanks.
You bet Ray! This is one of my favorite things to do in ham radio.
There was a guy I used to routinely talk portable to in Butler, TN from my work place in Grenada County, MS. I used an MFJ hamstick dipole with a 13 foot light stand tripod and 40 meter adventure radio transceiver. NEVER less than 57 report for either of us. He used a wire dipole at about twenty feet high apex. Do not underestimate the hamstick dipole. Yes, it is a compromised antenna, but all antennas are. The hamstick dipole rocks, and a hamstick vertical should GENERALLY perform better since verticals radiate equally poorly in all directions. ;-)
K5SFC
That's awesome. I'm a fan of any antenna that lets one make contacts!
I use that "mirror mount" as you call it for my POTA activations and my home station. They work quite well, though it is certainily a compromise. However, you will need to make one dipole a bit shorter than the other because the bracket creates a slight mismatch.
Glad you got yours working 💪
Nice job. I just bought a bundle of hamsticks. I think the vertical is what i will try first.
Vertical is great - hamsticks are a good quick deploy antenna!
Steve, try turning the mount bracket back to the way you had it before and use the 2 ham sticks and a vertical dipole. But make sure that you have the center ham stick on top and the ground facing the ground. You may have some interaction with the ground side and the aluminum mast. But it may work in your favor with the SWR or not. BTW, It is good seeing you doing this and trying to educate & explain how to experiment with different antenna configurations. I just have one small suggestion for you which is, to try to talk just a tad slower. Your explanation was great & I know & understand what you were doing, but if you get some kids watching the video they might have to watch the video several times to understand and grasp what you are doing. Maybe you just had one cup of coffee too much this morning and are hyped up on caffeine. Take care 73s & 88s de N6KV Krisy and all the Kitties.😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😻😍 PS I just took a look at the set-up on Amazon they want $135. I just looked on Gigapart for the heavy-duty Dipole mount. It's $30 plus two 20 m Shark ham sticks which are $58 for both, The Total cost is $88 The only thing you would need is a mast & coax. It is a lot cheaper at Gigaparts. You save $47 bucks. What is really funny is all the stuff on the Amazon site comes from GigaParts too. its good to shop around for stuff, You know when hams buy stuff they try to find the stuff that they want for the lowest price.
Thanks for all the feedback! I'll try the vertical dipole! Yeah GP has to charge more on amazon to cover the amazon fees. The only reason I like amazon is because its omni-present - if I couldn't get EVERYTHING there, I'd shop elsewhere. Hope you're doing well!
Anything purchased on Amazon is marked up enough by the seller to cover both the shipping and the Amazon fees. You will nearly ALWAYS get it at a better deal straight from the seller by eliminating the middleman.
I like the way he talks! One of the few youtubers that I can leave on normal speed and I don't have to speed it up to 1.5x.
@mlipscomb3232 Yea I'm from the northeast so I like it when people keep things moving haha
Great job TO, looks like a great and easy setup for portable ops with that Hamstick pair.
Cheap as chips too!
I have this mount and hamsticks on a 16 ft painter's push up pole. Works really well, although I haven't managed to get an SWR that good. Nice video.
Swr on antennas like this is very small movements. I think setting up as a vertical was easy and then I just "cloned" the setup to the other hamstick.
Your thinking is correct: Here are the supporing thoughts. The horizon is raised and helps keep noise floor lower. What you also find is the F layer is contributing to multipathing since you hve using a horizontal dipole.
Nice, thanks!
Many thanks Steve. Please take care and be well.
You bet, Thanks for watching!
Im new to the craft and am happy to have found your channel. New Sub.
Welcome!! Thanks for the sub!
Very interesting. I have two ham sticks but after your video, I might prefer the vertical config.
With this mount I can do either setup depending on how I feel... Next time I'll put it up on top of the camper and see how well that plays out.
Those ham sticks are a Swiss army knife of antennas! Very cool!
More to come! I love em and they are cheap too!
This is quite good, I might have to look into a pair of ham sticks and some form of mount for my balcony.
The clamp I have in the description might fit on your balcony.
Good experiment T.O. I'm gonna save this to try later. :)
Let me know how it works for you!
I have a 20m ham stick dipole for quite some time. The most difficult part is fine tuning it. Once tuned it works great.
W6ZD
Yeah. Hamsticks are a great invention!
Excellent video. Thanks for posting. I was a little surprised by low Q of that 20m dipole that you measured on the NanoVNA. My dipole mount for a couple ham sticks will be here next week. I hope I can get it to work that well. 73.
I bet you can! Good luck 🤞
Interesting twist on the ham stick journey. 73
More to come too!
Thanks, great video!
Thanks Ken!
Lighting poles used by photographers are another good option. They elevate about 10-12 feet and are designed to be stable weighted at the top. It is also a competitive markets so the quality is good and prices reasonable. B&H Photo is a source loved by photographers.
Sweet! Thanks for the tip!
is a metal tripod necessary? could I use a fiberglass camera tripod?
You can use any tripod or no tripod at all - the higher you can get it off the ground, the better!
Where are good sources to get those mounting brackets? Thanks
They are linked in the description of the video. Very versatile!
Thanks!
That's neat to see and it seems like it works pretty good
For the cost and portability factors, it works AMAZING!
Nice and easy to make diople. I tried a V config (90 degree angle) with two telescopic 5m whips and once lengths adjusted, was resonant from 20 to 10m. You could try a V with two hamsticks as this is somewhere between a flat dipole and a vertical, all with the advantage of no radials.
I'll have to find a V mount. Got a part number?
Hey, Steve here, W2SWA. (Don't know why, but that intro cracks me up every time. LOL) I have had on my back burner to-do list to try to build a parasitic array of vertical antennas, ideally three elements with a director and a reflector. My thought was to use 17' whips and then tune them. Then it dawned on me, you have 2 sticks of the same frequency. With the addition of an extra ground spike adapter like that and a coupe of radials, you could set up the ham sticks in such an array with a reflector (tuned a bit longer) and a driven element. That would give you a bit of directionality and some noise rejection capability for a small extra gear price. I currently only have one ham stick per band (40 and 20). If you could try that, I would be really interested in the results. I think it would be a great video. Just an idea. Thanks for your videos!
Hey Steve - I might be able to do that! Would be fun to figure out how.
It might be interesting to try it with the 40 and 20 sticks, as the 40 might be resonant-ish on 20 as well, though due to the coil nature of hamsticks, probably not. The three element quarter wave full sized vertical array was done by Callum (DX Commander). Worked very well down by the sea.
Take-off angle is everything.
Most definitely!
Awesome Steve!!!!
Thanks!
Great video bro, i liked it, tnx!
Thanks VC!
Hi Steve. Looks like your dipole would benefit from a choke at the feedpoint to keep the coax shield isolated. It won't change the VSWR, but it will help focus the pattern. PS. The makers of hamsticks like this video. They plan to sell 2x their annual sales now. LOL 73
Thanks Hollywood! I'm starting to get to the point where I want a choke on my coax at all times - then a game time decision as to which end to put it on. Great tip!
You always want the choke to be on the end near the antenna for CM attenuation. Place the choke on the rig end to suppress RFI in the shack from traveling down the shield where it will be picked up by the antenna and consequently received by the radio. Keep up the great work. We're battening down the hatches here as Hurricane Lee approaches. Expecting gusts in the 90MPH range. Most people are unprepared and the media is "mum". 73 @@temporarilyoffline
@@WECB640 is right, chokes should be at the antenna.
Stay Safe!
He's right - except sometimes I want the counterpoise effect and then he's "less right" Compromises everywhere
Good video! I have often wondered if the dual dipole Hamsticks would outperform a single vertical Hamstick.
I don't think there is a way to be 100% certain... but they do work well and I'm going to try them even higher when I get a chance!
i use the Chameleon quad mounted on a painter pole with a ground mound. Two bands low cost.
Smart!
Did you try rotating the dipole to see how the pattern changed as it was pointed in different directions?
Not for this experiment, but I've done it before - should have more contacts off the broadside, but the map looked GREAT!
Oh Boy!
It's a NASMOW race!
Right!
Two 40m hamsticks, set up in a dipole like this will also tune 20, 17, 12, & 10 using a manual tuner. Slap it onto a telescoping Harbor Freight flagpole and you have a very usable antenna for under $200.
I like that idea!
I use two 20 meter ham sticks with the MFJ-347. The mounting bracket ran $34.95 plus tax. The main issue with the 347 is the bolts, washers, and nuts are not stainless steel and will rush in a short time span if exposed to wx elements. I mount the 347 about 10 inches from the top of a 12 foot painters pole. It works great for quick portable deployments with good reports. When I purchased the ham sticks, the dealer recommended that I tune one stick at a time. Basically, the two stingers are not exactly the identical length. I took a hack saw and cut a small mark at the point the stinger meets the portion holding the stinger. I have some videos on my UA-cam Channel if you are interested in checking them out. If you do, please provide feedback so that I can improve the use of the ham sticks being horizontally polarized. 73, KB5AEB
Hey Gary. Thanks for stopping by. It sounds to me like you're on the right track. I like the hacksaw method!
Is there a link to just the dipole mount? I have all the rest. Just need the part to attach the two Hamsticks to that then attaches to the mast. Thanks for your help!
Hey yeah - I just added it to the descriptions: 👉 Double Antenna Mount (Dipole): ebay.us/sbprhS
@@temporarilyoffline Thank you very much!
I might give this a shot on 11 meter. I've always ran a ground plane.....both my radios are between 100-130 Watts, I assume that is fine for this application? (It will just be on a fiberglass pole or something I assume)
@@Shane-et6zv yeah. That would work great
@temporarilyoffline thank you friend
Great video. I have the parts, I'll just have to put them together. One suggestion. Put a tablecloth down on the table. The cross hatch makes it difficult to see.
True - just working with what I have!
Hey - Wonderful videos… Questions: 1. (Pardon the ignorance) what male/female connectors are you using for the radial system? 2. In detail how are you connecting to each leg of the dipole? Specifically the 2 black wires. 4z5tl
I use anderson powerpole connectors in a way they might not have been designed for. Usually I use them for DC power, but wire is wire, so why not? This allows me to change radials around between different antennas I experiment with.
In a dipole config, those two black wires just hang in the breeze and cause very little changes. I also use this antenna in a vertical config, which is where those black wires come into play. See here: ua-cam.com/video/7xnDJfEYnH8/v-deo.html
Its a great setup for a variety of reasons, very flexible!
Yes, the vertical takeoff angle is superior to the low mounted dipole for DX. However, both tests need to be done under the same conditions. With the changing solar flux conditions as they are, one day is good DXing and the next day not so much. Unfortunately you can't differentiate antennas on PSK Reporter within the same time frame. So we're left with the way you did it which is close enough for amateur work.
Exactly! Even if I were to put them up side by side and run two radios at the same time - everything effects everything!
Hey Steve, how do you think this would do on a mast outside my 3rd story window, I live in a reasonably flat/hilly area. I don’t own so I’m just trying to think of better ways than throwing a wire outside my window.
I think it would work great as a dipole. As you raise it up, It gets less reflections from the ground below it and the SWR goes down...so tune it for say 1.5:1 at eyeball height and it will be 1.1:1 at full height.
@ awesome thanks for the quick reply! Since it’s a dipole no radials or counter need right?
@@justinsnyder5260 Correct - antennas are "push-pull" (AC Current), so in the dipole you have 2 sides to push-pull against. If you have a single sided antenna (like an end fed halfwave for example) and you don't have a radial or counterpoise, the coax shield will become that counterpoise - RF... uh... finds a way.
Those linked Amazon prices are just crazy. Exact same product is available elsewhere for a fraction of the price.
I recent took delivery of a large collection of exact same items (40m x2, 30m x2, 17m x2, 10m x2, 6m x3, total of Qty 11 whips and Qty 4 dipole mounts) for less than 2x the price offered on the linked Amazon offer for just one dipole.
That's a good deal. Where did you get them from?
I use Hamsticks on a tri magnet mount on the roof of my pick up. Ft-891, I was able to get Spain, Canada and to the west coast in Cali from NYC!
I brought the MFJ Octopus to get multi band, did you ever do a review on it?
I didn't review the octopus, but I think they are pretty cool! I'm always impressed with how well hamsticks work.
I have the Comet HFJ 350 now and it seems it does not like to work QRP ... would a hamstick dipole be any better ?? ... George , N2JNZ
Yes, it would. Check out my review of the Gabil also. ua-cam.com/video/TC8olSQ4i5U/v-deo.html
I find a great way to experiment is use a laptop or smartphone to tune to a WEBSDR like utah or KFS etc and see what your signals look like far from your QTH. I found out a HamStick on the back of my van does 2 to 5 db better than the 19' tunable endfed on the back of the van.
I'm a fan.
It's a NVIS antenna. If you get the antenna higher than 33 ft then you can do DX. Dean AF6MC
Exactly!
I tried something similar: using 2 MFJ-1699, mounted via dipole mount on a metal pipe, all installed on my balcony. For radials I am using Comet CGW-560 counterpoise. When using my NanoVNA to measure SWR, i am getting a good 1:1.1 - 1.5. However, when connecting it to a Yaesu FT-710 or 991A, I am getting a very high SWR and the built-in tuner can't tune it. What am I missing here? Any ideas?
My first guess would be bad coax or adapters?
A modeling software nut friend of mine is freaking out.
I bet so!
Snazzy!
Like a peach!
I have used a 10m hamstick dipole with some success. When it cools off a little more, I want to try a hamstick OCFD. May need a transformer but I will try.
Usually for an OCFD you need a transformer, or a good tuner - that would be interesting... are you thinking a 2x10m sticks and shortening one... or a 40m stick on the left and 10m stick on the right? Excellent thought, Imma have to try that!
@@temporarilyoffline 40 and 10 to start. Who knows where it ends? 🤷
I'll have to find 40s and 10s... but if you run into them first and try it out, let me know how it works!
Hey Steve, Some thoughts on your take off angle question, One thing I noticed in the vertical episode, the signal coverage screen shot you shared was around grey line time of day. This could have some impact with your signal propagation. Was the dipole testing done the same day? Anyhow great video as always!
Same park, different day, different time.
I really should dig my two hamsticks out again, last time tried it was windy and it threatened to turn into a helicopter.
Why does the swr increase at low levels though? Is it something to do with ground reflections maybe?
Yes, for SWR, we are basically looking at the signals that are returned to the radio during transmission - so closer to the ground and you start reflecting your own signals back at yourself and it effects the meter - I wonder if this is a really a thing though - is the SWR of the antenna itself perfectly fine and the radio is just getting front end overload... or is it a real thing. 🤔
Has anyone tried two 40m hamsticks configured as a dipole, 6’ off the ground and running it at as a NVIS antenna. This would make a fast setup at home in case of an emergency with no repeaters available.
I haven't, but if you've got em, try it out!
It's a pity nobody makes a mount that allows you to put the dipole in a vertical orientation. But did you have virtually no skip zone with the horizontally oriented dipole?
I think this mount would work vertically as well - you'd just want to be sure to have a fiberglass pole so the antenna and the pole didn't interact. I'd have to go back and watch the first video to see the map of the skip zones... My guess is that the mountain played a role in one direction or the other. I have always had good luck on a vertical on 20m working other vertical antennas very locally though.
@@temporarilyoffline I have one of those mounts. If you want to have the dipole oriented vertically, you need to somehow put a horizontal piece on the mast for it to mount to, unless you can attach it to the top of the pole (and even then I think there will be problems with things fouling against the pole). I tried it on a painter pole and it didn't work. The Buddipole pole might work better. Actually, I just found a product that might work for both horizontal and vertical Hamstick dipoles: PROCOMM DP4MFPL
You got a link to part 1
Sure do: ua-cam.com/video/7xnDJfEYnH8/v-deo.htmlsi=Qn9Txj_Og4S8Bugc Thanks!
@@temporarilyoffline Thanks :-)
the bigfoot qso shirt 😂
Exactly!
Glad you didn’t lose your nuts!😂
Could you imagine how embarrassed I'd be?
@@temporarilyoffline Pretty sure your voice would change... just sayin...
Daily propagation of the ionosphere probably has more to do with your results than anything. I've done this as well, but i used a pvc pipe as an isolator to my tripod pole i was using, how far i got out and where changed daily and even hourly.
Yeah, its really impossible to list all the factors that go into why an antenna works well or doesn't - and then they change by the hour and by the location too! Its really quite fascinating how "predictably unpredictable" it all is.
@@temporarilyoffline I wish the equipment wasn't so expensive, but my brother works for a company that makes antennas for non ham related reasons, and they have test equipment that I would love to get my hands on... lol
@chrisnmichelle0218 he's your brother, that means you're allowed to use guilt and blackmail as a means of persuasion.
@temporarilyoffline lol, except for the department of defense taking objection...
Just tell them its for science... those are public tools anyway, right? @@chrisnmichelle0218
My 10 meter dipole is vertical as was told to do for distance CQ
Verticals are awesome for DX - longer hops.
@@temporarilyoffline next up gong to try raingutter for 10 meters with an ant tuner. the cross gutters are 4o feet up so a little travel on the downrun
@@keathrhymer5449 nice - if you can't get it to tune right away, try a 4:1 or a 9:1 unun to get the gutters closer to the tuner's range.
Very difficult to compare two antenna systems unless you can do it in a short amount of time conditions today are much different then yesterday. Also one could use the dipole in a vertical orientation and do so quickly
Sorry forgot
Thanks
N8BOA
Agreed, even same day comparisons are tough. Vertical dipole is on the list to test.
That's how I use to run 11m with a pair of 102in whips
I'll be doing that in an upcoming vid also
South central KY…. Where about?
This was near Scottsville
What happens if you turned it 90 degrees, so its vertical?
It works pretty well, check out my vertical orientation vid here: ua-cam.com/video/7xnDJfEYnH8/v-deo.html and be on the lookout for a vertical dipole vid as well.
"Topology" thats a skreet term! 😂
Hey man, I did my time on the skreets
Try turning your dipole Vertical
See part 1 in the series. Worked great!
Perhaps you're getting knife-edge diffraction over that dam. The angle of attack would be altered due to the differing heights of the radiation points of the antennas.
Nah, that's impossible.
Oh that would be interesting to test if I had thought about it and had a taller mast. Keep trying at different heights and see if the diffraction exists. 🤔
That looks like Wolf Creek Dam.
These CoE sites are Excellent!
@@temporarilyoffline My stepfather worked at the dam for CoE. He was retired Army and then later retired from CoE. It wasn't but a few years ago the whole lake was gone because they had to repair the dam. When I say the whole lake I mean the vast majority of Lake Cumberland, which, if you don't know, is massive. I live in GA now, but I cross the dam when I visit my mother and I still appreciate it every time the lake is there :)
@quebirt sounds like good memories!
So, have you tried it as a vertical dipole yet ???
Not yet, soon!
Switch those four nuts out for wingnuts Steve.
Good idea!
Appreciate the video and comments…will give it a try . 73 de N4KGY
Awesome, they are a lot of fun