In my post https://hamradiooutsidethebox.ca/2024/02/28/field-testing-the-antenna-called-long-tall-sally-oops-and-downs/ I wrote: Now what if it were possible … … to maintain the small footprint on the ground while simultaneously reducing the height of the antenna. Could it be done? That’s a project I am working on now. I have some ideas that I think are going to work. Stay tuned. … Continue reading An Improved Self-Supporting, Low Footprint Field Expedient Antenna for 20m
Category: Antennas
Experiments with portable, base station and highly unusual antennas
Antennas: a Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Enigma
I owe the title of this post to Sir Winston Churchill who once used it to describe a country that is prominently in the news at the present time. It seemed an appropriate description for ham antennas too because the more I know about antennas, the more I realize how much I don't know. Maybe … Continue reading Antennas: a Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Enigma
Field Testing the Antenna Called “Long Tall Sally”: Oops and Downs!
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about a new vertical antenna concept that I dubbed "Long Tall Sally". To recap; I wanted a field portable antenna that occupies a very small footprint. The trade-off of a reduced footprint is an increase in height. This involved stretching a quarter-wave vertical for 20m into … Continue reading Field Testing the Antenna Called “Long Tall Sally”: Oops and Downs!
A Most Unusual Vertical Antenna for 20m
There has been quite a lot of online discussion recently about minimizing ham footprints, reducing environmental impact and showing respect for other public space users. Parks on the Air (POTA) has been indelicately described as a 500 pound gorilla due to its immense and still growing popularity among hams. As that growth continues there is … Continue reading A Most Unusual Vertical Antenna for 20m
Can a Manual L-match Get the Job Done?
Or can it be made just a little bit better? In part 3 of my manpack series of posts I discussed how and why I replaced a perfectly good LDG Z-11 Pro autotuner with a home-made manual L-match. To summarize, the autotuner was doing a great job but was using too much space inside the … Continue reading Can a Manual L-match Get the Job Done?
Building a Manpack – Part 2, the QRP Rig
As in Part 1, let me define what I mean by "manpack". My manpack is a manually transportable, rapidly deployable, field expedient complete radio station for operating while pedestrian mobile or pedestrian stationary. Complete station fits into a plastic "50 caliber ammo case" The complete station - radio, battery, paddles, phones and antenna fits neatly … Continue reading Building a Manpack – Part 2, the QRP Rig
Building a Manpack – Part 1, the Antenna
To start, let me define what I mean by "manpack". My manpack is a manually transportable, rapidly deployable, field expedient complete radio station for operating while pedestrian mobile or pedestrian stationary . The HFpack group of /PM enthusiasts are the experts in operating Pedestrian Mobile. Personally I prefer the Pedestrian Stationary style of operating. The … Continue reading Building a Manpack – Part 1, the Antenna
Year End Review
I am very pleased to learn that Ham Radio Outside the Box appeared in 2 of the top 10 posts in 2023 on Ham Radio Weekly. The post "A strange but proven antenna" occupied 8th place and "A 200ft wire antenna up zero feet" came in at 4th place. Many thanks to Cale K4HCK who … Continue reading Year End Review
A Simpler Field Expedient Rybakov Antenna for Winter
I recently received an email from Frank Barnes W4NPN who maintains an excellent website with an index of downloadable issues of the Hot Iron Newsletter. The latest issue contains a link to a PDF document from the late G3XBM that discusses a commercial Rybakov antenna manufactured in the UK (no longer available) called the X80. … Continue reading A Simpler Field Expedient Rybakov Antenna for Winter
An Upside Down Antenna?
What do you call an end-fed three quarter wave antenna with a quarter wave counterpoise? Or is it an end-fed full wave antenna with a folded quarter wave section? Or maybe even an end-fed half wave fed with ladder line? Here are some hints. It doesn't need any ferrite toroidal cored transformers; so no hysteresis … Continue reading An Upside Down Antenna?
Ham Radio Outside the Box 