NB: This is a revised version of TechTips #2 with the addition of further details on how the issue of hand capacitance has been resolved. The problem: Hand capacitance makes it difficult to accurately adjust the GTU. The fix: Upon examination of my own GTU it was discovered that the layout had become too complex … Continue reading TechTip #2 (revised): GTU hand capacitance
Category: Builder Projects
A short 2-band ladder line antenna for portable ops
Introducing the 2B2L antenna Wouldn't it be nice to have a short, fairly efficient, rapidly deployable, low visual impact, vertical antenna that can be operated on both the 20 meter and 40 meter bands? The 2B2L (2 Band Linear Loaded) antenna comes very close to a perfect match for those specifications. The 2B2L is the … Continue reading A short 2-band ladder line antenna for portable ops
A road trip with the VP2E antenna … and wolves
My wife and I recently took a short early summer vacation in the Haliburton Highlands area of Ontario. The area is just south-west of Algonquin Park (Ontario's first and by far the largest provincial park, most of which is accessible only by canoe with sometimes very long and challenging portages ... and with a very … Continue reading A road trip with the VP2E antenna … and wolves
What to do when the bands suck?
Solar cycle #25 has reached its peak and is on the decline again. We may still have a few years of good propagation left but I am planning ahead. During the last solar minimum I adapted by ... forgive me ... increasing my transmit power. This time around I hope to keep working QRP, but … Continue reading What to do when the bands suck?
An alternative mini-GTU design by Tim KQ4TQ
As I mentioned in the last post on Ham Radio Outside the Box, I received a surprise package in the mail from Tim KQ4TQ in Georgia. Tim sent me his build of a mini Ground Tuning Unit (GTU) that is simpler in design than the one I built. Tim's design is a single inductor of … Continue reading An alternative mini-GTU design by Tim KQ4TQ
The magic carpet ground plane is grounded, but the GTU keeps flying.
Ham Radio Outside the Box receives quite a lot of email every week from readers with questions, comments and suggestions. One such email came about as a result of an article in the outstanding newsletter from the Surrey Amateur Radio Club called the Communicator. The editor of the Communicator is Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of … Continue reading The magic carpet ground plane is grounded, but the GTU keeps flying.
A Mini Ground Tuning Unit and a magic carpet for portable ops
In the last couple of posts I discussed my quest for a simple portable antenna that could be rapidly deployed in a very limited space, for example in a small clearing while hiking through the woods. Such an antenna would have to be a short, yet efficient, vertical that occupies a very small footprint on … Continue reading A Mini Ground Tuning Unit and a magic carpet for portable ops
A Linear-Loaded Monopole antenna for hiking
There is a lot of information online about Linear-Loaded Dipoles, but I haven't found anything at all about cutting a Linear-Loaded Dipole in half to create a Linear-Loaded Monopole worked against ground. The legendary L.B. Cebik (W4RNL, SK) published a design philosophy for an 80m Linear-Loaded Monopole, but it didn't match what I had in … Continue reading A Linear-Loaded Monopole antenna for hiking
The “tootie-toosie” and the Hiking Antenna
My favorite way of operating is to hike into the woods, find a clearing, set up a quick and easy antenna, make one or more contacts and move on. Well, to be honest, I might pause long enough at a back country waypoint to get out my Aeropress and brew up a refreshing cup of … Continue reading The “tootie-toosie” and the Hiking Antenna
The CFHW – a simple, efficient HF antenna I may never use
What in Heaven's name is a "CFHW"? A CFHW is a Center-Fed Half-Wave antenna. You may know it better as a dipole and it is indeed a highly efficient simple wire antenna. I can't claim originality for the term "CFHW"; it started as a joke on one of the forums I follow. Following the trend … Continue reading The CFHW – a simple, efficient HF antenna I may never use
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