Sometimes it is necessary to set up for a POTA activation in an area where other park users like to go. In this situation we can either entertain distracting inquiries from people passing by who may just be curious about our activity, or blend into the environment and not be noticed. I prefer the latter. … Continue reading A Simple, Low Profile, Multiband Antenna for POTA
Category: Builder Projects
How many truly field expedient ham radios are available? Maybe only 2!
Only two? If you were to ask the military you might get a different answer. Indeed many hams actually use ex-military portable radios, such as the PRC series. Those radios are in a class of their own, but they are often heavy, designed to be carried into the field by fit, strong, young soldiers. But … Continue reading How many truly field expedient ham radios are available? Maybe only 2!
Does an antenna top hat really work?
Antenna "Top Hat" aka Capacitance Hat There are several ways to shorten a vertical whip antenna, for example, a loading coil, linear loading (folding back all or part of the radiating element) and one that has intrigued me for quite a while - a capacitance hat, also known as a top hat. A top hat … Continue reading Does an antenna top hat really work?
An Outside the Box version of the Delta Loop antenna
I have written about delta loop antennas before - notably in April 2023 in a post entitled "Delta Loopy Ideas". A few weeks ago I received an email from Alan WA3EKL who suggested I should take another look at delta loops and offered a lot of helpful advice, tips and suggestions for making this type … Continue reading An Outside the Box version of the Delta Loop antenna
An improved tank circuit EFHW coupler
About a month ago Ham Radio Outside the Box posted about "a third way" to match the high impedance at the feedpoint of an End-Fed Half-Wave antenna. A link to the original article is at the bottom of this post. A "30-minute special" was built to prove the concept actually works. It did work fine … Continue reading An improved tank circuit EFHW coupler
My radio is tiny. So why is my POTA backpack so heavy?
We have mountains in Ontario. We call them mountains, but they are really just small hills. So I have never had to actually hike for miles up steep slopes carrying a backpack with all my radio gear, plus anything else I might need for a mountaintop activation. To all those who operate in this fashion, … Continue reading My radio is tiny. So why is my POTA backpack so heavy?
Testing and modifying the “POTA PERformer” antenna
What is the POTA PERformer? Greg Mihran KJ6ER has introduced us to an antenna that he calls the "POTA PERformer". The capitalized PER in its name is an abbreviation for "Portable, Elevated, Resonant". But what is it really? The POTA PERformer is an adjustable elevated vertical radiating whip with two adjustable elevated radials. In concept … Continue reading Testing and modifying the “POTA PERformer” antenna
Matching an EFHW antenna – a third way
There is no doubt about the popularity of the End-Fed Half-Wave antenna. It is used by a very large number of hams, especially during portable operations like POTA, SOTA, WWFF etc. Why is it so popular? The principal reason seems to be ease of deployment. The EFHW requires only a single support and can even … Continue reading Matching an EFHW antenna – a third way
EFHW matching: 49:1 Impedance Transformer or L-Network?
What is the best way to match the very high impedance of an End-Fed Half-Wave antenna to the 50 ohm impedance of a transceiver? There are various ways to do this but this week's post is going to focus on just two - a 49:1 impedance transformer (or UNUN if you prefer) and an L-network. … Continue reading EFHW matching: 49:1 Impedance Transformer or L-Network?
SSEFHW – Another Shortened End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna for 20m
Peter Waters G3OJV Screen grab from YouTube I was browsing through ham radio videos on YouTube recently as I often do (daily!) when I came across one from Peter Waters G3OJV on the Waters & Stanton video channel. The title of the video immediately caught my attention: "Shortened Vertical Half Wave Antenna". End-fed antennas are … Continue reading SSEFHW – Another Shortened End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna for 20m
Ham Radio Outside the Box 