Vertical Antenna Redesigned

I have posted before about my DIY vertical antenna. It is a rapid deployment antenna that has served faithfully for several POTA activations. But, recently I came to realize it wasn't meeting my needs for all three ways in which I needed to deploy it. Time for a redesign! My vertical antenna is a centre-loaded … Continue reading Vertical Antenna Redesigned →

Grounds for Improvement

As I write this post my sophisticated home weather station shows the temperature has just edged over the 30 degree Celsius mark. I call it sophisticated because it synchronizes with the US national time standard in Fort Collins, Colorado by receiving VLF (Very Low Frequency) radio signals - without an antenna! Wait a Canadian corn … Continue reading Grounds for Improvement →

80m Band Antenna Fits Into Just 1 Square Foot!

Incredible isn't it? But can it really work? "It must be a compromise antenna, or very low efficiency." "Why don't you just put up a good old-fashioned dipole? "One square foot? Are you crazy?" No, we'll yes, I may be a bit crazy but believe me, the performance of my "one square footer" is no … Continue reading 80m Band Antenna Fits Into Just 1 Square Foot! →

“The Other Half”

I have a real problem with using vertical antennas when operating field portable. And I mean quarter-wave vertical antennas. You see they need "the other half"; a ground plane, radials, or counterpoise and without "the other half" they just aren't going to work. So here's the rub (as Shakespeare would undoubtedly have commented had he … Continue reading “The Other Half” →