Tag: Counterpoise

A 5-Band, Lazy-L, Linear-Loaded, Ladder Line Antenna (aka the “5B6L”)

About a year ago I mentioned an antenna devised by Peter Waters G3OJV that used a 13 feet (4 m) vertical wire to create a multiband antenna. I used Peter's idea to create "A Simple, Low Profile, Multiband Antenna for POTA". The antenna was designed to work on 20m, 17m, 15m, 12m and 10m with … Continue reading A 5-Band, Lazy-L, Linear-Loaded, Ladder Line Antenna (aka the “5B6L”) →

TechTip #2 (revised): GTU hand capacitance

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 →

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 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 →

Isn’t every quarter-wave antenna really a half-wave antenna?

It's a bit early for April Fool's jokes so this is a perfectly serious discussion. Just maybe, the distinction between a quarter-wave and a half-wave antenna is a bit more obscure than we thought. Which is better; a quarter-wave or a half-wave antenna? Does it even matter if indeed every quarter-wave antenna really is a … Continue reading Isn’t every quarter-wave antenna really a half-wave antenna? →

A short and maybe not-so-sweet HF antenna

A lot of information has been posted online recently about very short portable vertical antennas. There must be some magic in how they work, surely, since they appear to disobey the laws of physics. I used to own one called a "Miracle Antenna"; it was manufactured in Quebec, Canada. It comprised a 57-inch telescoping whip … Continue reading A short and maybe not-so-sweet HF antenna →

A 20-minute QRP End-Fed Half-Wave antenna coupler

It was almost time to make lunch but I had an idea that just wouldn't wait. I figured I had 20 minutes to zip down to the basement shack/development lab and throw a simple circuit together on the workbench. I had been re-reading (for the 1000th time) AA5TB's website about using a parallel tuned circuit … Continue reading A 20-minute QRP End-Fed Half-Wave antenna coupler →