Tag: Counterpoise

An Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Upside Down HF Whip

If the title of this post has you thinking about yellow polka dot bikinis we are probably in the same age range. But today's discussion isn't about ladies' swimwear, its actually about HF antennas. Something has always troubled my mind when I think about very short whip antennas. Take the Elecraft AX1 for example - … Continue reading An Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Upside Down HF Whip →

A Very Versatile Unun for Field Operations

Whenever I venture out into the Big Blue Sky Shack - which is often (even in winter) - my entire station has to fit into a backpack. Radio, Bioenno LFP battery, paddles, headphones, logbook, pencils, lapdesk, antennas, stool and all the other bits and pieces necessary to operate out in the bush. Everything has to … Continue reading A Very Versatile Unun for Field Operations →

Can Just 1 Radial Really Be Better than 8, or More?

If you follow the advice often repeated on Internet forums you will learn that to make a vertical antenna as efficient as possible you will need as many radials as possible. After all, the AM broadcasters can't be wrong - they use hundreds of radials at the base of their towers. That advice may be … Continue reading Can Just 1 Radial Really Be Better than 8, or More? →

How Does a Ground Tuning Unit Work?

I have spent many hours in my reclining thinking chair, posting ideas on the back of my eyelids while contemplating this very question. How indeed does a Ground Tuning Unit (GTU, aka Artificial Ground) actually work? I have a fairly reasonable comprehension of the theory behind antenna tuners, but tuning an entire planet? Now that's … Continue reading How Does a Ground Tuning Unit Work? →

A Born Again Miracle Whip

About 20 years ago a Canadian company, based in Quebec, produced a compact QRP antenna called the Miracle Whip. It was a really good piece of engineering that relied on the principle that a short whip has capacitive reactance that can be cancelled by feeding it through an inductive reactance. Remember, resonance occurs when capacitive … Continue reading A Born Again Miracle Whip →

Radio Man Won’t You Come and Fix my Radials?

My humble apologies to the former Canadian folk music band Tanglefoot who came from the general area I live in. I borrowed (and edited) one of their song titles for this post. Just when I thought I had the theory and practice of ground radials down pat, along comes another surprise. After several months of … Continue reading Radio Man Won’t You Come and Fix my Radials? →

What in Heaven’s Name is a Rybakov Antenna?

I love to check out interesting, new antenna designs. The Rybakov isn't actually a new antenna, it has been around for a while; either I just hadn't come across it before or I had passed it over and forgotten about it. So when I read about it recently I just knew I had to find … Continue reading What in Heaven’s Name is a Rybakov Antenna? →

A Magic Ground Mobile Antenna

Let me start by confessing; I don't operate HF mobile. So my "mobile" HF antenna is only suitable for stationary "shack-in-a-truck" operations. Driving requires my full attention ... and so does CW operation! I mount one of my two portable vertical antennas on a short aluminum pole which in turn is mounted on the hitch … Continue reading A Magic Ground Mobile Antenna →