Wonderful video! I've been a ham since I was 16yrs and were now 57yrs. Made many dipole and inverted-V antennas but sure had all my question answered here. Wish I had this video back in the day. Going to blame you for having me out in the garage this weekend. Thanks so much for sharing. Rob Mn.
Really enjoyed that video Dave. Learnt a whole bunch of stuff that I can make good use of building myself an antenna. I also enjoyed watching yourself in the shack taking part in the contest. Again learned a lot from being able to watch you, and it gave me a bit more confidence to not only listen, but to key up that mike and call in. Thanks Dave, regards to you and your family, David (M0XQZ)
If you put RTV on your connection just before you slide the heat shrink down when the tubing shrinks it "squishes" the RTV out and around the connector and forms a nice water tight seal. I do this on boat wiring and it works great.
All great information for any novice antenna builder. However, this video is about 30 minutes longer than necessary. The antenna was quite useable the first time you put it up. After taking 3 inches off each end, it was perfect.
Well done video. When I got my Novice license in 1970, there was no internet and you were own your own with the help of the ARRL Handbook which was/is excellent. No thought about buying a dipole and I am pretty sure none were available for purchase. You scrounged for any old scrap wire you could find and used the formula to get the desired length. We didn't have a analyzer so, you had to use your crystal controlled transmitter.Lots of fun. Hi Glad you are helping the new guys. 73, WA4AOS
I've been building antennas over 56 years and I've found a better way to adjust the length of the inverted vee legs WITHOUT AN SWR ANALYZER! We know that a quarter-wave antenna length in feet is 234 divided by the frequency in MegaHertz. But take your first SWR readings across the band (in this case 40 meters) and find where the SWR "dip" is. Then decide where you actually want it to dip (say the middle of the band) multiply that frequency times the length and that becomes your new "constant" instead of 234. Use that new constant to figure the difference between original length and the length you want for the new "dip" (such as the center of the band). The difference will be in feet (such as .25 feet). Convert to inches (such as .25 feet = 3 inches) and shorten (or lengthen) each leg of the inverted vee that much, and VOILA!!
+Brian Bowling Use a watt meter, preferably one with an SWR meter built in. If all you have is a watt meter with no SWR position, take a forward power reading (transmitter to wattmeter input & antenna on the output side) Then reverse the cable to take the reverse power reading. The formula for figuring SWR from these two values is a little complicated, so go to this web site: allenk.home.infionline.net/vswr.html.
Instead of soldering the antenna leads to the center insulator, I have found standard plastic wire nuts do as good a job. I insulate the wire nuts with uncured rubber tape. Several of my dipoles using this method have been up for 8 years and have given me no trouble at all.
you don't need more pockets you need a couple of boy scouts that are working on a merit badge to help you. just got my first HF today will make one of these within a couple of days. thanx for the vids
KM4KYA Thank you so much for the excellent videos that you produce. I am a hands on type learner and even though I understand the theory, the videos bring everything alive. You do a great job and very informative. I built the 40 mtr inverted V per your instructions and it worked first time. I am so pleased with myself that I had to let you know, You made it possible for me. Thank you for ALL you do and Gods Blessings to you. Jay KM4KYA
this is already a old movie but i really like it I just bought my first HF trx and expect it to arrive this weekend , but i never made an HF antenna before , so was doing some research on how to actually do that Thanks for sharing your experience 73' De PA4V
Great job and thanks for including the FD operation at the end... nice antenna. You show that careful tuning can make a big difference in the antenna SWR.
learned something new. I never knew you could shorten an antenna by simply folding the end. I always cut mine...Don't know why the electrons in the wire see the length as "shortened" when the ends are simply folded using insulated wire. The electrons still have to flow through the conductor in the folds and wouldn't see the fold at all. Need this explained to me. But thanks for the video! Loved the QSO 's!!!!
Thank you Dave. I live in a remote part of Alberta, Canada and there are no operators within hundreds of miles. I got my full spectrum licence a few years ago but getting up on the air has been very slow and often frustrating. The course may give you a licence but it sure doesn't explain how to set up and operate. Antennas have been my biggest frustration. I am not finished your videos yet but I have learned more in a few hours than all the technical reading in two years. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest. I must say that I know your passing information during the contest but I have no idea what you are saying. Perhaps another video for those new to the hobby. Again, Thanks. Denis VA6DBC
If you have the space try making the 40/80/160m antenna. The tri-band antenna is easier to tune than the 40/80m antenna as it should not require any modifications to the coils. Please visit my website for more information about both antennas. If you have questions then please click the link on my website to my Facebook page. Questions, antenna photos, etc. can be posted on my Facebook page. Thanks for watching and good DX! :)
@KB3LZV An inverted V that slopes will work and are often mounted that way when space is a problem. If you could mount a 10' section of TV mast to your deck then that may get you 22' in the air. Glad you enjoyed the videos and good luck with your antenna project. 73! :)
Hello, Now 2020 exactly 08/20, Great 2 videos. You may have changed my mind on 10 meter dipole to inverted V. I am traveling and on 2m mobile, cant wait to get back to my shack and start on my V. Also enjoy antenna most in HAM hobby, made a 6 m squalo and contact are 600 to 1200 miles. Thanks again including live contact on web. Hope you still Haming!! KI5JWA 73
Really, really useful video dude! I'm still just going on my tech class license but I've been looking into HF and wondering for awhile how one properly sets up and tunes a wire dipole/invert V like this. Thanks for the extended detail of the full setup and tuning process. Helped me get a good handle on the final steps!
Great (pair of) videos. I'm looking to make a more modular antenna structure where the center feed point can be used with multiple "sets" of elements, either swapping them out, or doing a non-parallel fan or an umbrella inverted V. This is a pretty good place to start.
Thanks for posting a video which is easy to understand from start to finish. My GAP Titan DX vertical is down for repairs, so I am new to homemade wire antennas, and this is the best video I have seen so far. I will be subscribing and going through your old videos. Right now I have a 40 meter Double Bazooka on the way, but I can see with the right equipment a homebrew antenna has an advantage with lower costs, and putting up an antenna to fit one's location needs. WV8FKG
@johnvaldesmagic It will make a good long distance antenna for 11 meters but it will not work very well for working local stations. Horizontal antennas are for sky wave propagation and not for ground wave use. The formula for calculating the length of each side is 234 / 27.205 = 8.6 feet or about 103-1/4". Add an extra length of wire for the connections. Tune by adjusting the antenna a 1/4" to 1/2" at a time on each side making it either shorter or longer for the best SWR match.
Glad to hear it. :) You can anchor the ends of the antenna anyway you need to -- house, fence rail, dog tie, etc. and one end can be higher than the other. Just try to get the correct angle. 73 and good DX! :)
You can use the larger caps and plugs but they will be a bit large. You can also use two caps and a section of PVC pipe. With the 1-1/4" caps you'll want to take an SO-239 connector with you while shopping to make sure that it fits as some caps are made with a thicker wall. Also, some guys mount the SO-239 on the outside of a flat cap if doesn't fit on the inside. Check my website for the feed-point connector parts kit. Thanks for watching and 73! :)
Excellent vid, I think Ham radio can really benefit from these type of vids on youtube. Your time and effort is appreciated. I look forward to your future vids. Especially on loading coils. VK2MRX.
A simple way to attach insulated stranded wire would be run the wire through the eye bolt hole, or insulator, fold the wire back and secure with a wire rope clip. You can use plastic ties but they will not last long. The dual band and tri-band inverted V antennas are all made with solid gauge wire, too. Insulated stranded wire of course will not hold it's shape and so solid gauge wire is recommended on the multi-band antennas. Thanks for watching and please visit my RUclips channel. 73! :)
They can still interact with each other if they are too close together. Even though they are running in different directions, they are both still horizontally polarized. Space them as for apart as possible. Thanks for watching and 73! :)
I love this video I got to go on to QRZ.com to check out the available ham radio gear that is available for purchase while I listened to Dave and he built his antenna project.
I've tried this 40 meter antenna for receiving AM broadcast stations but it did not work well. My 160 meter antenna works a lot better but still doesn't do as well as it should. You'll need at least 250 feet of wire and much more if cut to the correct wavelength. Plus 3 times that amount of wire for directors and reflectors, 3 large towers (120 ft tall), and a ton of money. Or, buy a AM replacement antenna for a transistor radio for about $4.00.
@Jackupnow If the feed-point impedance is 50 ohms then you have "maximum transfer of power" to the antenna and there is no RF feeding back down the coax. We use a balun in a horizontal dipole to achieve 50 ohms. The inverted V with the elements adjusted properly will already have a feed-point impedance of 50 ohms without a balun and there is no need for an RF choke. Please see my video Dipole and Inverted V Antenna Basics for more information. Thanks and 73.
Good antenna school thanks. There was something about feeding the HF antenna somewhat off center and I don't remember which is longer the center conductor or the braid.
very informative video, the only question I have, your shortening the span of the exposed active element's but not trimming the wire back, is the variance's in SWR / Tuning due to simple lack of exposure or due to the additional inductance on the end's of the wire's, I only ask due to the fact that this is not covered by our syllabus and Im looking to string out some stealth's which will need some tweaking and tuning, and according to theory due to the wire being insulated by however many kV worth of insulation surely the electrical wavelength of the wire would remain the same until trimmed, perhaps the ARRL books detail more in this line than the RSGB, or is this knowledge you've gained through personal experimentation, Im also planning on stringing up a 49:1 with a 150m element as Im hoping once I gain my next licence to work some VLF, any thoughts on this would be welcome also ( using an MF bucket tuner)
@Jackupnow The wire will most likely be less expensive to purchase in your country rather than to have it imported. Search for 14-1 solid PE. More details on my Facebook page as someone else asked, too. My web site and Facebook links are posted on my RUclips channel. 73! :)
What a great video. Thanks for your efforts. One question. At the feedpoint, you are connecting the dipole antenna using solder. So the RF signal has to go though solder which doesn't offer a characteristic impedance. Won't this increase my vswr?
Should be ok if the connection is soldered correctly and no cold solder joints. I made mine using wood insulator (from left over patio deck wood) and just used 2 bolts/nuts on each side to hook up the wires. My inverted v was a pretty good antenna. I noticed that it really shined in close dx conditions. I could talk 1-3 states away like a telephone call while my neighbors running more power was talking 500-1500 miles further. In fact, they couldn't even hear the short skip but I could lol.
Recently someone mentioned to me that a dipole antenna, one of the most efficient antennas, may only be 98% efficient. Meaning even with maximum transfer of power to the antenna there may still be a very small amount of RF coming back down the coax cable. This small amount of reflected power should not be enough RF to cause any real problems.
He Dave, first of all i like to say that i really like your videos. But watching this video, left me with some questions. I want to build an inverted v antenna, now ive looked into them for a bit. What i saw was that there are ferrite beads that can be put on the coax where the antenna ends and the coax starts. Will ferrite beads be good to add to this antenna? Or will it not be to much to bother about? I've red that it improves the signal by filtering out all the higher frequenties. My next question is: Can i use stranded wire for an antenna? Are there any pros or cons? Im looking to use stranded wire, because it needs to be packed into a backpack. And i dont want to bother with solidwire so much, because of bending/breaking, and having to straiten it out. Hope you can help me out. Best regards, Jeff
I have two hundred feet of soft wire. coated and copper inside. I saw you attach the wire to the hanger. I just wonder how i would attach the soft wire to the hanger.
man Dave I really like to pully system you have set up. once I finish up my bean for 2 SSB I am planning a 160M dipole. having a sytem like you have wound be great.
What if you don't have a antenna analyzer? All I have is a kenwood ts-430S radio with ps-430 power supply and a kenwood at-230 manual tuner. Could I somehow use the swr meter of the tuner?
Electricity flows through the center of a wire but RF does not. Picture RF running along the outside of the wire instead of through the center. The wavelength is cut off at the bend in the wire at the end insulators. So to tune you adjust the length of the antenna elements and not actually the length of wire used. Additional wire added to the correct length for making connections is not really noticed by the wavelength being transmitted.
Di you include length of black loop in total length? Mine came out bit lower in frequency then calculations indicated. I blamed house for it but maybe math fail if the loop at center end part of total length.
Dave are you still active? I really enjoy your antenna building vids. I know you’ve built many wire antennas. Which is you pick between an ocf, doublet or bazooka? Tnx 73
An antenna so simple even I can do it..............maybe. I thought that was a Kenwood on your desk. I just picked up 2 TS 440 SATs (one hardly used) and can't wait to get home to set em up.
How much does that tight wound 5 turn choke on each half the dipole shorten the antenna? I am trying to remember something else. Do you attach the brad out some distance from the center to make a better impedance match?
@zerozedzed I think I will be building myself a 20 meter inverted V using your instructions. I have a deck thats about 12 ft off the ground where I will conect my feed point. then take the legs of the antenna out 90 deg. but pulling them away from the house. Making it slooped. I have a very small townhouse backyard. I will let you know how it works and share some video. 73 KB3LZV
Dave, when you put the end of the orange wire through the eye bolt then wind it around 5 turns doesn't that create a coil that changes the tuning of the antenna? Wouldn't it be better to connect the black wire from the connector to the straight part of the orange wire outside of the eye bolt to avoid the 5 turn coil at the end? Or maybe just loop the orange wire through the eye bolt and solder or clamp it together without winding any turns at all?
Wrapping the element wire through the eye bolts is for strength. The five turns of wire will not change the tuning as the antenna is tuned with them in place. The 40 meter band is a very long wavelength and the small coils are not really noticeable to the antenna. If the small coils are used at higher VHF/UHF frequencies, that are a much shorter wavelength (i.e. 60 inches instead of 60 feet), then a coil of wire might be a problem. Also, too much wire left over at the ends of the 40 meter antenna and wrapped back around the wire elements will affect tuning and make the antenna go high in frequency.
Dave , Im putting up a W8AMZ G5RV Jr. in the inverted V configuration. My issue is that the ladder line and coax will have to drop down only about 3 feet or so and then go in a horazontal to my upstairs ham shack. Is this going to cause major problems with the efficiency of the antenna and or throw my SWR's completly out of wack ??
I am about to build an antenna. I have 98 foot self support tower. What is the best antenna to use for 40 meters. I want to make contacts as far away as possible. I currently use qrp. But looking to get maybe a 7300. Thanks for advice in advance.
Hey, I built a inverted v antenna. The lowest swr i get is 1.4 at 7.040MHZ. its setup it on my house terrace. Height of the tower from terrace is only about 15ft. Is that a problem? And also there are metal roofing below the elements of antenna; not very close but with in 5ft to 2ft below the elements. Do you see these can cause low swr
dave ,the question u have is about tuning. how does changing the place where the end insultor is in the wire change the swr, without cutting the wire off. doesn't it still have the same eletrical length. if we used uninsulted wir,e then movin the end and rewrapping would change the eletrical lengh. please expain jeff kk4fxj
Hi Dave, nice video, thank you. I realize you made this in 2011, but can multiple bands be installed like this on the same mast in a fan shape? I assume they would all run to the same balun? I'm new to Ham radio and still learning.
Not totally sure, but I think by doubling over the wire onto itself puts it into the same radiation plane so it looks electrically shorter. I'd have to verify that in modeling software to be sure, but that's what I suspect.
Please note: The height of the ends of the antenna above the ground looked different through the camcorder lens and is instead about 10' instead of 15'-20' as mentioned in the video.
David excellent video! Thank you for taking the time and your patience to go in depth. It is appreciated! I do have one question for you. Since your not using a Choke Balun or 1:1 device, how are you keeping Common Mode Currents off your feedline?tnx es 73's de K8KEM (also a david)
Great video and very informative. I'm curious about the meaning of the "one delta kansas" that you gave each of your contacts. I'm guessing it has something to do with the contest.
What an awesome video! Nice job. I have a question about wavelength. The wavelength pertains to the antenna length...does it also apply to the height? in other words a 1/4 wave cut for 40 meters is appx 32.8 ft-should the antenna also be at 32 ft?
Hi Dave How can moving the insulator on the inverted v antenna be the same as cutting the wire to the proper length for the lowest vswr at the operating freqency?
Dave, In reference to your 40m Inverted 'V' When your terminating to your feed, after your '5' rotations of main element (antenna), why don't you take that tail (RED) straight to your feed instead, you have (BLACK) 4-5 inch portion to your feed? Where you trim, solder, then heat shrink..surely all your doing is inserting a 'fail point'?
The wire is folded back on itself, when this happens the two wires act as one. Therefore the extra length disappears or is absorbed Into a shorter length.
I was going to ask on your last video about basics ... don't these antennas need a balun? But I went and searched and you can feed with or without a 1:1 balun. I haven't done a straight dipole or "V" yet. I have a vertical and an OCF dipole that was given to me and I've repaired it twice. I have trouble with an 80 meter dipole ... which I made from a multi-band fan dipole by cutting off the other bands "wires". The balun may be no good for this but was good for the original purpose.
Wonderful video! I've been a ham since I was 16yrs and were now 57yrs. Made many dipole and inverted-V antennas but sure had all my question answered here. Wish I had this video back in the day. Going to blame you for having me out in the garage this weekend. Thanks so much for sharing. Rob Mn.
Really enjoyed that video Dave. Learnt a whole bunch of stuff that I can make good use of building myself an antenna. I also enjoyed watching yourself in the shack taking part in the contest. Again learned a lot from being able to watch you, and it gave me a bit more confidence to not only listen, but to key up that mike and call in. Thanks Dave, regards to you and your family, David (M0XQZ)
If you put RTV on your connection just before you slide the heat shrink down when the tubing shrinks it "squishes" the RTV out and around the connector and forms a nice water tight seal. I do this on boat wiring and it works great.
RTV sounds like a good idea. Dielectric grease will work as well. I don't know which one is better choice.
@@kattasudhir RTV because i has an adhesive property.
nice vid. thanks Dave for taking the time and having the patience to show newbies like me how to go about this procedure. Excellent work.
All great information for any novice antenna builder. However, this video is about 30 minutes longer than necessary. The antenna was quite useable the first time you put it up. After taking 3 inches off each end, it was perfect.
Well done video. When I got my Novice license in 1970, there was no internet and you were own your own with the help of the ARRL Handbook which was/is excellent. No thought about buying a dipole and I am pretty sure none were available for purchase. You scrounged for any old scrap wire you could find and used the formula to get the desired length. We didn't have a analyzer so, you had to use your crystal controlled transmitter.Lots of fun. Hi
Glad you are helping the new guys.
73,
WA4AOS
I've been building antennas over 56 years and I've found a better way to adjust the length of the inverted vee legs WITHOUT AN SWR ANALYZER! We know that a quarter-wave antenna length in feet is 234 divided by the frequency in MegaHertz. But take your first SWR readings across the band (in this case 40 meters) and find where the SWR "dip" is. Then decide where you actually want it to dip (say the middle of the band) multiply that frequency times the length and that becomes your new "constant" instead of 234. Use that new constant to figure the difference between original length and the length you want for the new "dip" (such as the center of the band). The difference will be in feet (such as .25 feet). Convert to inches (such as .25 feet = 3 inches) and shorten (or lengthen) each leg of the inverted vee that much, and VOILA!!
Dave Mitchell Genius. 73
+Dave Mitchell So how do I "take my first SWR readings across the band and find where the SWR 'dip' is" if I'm not using an SWR ANALYZER?
+Brian Bowling Use a watt meter, preferably one with an SWR meter built in. If all you have is a watt meter with no SWR position, take a forward power reading (transmitter to wattmeter input & antenna on the output side) Then reverse the cable to take the reverse power reading. The formula for figuring SWR from these two values is a little complicated, so go to this web site: allenk.home.infionline.net/vswr.html.
+Dave Mitchell I see. Thanks very much for the reply and the link. That is a handy calculator.
Instead of soldering the antenna leads to the center insulator, I have found standard plastic wire nuts do as good a job. I insulate the wire nuts with uncured rubber tape. Several of my dipoles using this method have been up for 8 years and have given me no trouble at all.
Thanks Dave!
Thank you for showing how to make and adjust the antenna 40m!
I repeated the antenna 40m and your balun 1:1, this bunch works great !!!
Best how to video ever for dipole antennas. Thank you so much for sharing. Im sure it has helped many people like myself.
you don't need more pockets you need a couple of boy scouts that are working on a merit badge to help you. just got my first HF today will make one of these within a couple of days. thanx for the vids
KM4KYA Thank you so much for the excellent videos that you produce. I am a hands on type learner and even though I understand the theory, the videos bring everything alive. You do a great job and very informative. I built the 40 mtr inverted V per your instructions and it worked first time. I am so pleased with myself that I had to let you know, You made it possible for me. Thank you for ALL you do and Gods Blessings to you. Jay KM4KYA
Watched the whole thing! Seeing you make all those contacts after putting your antenna up was really inspiring! Thanks for the great vid!
KN4NPB
this is already a old movie but i really like it
I just bought my first HF trx and expect it to arrive this weekend , but i never made an HF antenna before , so was doing some research on how to actually do that
Thanks for sharing your experience
73' De PA4V
Great job and thanks for including the FD operation at the end... nice antenna. You show that careful tuning can make a big difference in the antenna SWR.
learned something new. I never knew you could shorten an antenna by simply folding the end. I always cut mine...Don't know why the electrons in the wire see the length as "shortened" when the ends are simply folded using insulated wire. The electrons still have to flow through the conductor in the folds and wouldn't see the fold at all. Need this explained to me. But thanks for the video! Loved the QSO 's!!!!
Think of the net current in that section of folded wire. One flowing forward, one flowing the opposite way - effectively cancelling each other.
Thank you Dave. I live in a remote part of Alberta, Canada and there are no operators within hundreds of miles. I got my full spectrum licence a few years ago but getting up on the air has been very slow and often frustrating. The course may give you a licence but it sure doesn't explain how to set up and operate. Antennas have been my biggest frustration. I am not finished your videos yet but I have learned more in a few hours than all the technical reading in two years. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest. I must say that I know your passing information during the contest but I have no idea what you are saying. Perhaps another video for those new to the hobby. Again, Thanks. Denis VA6DBC
If you have the space try making the 40/80/160m antenna. The tri-band antenna is easier to tune than the 40/80m antenna as it should not require any modifications to the coils. Please visit my website for more information about both antennas. If you have questions then please click the link on my website to my Facebook page. Questions, antenna photos, etc. can be posted on my Facebook page. Thanks for watching and good DX! :)
@KB3LZV An inverted V that slopes will work and are often mounted that way when space is a problem. If you could mount a 10' section of TV mast to your deck then that may get you 22' in the air. Glad you enjoyed the videos and good luck with your antenna project. 73! :)
Wow! Thank you ! I have watched 3 of your Antenna Videos and I have learned a lot.
Again GREAT information and a big thank you ...Hugo Atlanta
Hello, Now 2020 exactly 08/20, Great 2 videos. You may have changed my mind on 10 meter dipole to inverted V. I am traveling and on 2m mobile, cant wait to get back to my shack and start on my V. Also enjoy antenna most in HAM hobby, made a 6 m squalo and contact are 600 to 1200 miles. Thanks again including live contact on web. Hope you still Haming!! KI5JWA 73
Dave, thanks for your simple, nice and clear tutorial. 73 from Indonesia
Thank you for your detailed assembly instructions. I wish I had room for a 40m dipole or inverted v but I don’t. 10 and 20m maybe. 73
Really, really useful video dude! I'm still just going on my tech class license but I've been looking into HF and wondering for awhile how one properly sets up and tunes a wire dipole/invert V like this. Thanks for the extended detail of the full setup and tuning process. Helped me get a good handle on the final steps!
Great (pair of) videos. I'm looking to make a more modular antenna structure where the center feed point can be used with multiple "sets" of elements, either swapping them out, or doing a non-parallel fan or an umbrella inverted V. This is a pretty good place to start.
Thanks for posting a video which is easy to understand from start to finish. My GAP Titan DX vertical is down for repairs, so I am new to homemade wire antennas, and this is the best video I have seen so far. I will be subscribing and going through your old videos. Right now I have a 40 meter Double Bazooka on the way, but I can see with the right equipment a homebrew antenna has an advantage with lower costs, and putting up an antenna to fit one's location needs. WV8FKG
Best antenna vid I have seen.
Excellent video. You have more patience than I do.
@johnvaldesmagic It will make a good long distance antenna for 11 meters but it will not work very well for working local stations. Horizontal antennas are for sky wave propagation and not for ground wave use. The formula for calculating the length of each side is 234 / 27.205 = 8.6 feet or about 103-1/4". Add an extra length of wire for the connections. Tune by adjusting the antenna a 1/4" to 1/2" at a time on each side making it either shorter or longer for the best SWR match.
Glad to hear it. :) You can anchor the ends of the antenna anyway you need to -- house, fence rail, dog tie, etc. and one end can be higher than the other. Just try to get the correct angle. 73 and good DX! :)
Great video ..what a beautiful spot you have in KS..I am an FM enthusiast but know nothing about ham radio. I know a bit more thx
Windham vt
Thanks for the great show and tell. I will start on my inverted V tomorrow.
OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION...
Dave just re-watched several antenna video…nice job .
Great video Dave very informative I'm going to build my own antenna in the next couple of weeks using your advice. best 73s from across the pond
Like your style of building 🦿🇺🇸
outstanding video it was a great help to me ..thank you for what you do...73....thomas in north central missouri
You can use the larger caps and plugs but they will be a bit large. You can also use two caps and a section of PVC pipe. With the 1-1/4" caps you'll want to take an SO-239 connector with you while shopping to make sure that it fits as some caps are made with a thicker wall. Also, some guys mount the SO-239 on the outside of a flat cap if doesn't fit on the inside. Check my website for the feed-point connector parts kit. Thanks for watching and 73! :)
@aka572 Yes, it's the contest exchange. Delta class are home stations on commercial power. Alpha class stations are club portable stations.
Great videos, love the no nonsense approach..Thanks and 73's
After actually using a tape measure the ends of the antenna are 11' feet above the ground. ;)
Excellent vid, I think Ham radio can really benefit from these type of vids on youtube.
Your time and effort is appreciated.
I look forward to your future vids. Especially on loading coils.
VK2MRX.
A simple way to attach insulated stranded wire would be run the wire through the eye bolt hole, or insulator, fold the wire back and secure with a wire rope clip. You can use plastic ties but they will not last long. The dual band and tri-band inverted V antennas are all made with solid gauge wire, too. Insulated stranded wire of course will not hold it's shape and so solid gauge wire is recommended on the multi-band antennas. Thanks for watching and please visit my RUclips channel. 73! :)
They can still interact with each other if they are too close together. Even though they are running in different directions, they are both still horizontally polarized. Space them as for apart as possible. Thanks for watching and 73! :)
I love this video I got to go on to QRZ.com to check out the available ham radio gear that is available for purchase while I listened to Dave and he built his antenna project.
I've tried this 40 meter antenna for receiving AM broadcast stations but it did not work well. My 160 meter antenna works a lot better but still doesn't do as well as it should. You'll need at least 250 feet of wire and much more if cut to the correct wavelength. Plus 3 times that amount of wire for directors and reflectors, 3 large towers (120 ft tall), and a ton of money. Or, buy a AM replacement antenna for a transistor radio for about $4.00.
great video Dave as usual really enjoy your antenna projects good explanations & most importantly easy to follow 73's from vk2oz mike.
@Jackupnow If the feed-point impedance is 50 ohms then you have "maximum transfer of power" to the antenna and there is no RF feeding back down the coax. We use a balun in a horizontal dipole to achieve 50 ohms. The inverted V with the elements adjusted properly will already have a feed-point impedance of 50 ohms without a balun and there is no need for an RF choke. Please see my video Dipole and Inverted V Antenna Basics for more information. Thanks and 73.
Good antenna school thanks. There was something about feeding the HF antenna somewhat off center and I don't remember which is longer the center conductor or the braid.
@VerifyHistory You always adjust both sides. The lengths of the antenna elements must always be equal. ;)
You could use a "Jenkins ring" to solder the two ends together.
very informative video, the only question I have, your shortening the span of the exposed active element's but not trimming the wire back, is the variance's in SWR / Tuning due to simple lack of exposure or due to the additional inductance on the end's of the wire's, I only ask due to the fact that this is not covered by our syllabus and Im looking to string out some stealth's which will need some tweaking and tuning, and according to theory due to the wire being insulated by however many kV worth of insulation surely the electrical wavelength of the wire would remain the same until trimmed, perhaps the ARRL books detail more in this line than the RSGB, or is this knowledge you've gained through personal experimentation, Im also planning on stringing up a 49:1 with a 150m element as Im hoping once I gain my next licence to work some VLF, any thoughts on this would be welcome also ( using an MF bucket tuner)
@Jackupnow The wire will most likely be less expensive to purchase in your country rather than to have it imported. Search for 14-1 solid PE. More details on my Facebook page as someone else asked, too. My web site and Facebook links are posted on my RUclips channel. 73! :)
What a great video. Thanks for your efforts.
One question. At the feedpoint, you are connecting the dipole antenna using solder. So the RF signal has to go though solder which doesn't offer a characteristic impedance. Won't this increase my vswr?
Should be ok if the connection is soldered correctly and no cold solder joints. I made mine using wood insulator (from left over patio deck wood) and just used 2 bolts/nuts on each side to hook up the wires. My inverted v was a pretty good antenna. I noticed that it really shined in close dx conditions. I could talk 1-3 states away like a telephone call while my neighbors running more power was talking 500-1500 miles further. In fact, they couldn't even hear the short skip but I could lol.
Thanks for this video. Great JOB . Very informative.
Recently someone mentioned to me that a dipole antenna, one of the most efficient antennas, may only be 98% efficient. Meaning even with maximum transfer of power to the antenna there may still be a very small amount of RF coming back down the coax cable. This small amount of reflected power should not be enough RF to cause any real problems.
He Dave, first of all i like to say that i really like your videos.
But watching this video, left me with some questions.
I want to build an inverted v antenna, now ive looked into them for a bit. What i saw was that there are ferrite beads that can be put on the coax where the antenna ends and the coax starts.
Will ferrite beads be good to add to this antenna? Or will it not be to much to bother about? I've red that it improves the signal by filtering out all the higher frequenties.
My next question is: Can i use stranded wire for an antenna? Are there any pros or cons? Im looking to use stranded wire, because it needs to be packed into a backpack. And i dont want to bother with solidwire so much, because of bending/breaking, and having to straiten it out.
Hope you can help me out.
Best regards,
Jeff
I have two hundred feet of soft wire. coated and copper inside. I saw you attach the wire to the hanger. I just wonder how i would attach the soft wire to the hanger.
man Dave I really like to pully system you have set up. once I finish up my bean for 2 SSB I am planning a 160M dipole. having a sytem like you have wound be great.
Nice video! Hope to build one when I get a HF rig.
What if you don't have a antenna analyzer? All I have is a kenwood ts-430S radio with ps-430 power supply and a kenwood at-230 manual tuner. Could I somehow use the swr meter of the tuner?
Electricity flows through the center of a wire but RF does not. Picture RF running along the outside of the wire instead of through the center. The wavelength is cut off at the bend in the wire at the end insulators. So to tune you adjust the length of the antenna elements and not actually the length of wire used. Additional wire added to the correct length for making connections is not really noticed by the wavelength being transmitted.
Di you include length of black loop in total length? Mine came out bit lower in frequency then calculations indicated. I blamed house for it but maybe math fail if the loop at center end part of total length.
Dave are you still active? I really enjoy your antenna building vids. I know you’ve built many wire antennas. Which is you pick between an ocf, doublet or bazooka? Tnx 73
An antenna so simple even I can do it..............maybe. I thought that was a Kenwood on your desk. I just picked up 2 TS 440 SATs (one hardly used) and can't wait to get home to set em up.
Is it okay to pull this up in a line of tree's, or will the tree's desegregate the signal?
How much does that tight wound 5 turn choke on each half the dipole shorten the antenna? I am trying to remember something else. Do you attach the brad out some distance from the center to make a better impedance match?
@zerozedzed I think I will be building myself a 20 meter inverted V using your instructions. I have a deck thats about 12 ft off the ground where I will conect my feed point. then take the legs of the antenna out 90 deg. but pulling them away from the house. Making it slooped. I have a very small townhouse backyard. I will let you know how it works and share some video. 73 KB3LZV
How are the twists (for weight loading) in the antenna at the feed point and tips not causing impedance?
Dave, when you put the end of the orange wire through the eye bolt then wind it around 5 turns doesn't that create a coil that changes the tuning of the antenna? Wouldn't it be better to connect the black wire from the connector to the straight part of the orange wire outside of the eye bolt to avoid the 5 turn coil at the end? Or maybe just loop the orange wire through the eye bolt and solder or clamp it together without winding any turns at all?
Wrapping the element wire through the eye bolts is for strength. The five turns of wire will not change the tuning as the antenna is tuned with them in place. The 40 meter band is a very long wavelength and the small coils are not really noticeable to the antenna. If the small coils are used at higher VHF/UHF frequencies, that are a much shorter wavelength (i.e. 60 inches instead of 60 feet), then a coil of wire might be a problem. Also, too much wire left over at the ends of the 40 meter antenna and wrapped back around the wire elements will affect tuning and make the antenna go high in frequency.
Dave
Great video.
I have one question.
Where did you get the feed point connectors you used in your video?
Thanks
KB4SGA
John K.
Dave , Im putting up a W8AMZ G5RV Jr. in the inverted V configuration. My issue is that the ladder line and coax will have to drop down only about 3 feet or so and then go in a horazontal to my upstairs ham shack. Is this going to cause major problems with the efficiency of the antenna and or throw my SWR's completly out of wack ??
I am about to build an antenna. I have 98 foot self support tower. What is the best antenna to use for 40 meters. I want to make contacts as far away as possible. I currently use qrp. But looking to get maybe a 7300. Thanks for advice in advance.
Hey, I built a inverted v antenna. The lowest swr i get is 1.4 at 7.040MHZ. its setup it on my house terrace. Height of the tower from terrace is only about 15ft. Is that a problem? And also there are metal roofing below the elements of antenna; not very close but with in 5ft to 2ft below the elements. Do you see these can cause low swr
Good job. I have to do this to mine. Thanks for the video.
the 32feet is cut in half amd making it 16feet per side or 32feet per side?
dave ,the question u have is about tuning. how does changing the place where the end insultor is in the wire change the swr, without cutting the wire off. doesn't it still have the same eletrical length. if we used uninsulted wir,e then movin the end and rewrapping would change the eletrical lengh. please expain jeff kk4fxj
Hi Dave, nice video, thank you. I realize you made this in 2011, but can multiple bands be installed like this on the same mast in a fan shape? I assume they would all run to the same balun? I'm new to Ham radio and still learning.
Very nice build. Great!
Nice job Dave, very well done.
i miei complimenti,veramente bravo.
Another great video, Dave
I thought I heard Dave say he was going to explain why he uses solid core. Did I miss it?
Strength of tie to insulators.
Thanks for the videos! Very helpful... If we cannot find 1 1/4 caps n plugs.... Can we use 1 1/2 ? Will that affect operation?
Not totally sure, but I think by doubling over the wire onto itself puts it into the same radiation plane so it looks electrically shorter. I'd have to verify that in modeling software to be sure, but that's what I suspect.
very good and highly detailed video!Tnx,73!
Great video Dave...making this shortly, probably this weekend. Do you need to run a choke when doing an inverted V?
Please note: The height of the ends of the antenna above the ground looked different through the camcorder lens and is instead about 10' instead of 15'-20' as mentioned in the video.
Great video. I can't wait to get started.
Nice and useful video Dave...
How are you controlling the impedance?
David excellent video! Thank you for taking the time and your patience to go in depth. It is appreciated! I do have one question for you. Since your not using a Choke Balun or 1:1 device, how are you keeping Common Mode Currents off your feedline?tnx es 73's de K8KEM (also a david)
Great video and very informative. I'm curious about the meaning of the
"one delta kansas" that you gave each of your contacts. I'm guessing it
has something to do with the contest.
Grid coordinate
What an awesome video! Nice job. I have a question about wavelength. The wavelength pertains to the antenna length...does it also apply to the height? in other words a 1/4 wave cut for 40 meters is appx 32.8 ft-should the antenna also be at 32 ft?
Enjoyed this one a lot, very informative - thanks for doing this.. 73 de VE2PDT
Hi Dave
How can moving the insulator on the inverted v antenna be the same as cutting the wire to the proper length for the lowest vswr at the operating freqency?
Hi Dave like your video you have any suggestions on a short 40meter dipole for limited space?
Dave,
In reference to your 40m Inverted 'V'
When your terminating to your feed, after your '5' rotations of main element (antenna), why don't you take that tail (RED) straight to your feed instead, you have (BLACK) 4-5 inch portion to your feed? Where you trim, solder, then heat shrink..surely all your doing is inserting a 'fail point'?
Thanks for another great Ham Radio Video! Way cool!
Catch ya on MidCars! :)
Jimmy, ARRL TC, WX9DX
Hi Dave
how can just moving the insulator be the same as cutting the wire to a shorterr length? What am I missing?
The wire is folded back on itself, when this happens the two wires act as one. Therefore the extra length disappears or is absorbed
Into a shorter length.
I was going to ask on your last video about basics ... don't these antennas need a balun? But I went and searched and you can feed with or without a 1:1 balun. I haven't done a straight dipole or "V" yet. I have a vertical and an OCF dipole that was given to me and I've repaired it twice. I have trouble with an 80 meter dipole ... which I made from a multi-band fan dipole by cutting off the other bands "wires". The balun may be no good for this but was good for the original purpose.