Making and Using a Simple 40-m Dipole (#86)
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- Опубликовано: 15 окт 2024
- I'm often asked how to make a dipole. In this video I use materials on hand to build a 40-meter amateur radio dipole. I hung it on the antenna test rig I built this past week, and it works great! Lots of work, though. Although dipoles are available for far less than $100, I made this one for zero!
Fairly new General here. For the fun of it, the learning experience and a general lack of money, I recently built a 40 meter dipole and deployed it for NVIS. This antenna was built for free using dog underground fence wire (solid and pretty thin) which I happened to have plenty of on hand, a piece of heat shrink tubing and 3 pieces of small diameter rope. My total cost for the antenna was free! I hooked this antenna to my recently built el cheapo radio (Pixie S) kit from amazon and both the antenna and radio are working great! I literally have less than $11 in (the cheapest that I could find) soldering iron with solder and $13.59 in the radio. I am ecstatic to be able to get on the 40 meters for less than $30 and maybe 5 hours of my time! Everyone has to start somewhere, I am starting at the bottom and so can virtually anyone else who truly wants to apply themselves!
Building an antenna from spare parts is definitely in the spirit of ham radio! So glad to see it was so successful!
"73"
Thank you.
I wish I had a dollar each time someone compared the signal of a basic dipole to an expensive vertical and the dipole was stronger.
Thank you for this video, David! I am a new ham (just got General in February), and I just got a good HF radio. NOW I have to get an antenna up! This gave me a lot of good information. I really appreciate what you're doing. Thanks again!
Just wanted to say thank you. Your videos are the best on youtube for someone like me learning the essentials of amateur radio.
I slapped together a 20m "sloped delta" out of bailing wire a few nights ago, while waiting for the laundry to finish. For connections, since it's temporary, I used some wago blocks I had lying around. It's amazing how well it works for being literally $2 in parts (mostly the wago connectors, though that doesn't include the $600 antenna analyzer…). Antennas are one of my favorite parts of radio, so I'm looking forward to the rest of this series!
All the hams I know are never completely happy with their antenna, hence the interest in the subject.
Great video, thank you!! You mentioned that you were communicating with Roswell, NM How far is that from your location?
I scanned the comments and didn't see it addressed. When splitting out Romex you don't need to cut the insulation all the way along the length. Once you get about 8" split out, just hold onto all of the wires with one hand, the outer sheathing with the other, and pull them. The wires will split the outer sheath all the way down as you pull. Saves a lot of time.
Yes, this is a great tip I have used for years. I add to it; after you clear the 8" of copper - secure couple of inches of copper into the bench vice and just pull the rest of the insulation back with both hands and using pliers. The wire comes out much quicker much more straight. It is also a good idea to secure one end of wire in the vice once all lengths of wires has been joined together and give the other end a few quick pulls with pliers - this really straightens wires prior to erecting and tunning.
Can confirm.
Hi Dave...love watching your videos 👍 I've never had a store-bought antenna. An old family friend from the 50's and 60's got me interested in shortwave and ham when I was just a kid. He had a shake full of surplus military Hallicrafters/Collins equipment. Lewis taught me how to solder, use a Simpson vom and make antenna's. Dad gave me a Simpson for Christmas which I still have and use to this day. Lewis also gave me a Hallicrafters S-40a...1948? I think? Anyway, to keep it I had to troubleshoot and repair, then log when I heard him on the air...He was K4BQS...Lewis gave me 100' of coax, with no connectors and I built my very first 20m HF dipole. We had lots of trees...that was 1964, I was 14...I was off and running and never forgot my radio roots...My entire life has been in communications thanks to one mans teaching! I'm old-school, nothing fancy. I have a very nice Yaesu FT-101B...I like the smell of tubes in the final...73's
I thank you so much for your videos, I've got couple trees begging for an 80m antenna❕
Just getting started, on a shoestring budget, have a good "Elmer", ...........Now your videos are just the teaching tool needed!
Sincerely,
Captain BUCKLEY(ret.)
Great video for a guy 77 getting back into this hobby since 1985 !
We are still getting good views and info out of your older videos. Been catching up. Nice Work David!
A little note from my own experience. If you use insulated wire cut the wire at least 10 % longer than the formula for bare wire, due to velocity factor changes.
Brilliant video. Made me giggle when you said you nearly went and bought one .keep up the great videos 👍
Enjoyed it Dave! I'm going to get going on making a 10 M dipole soon
As soon as I got my Element 2 certification, I Put one in my attic using 16 ga. insulated stranded stapled to the rafters. Soldered it right to the coax. Solar minimum kept me from much use until I got my element 3 ticket. Found that antenna also tuned on 20 and 40 meters and made a few QSO’s up to 980 miles with that 10 meter home brew antenna.
Great video Dave. Thanks and keep them coming. Your videos played a large part in my passing the extra exam. 73
Glad to hear they've been useful. Congrats on your Extra!
Dave always very informative videos..my 20m dipole was made from romax and works great right from the get go..it`s been up for over 3 years now and with only 100 watts on this old Icom 738 it gets great results from 12 ft. off the back of my deck to a tree...I live in Pgh. Pa. With that setup I have worked asia and all over europe when the conditions are running good...by the way the ends are soldered right to the coax..so far so good...keep up the great work you do..73 Bob
I am making the same antenna. However I bought a coil with the pl259 on it. I am not sure if it is a 49 to 1 or vice versa, but has strictly the number 49 on it. It will be an easy fix if the coil is a problem. Thanks for your video I still find it a great source for my endeavors 73 N6ZKI
!
As I watched this video, I thought, "okay, Dave, expect some dipoles from various companies in the mail... I should just ask him to forward them on to me". ;-) So, at the end when you mentioned the reason for this antenna (as I interpreted it) was to form a baseline to test store-bought dipoles and even a possible give-a-way, it brightened my evening. Certainly, for taking the time to make quality, enjoyable, and highly educational videos, you deserve whatever free merchandise you receive. Thank you for thinking of the rest of us viewers!
Thank you. I try!
This was a great help to me. I was given some coax and had some salvaged wire like yours to work with. The white plastic cutting boards sold at Sams club cut into strips make great insulators. I got it all put together and made my first HF contacts the other day. Thanks for the great instructional videos. W1CAW
Thank you!
this is such a lovely video, i really like at how honest you are in your presentation, showing us the warts and all of creating an antenna from parts. the part about 'getting the card out' really inspired me to become more like that, and think about what i can do with what i have, or at least keeping the spend to minimum - an inspiring video from a great teacher :) 73's from M7ALU
Having just gotten my General license and being on a tight budget , I found this very interesting and timely. One thing to try...I've stripped Romex in the past for other uses and found that if I started the cover to split I could usually take the wire in one hand and the cover in the other and just pull them apart and the cover would continue to split. I've watched and enjoyed many of your videos, please keep up the good work. 73 KG5OKG
Great video. I doing this project right now. My first home brew antenna for my bitx 40
your microphone problems made me smile as a famous english comedian called 'Jasper Carrot' done a sketch called 'microphones' where he experienced exactly the noise/sound quality issues you face. not used to have a giggle whilst learning from your great videos.
Making something yourself from leftovers gives you better feelings than just pulling out the plastic cards.
Moe K2JDM
True!
The temptation to buy a pre made was quite strong. Yep, that's not uncommon at times. While there's some really well made gear out there i guess the down side is the practical experience and applying the theory is lost. Building any of this gear really educates fast. The great thing about radio hobby is people are very generous in helping others learn. It puzzles me how the pioneers worked all this out with very little resources on hand.
The nationwide feeling of innovation was exceptionally strong during the 19-teens and 1920s. The development of radio received the devoted attention of the best brains in America and Europe, including the Japanese who invented the Yagi, in this timeframe. In the teens we still had spark. By the start of WWII, superheterodynes were standard and stable. The amount of innovation in that period is mind boggling.
Agree, I work in computing and while the new gear is amazing the old gear I find more incredible because of the human aspect. At work a few of us recently looked up the specs on the computers used by NASA even in the late 60's and they are amazing. I see ham/amateur radio booming again.
Hi David.... really enjoying your antenna series of videos. Many thanks 73
Thanks -- there's more to come
Hi getting ready to put up a Di pole. Roughly 65ft more or less. Replaces the one that came down at 2am. Too many new people thinking I'm causing hash. Showed my log book and dust on rig. Neighbor has his son helping me put the new one in place. Kv4li 73 ( his dad had a switch in his hand?)
Great video. Looking to DIY my first HF antenna upon completing the general and extra exams.
Good luck with your studying!
40 Meters my all time favorite band thanks again Dave for showing us how to build a dipole for 40 Meters. 73 KC9QVE Gas City,Indiana
Dave, As I didn't hear you specify your splice in this video, I would suggest anyone who wishes to assemble a wire antenna from several pieces of wire to use the Linesman (AKA Western Union) Splice prior to soldering for best mechanical strength. Many RUclips videos available to demonstrate how. Essentially the splice is twisting the two wires together 2-3 times, you then wind each free end in a tight coil around the standing length of the opposite wire. Pull both wires until splice is taut, then solder.
As for soldering I prefer using an iron with a substantial tip for best thermal transfer, I've have good results with my 35+ year old Archer modular Iron with the 45W heater element and a 0.25" pyramid tip. It is a little too small for Coax braid to PL-259 shield soldering though.
P.S. Dave, I thought most of your mike issues was from the lapel mike being attached to your shirt too close to your head (beard?) so it sounded either muted or rustling when you turned your head to that side. May want to do a sound check with the mike clipped on 3-4" below the neckline before spending $.
Hi Dave! I am back in Ham Radio after more then 15 years! I have to say your series are a solid motivation! Looking forward to work with you! 73 de DM1TX from Munich
Danke!
Great Work David, really informative and easy
the idea u mentioned last about horizontal Vs vertical , fantastic , an question i was trying to answer for a long time
thanks very much ,73
You're welcome. The ARRL has some good books on antenna physics and propagation physics. Cool stuff.
sure i'll check it , thanks man
It's been awhile since you built this antenna, but I wanted to comment anyway. I just wanted to mention that you have used some heat-shrink wrapping around the solder connections to avoid the sharp edges. It would also weather proof the solder joint and prevent corrosion from weakening the joints. Just my $0.02. 73 de AI4QX
Hi David, thanks for your video. I had the impression you were out of breath in several moments of the video. Please take care of your health.
Same impression Dave , be safe.
I noticed that, too, even when you were sitting. I'd recommend seeing a doctor to check your cardio-pulmonary health. That isn't normal.
Sean Cowdrey agree
My heart gave out on me when I was 42 due to some pain medication before surgery. 7 heart attacks later I was in a heart hospital getting rebuilt. Now it's aspirin, good diet and a little walk everyday for the last 10 years. I really appreciate your videos and the mentoring. Please take care of yourself.
Thank you all for your concern! You all agree with my doctor, who gives me the pep talk for more exercise every time I see him. I just turned 66, so it's time to either use the treadmill in my office or take the dog for walks if it's not raining. After my prostate surgery, I would walk 20 minutes a day and felt great, but that kind of went by the wayside.
Fantastic video, I was looking to make a 40m dipole, now I know how to do it. Thank you!
I remember that time of year when i lived in denver. The weather was pretty consistent!
Muchas gracias David por los conocimientos que compartes y los haces fáciles de entender sumado al buen carácter que demuestras. Saludos cordiales desde la Ciudad de México XE1YCH
Gracias!
I enjoyed your video I'm going to build your antenna I just bought an IC7200 for my 5 ton Military Truck thank Dave 73's
Dave, you mentioned that you were not going to add a Balun at the feed point initially. When would you "know" that you would need a Balun? What would tell you this fact? A really high SWR?
Also, are Baluns rated for PEP power? In other words, would a Balun that is just fine for 100W PEP be not up to the task at 1000W PEP? Likewise the wire AWG? Great Video. Love your observations on the build. Art
i would have enjoyed it if you showed the finished S0239 connecter on the 40 meter dipole. Is that what you only used to connect to the cable? thanks for your help KM4WMC. Enjoyed your video. I Made my first 40m contact
My 20 and 40 dipoles are my treasure, barefooting, I can reach Eastern Europe and the West Coast from Charleston, SC. With my EF8010, I can still reach the huge power contesters in Eastern Europe..but not so much the West Coast. Not quite as much power delivery, but I have all bands. It's a trade off. And the end fed gives me 80!
I really wish you could help me with this as I'm a brand new Ham who is very frustrated. My dipole is in my attic (I live in an HOA) and so I cannot find any chatter at all! I take my Tech test late this month..so you can understand how new I am to all this.
14:08.....LOL.....I was literally thinking that EXACT thing 30 seconds before you said it. Just enough time that I was looking at the ready made antenna on my phone while still playing your video...and then heard you say that 😂😂😂
It is fun to review your HF antenna videos now that I have an HF radio. I bough the IC-7300.
hello and wecome from wales uk love your series great presentation well done
Thank you!
The blade was designed for carpet and tile cutting lol, but very adaptable for your application, great site thanks.
Thanks for the great video, as always. I kept think thinking about that scene from Futurama where the professor talks about the various length of wire he used when building his spaceship! (Meant as a compliment, it's one of my favorite shows.)
ruclips.net/video/p7jbtIbZKwQ/видео.html
Hello David, ....question: suppose i want to receive the 6mhz band, so 468/6 = 78 feet, then my horizontal wire will be 39 feet each side, right? Ok, with that wire length , can I also receive all the frequencies over 6mhz? ....and no frequencies under? So for example, a dipole antenna at 78 feet would be good also for any frequencies over 6 mhz....but not for 5 mhz for example. Thank you for answering :).
Very helpful to see both build and qso w/o balun. 73, K0VY
Thanks for the awesome videos! The audio issue you mentioned at the beginning was your neck resting down over the mic when you were looking down. Clip the mic down on your shirt and not around your collar. Problem solved!
+Todd Thomas Excellent catch. Thanks!
Just a point.. No pun intended. Drawing the Shingle blade towards yourself parallel to you arm at 4:29 is looking for trouble. Many people have done serious damage by doing exactly that.
Dave, you could demonstrate how to use the 40m dipole on say 20m and or 10m by inserting an insulator part way along the dipole arms, its a pain when you want to change bands as it has to be lowered, but its certainly budget antenna de G zero FFL
Our club has an antenna just like that that we use for Field Day. Such an antenna is easy to build, though tuning everything just right will take lots of work.
Great tutorials Dave. I tell all the new hams I know to check out your channel. Maybe you could do a video telling us about your career as an engineer. I bet you have lots of interesting stories. 73's
How did you put that up high? How high must it go? What did the numbers on your analyzer mean? Sorry...newbie...
Very handy video. I hadn't thought about using Romex before.
Hey Dave, I took a little trip today (Farmington, Hesperus, Dolores, Telluride, and then around the mountain thru Ridgeway, Ouray, Durango, Silverton, etc, and back to Farmington). Unfortunately I didn't have the repeater in your area programmed in and I didn't have the manual with me so I didn't get a chance to give you a call. I'll get up that way later this year and hopefully I'll be able to give you a call. 73 NE5U Mike
Sorry we missed each other!
Excellent video, made it look easy! Hope to hear you on the air.
:-) It wasn't. Much of the material ended up on the cutting room floor. It just takes patience. When I'm on the air, not as much as I like, I'm on either 20m or 40m.
To save you time, he has 3 pieces of wires that were connected together and split them. Jump to 7:31 onto the second step.
You use what you got and if it works then great! I did the same when I was a Novice (1986) recycled wire from construction projects around town that had to solder to make 5 bands for a fan dipole. I had a Radio Shack soldering iron and my Dad's old Weller soldering gun that he bought around the mid fifties. I quickly found the RS soldering iron didn't have enough heat to flow the solder. So, I agree with Steve about having a Weller in your toolkit. Glad your homebrew worked. About your 2 masts though. Do you think the 2 friction joints would hold up to extended use? Look forward to your tests of the commercial built antennas. 72 de Terry - KB8AMZ
You sound persistent! That's the ham spirit! I do have a Weller, but have gotten into the bad habit of using the soldering station for everything. I should at least have put a bigger tip on it.
Pow. Pow pop. At 2:00 am . It all came down. Again. A 2" pipe was broken in the mid night pull down. Put it all up (again) and at 68 years old that was work. Seems I've got to pay for all the entertainment I get. What will the Vandal think of a fence charger??. Used mostly used for mw and 160 meters. Not a transmitter Ant . Best wishes stay well. Kv4li.
Did you need to ground the wire? And you didn’t address what the top end looks like thanks Kc2duy 73
David, thanks i enjoy your video. Regards from Chile!
When you were slicing the Romex with that knife next to your arm, I winced. It looked like one slip would have opened up your forearm quite seriously.
I was thinking that too. I didn't set a very good example, did I?
Yes thank you Dave it is for hf I am using a diy virticle at the moment it's a cross between two old antennas
Is there a reason why you did not use a matching transformer?
This answers a pretty big question of mine about HF antennas. Thanks OG \m/
PS: Some producers are gonna sample the heck out of this vid.
That is part of Ham Radio. Building antennas without spending money. I wish it was the same with 100w radios!
KuriosPC it can be if you just happen to have all the parts laying around you could build your own radio. I am slowly building a sw/hf rx radio. Already got a little bit of a signal on it but its still weak and not verry selectife, but tweeking it till you get it right is part of the fun.
Another Great Video Dave Thank you.
Thanks Dave info was great for me
Just a couple of questions, what are you using as the support poles for your dipole? If converting it to an inverted dipole the length remains the same for each arm. Like the comment about not worrying about solder if lightning strikes, but do you have protection ? spark arrester /gap at the transmitter/ receiver end or ATU?
I'm using two pieces of chain link fence top rail, available from Home Depot. One fits into the other pretty well. I have lightning surge protectors on all antenna leads mounted on a ground rod where the antenna leads come into the house.
Super Video thanks for the great videos
You're welcome!
do you have parts list? I would like get those white insulators for the dipole you inspired me to make! Thanks 73!
Great video thank you sir! Love the concept of not having to go out and sling the cash/card around. Where can I find the formula for figuring up 1/2 wavelength for the different frequencies?
For dipoles divide 468 by the frequency to the length of a half wave dipole. Then divide by 2 for each wire's length. For inverted V antennas divide 450 by the frequency and then divide by 2. When I make my antennas I make them a foot or two longer and then fold back the excess a little at at time at the end until I get the resonant frequency where I want it.
If your antenna gets struck by lighting, there's going to be more than solder that "goes away".
I've watched 86 videos in a row, and never has Dave explained where he got that black and blue circuit board holder device. Can someone please link to it on amazon or qsradio or somewhere? I'd like to grab one.
You haven't watched enough videos! You can get it at Amazon here: amzn.to/3ohzoeY
Another great video! BTW, LOL, I really like that tee-shirt!
love all your videos, thx so much!! keep it up.
Dave -
As usual an interesting lesson & video. we are all getting old and less frisky. I'm wondering about RF safety, specifically safe distance from a radiating RF antenna. As I read FCC OET65, the safe distance from a 40 meter band antenna at 500W or less is 1/2 wavelength = 70 ft.
I know very little about amateur radio. do these numbers seem right to you ? what is the typical amateur radio station broadcasting power ?
See my video on RF safety that has quantitative guidance from the FCC. ruclips.net/video/E0kK4kgKitM/видео.html
You are awesome. Subscribed!
This must have been his First antenna. I am surprised.
I learned black is positive in tent campers as well..
😂
Thank you for your help could I ask that you can make a video of the different antenna connectors of ham radios there so many I have a look at the one that you said thank you once again
See my connector video at ruclips.net/video/ol36eqfEtlw/видео.html
I think the audio issue is that the mic is being covered by your chin/neck when you drop your head down.
It's a new transmission mode: neck vision
...That Home Depot wire was stranded...is there a better choice, stranded or solid ?
Personally I prefer stranded wire. It's easier to work with.
I wish there were more close up shots. But great presentation anyways.
Great video - scary thumbnail!
Hello dave I just getting in to ham radios I'm. Looking to get a yaseu ftdx5000 or a icom ic 7700 what would you recommend for antenna for the top of my house and why does the back of these ham radios that I said have more then one antenna connections thank you James
James, neither of the radios you mention are beginners radios. They're very complex, totally top of the line, and extremely complicated to run correctly. I'd suggest you start with something like the Icom 7300 or the Yaesu FT-991A or you can go even much lower. Even the most basic rigs from the "big three" (the other being Icom) are good radios. The top end radios have multiple antenna connectors for multiple antennas. The best antenna to start with is a single band dipole and then go from there. No ham is ever completely satisfied with his or her "antenna farm."
A big old soldering gun if you have one makes short work of soldering those heavier wires.
Thanks for this video. I'm really fascinated by the the price / complexity / performance trade-offs between simple wire antennas, verticals, and beams. I've got dipoles at home, and though I've never tried anything else, I've been happy with them.
Curious to know how you think your testing rig at 20 feet will affect the performance of a 40m antenna. Have you modeled the pattern in NEC?
Twenty feet is too low for a good 40m dipole, although it's about all I can reasonably achieve. This will push the takeoff angle up, at least partly into NVIS (Near Vertical Incidence Skywave) propagation.
Hello dave thank u for brilliant video, qui ! What is good size for 100 watt in mm not on gauges ?
73
I suspect there are conversion table on the internet. 16 gauge is 1.29 mm.
I'm surprised that you don't have a Weller soldering gun. They are great for that heavy wire.
I recently got a Harbor Freight 180 watt gun for 12.99 after tax with a 20% off coupon, specifically for this, and sticking solder to aluminum. It doesn't have as much grunt as the box says, but so far it's doing all of that wonderfully. And I can still afford more accessories.
I picked up a Weller at Goodwill for $6.00!
I do have a Weller and should have used it.
Update- at 1 month the collet tips have broken and will not hold an iron tip. I' gettin a Weller.
Does a low swr, necessarily mean it's resident? I'm not so sure that's 100% correct.. what about rf problems without a choke?
In general the lowest SWR point will be reasonably near resonance, but the actual definition of resonance is that the reactive component is zero.
David Casler ok, thanks Dave
hi dave great video what antenna design can you recomend for a space of 12 x 10ft
I'm assuming for HF. Maybe one of the vertical antennas that doesn't need radials, like the AV-640 or similar. Get the base up off the ground by ten feet or so, or put it on your roof.
I wonder if you could solder large wires using a butane torch instead.
Yes, don't overheat though.
@@davecasler
Right, that would introduce a ton of impedance. Good call. Thanks!
Hi Dave. New ham here. Great video and it answered many questions I had very clearly. One leftover question I have about dipole construction is this: Does the wire you pull through the insulators for mechanical security figure into the dipole length?
Thanks! Jeff KN4QPL
Yes, but not the wire folded back on itself, if that makes sense.
Ok, so the total length is still the amount pulled through the insulator, up to where it doubles over and twists. Right?
Dave, surprised your antenna was that far off if it was 66 feet. Each side should be 234/Fmhz or, of course, 33 feet. I find that comes pretty close to somewhere inside the 40m band. If your original length was resonant at 6 Mhz, then it was about 38.5 feet on a side. In any event, if I am a Mhz or more low at HF, I cut 6 inches off each end and measure until the frequency falls within 250 Khz and then it's an inch at a time. Another way is to determine proportionally how much to cut or add by dividing the original measurement is to divide your center frequency by your **desired** center frequency.
Bottom line is that **no ham** should buy a commercially made dipole until he makes at least one of his own. And then he will **never** buy one afterwards when he sees how much money he saves!
71/72 de k6whp
dit dit
Yes, dipoles are easy if done methodically.
It's an AC supply cable, so no positive and negative. Live and neutral!
Depends on how you look at it. In engineering, particularly RF engineering, AC has a sense that is either positive or negative. Of course, there has to be a reference somewhere. But AC RMS current and voltage definitely have a positive and negative. In electrician terms, there's the hot and the neutral (I've always wondered why AC isn't distributed in a balanced way, but it isn't) and don't think the neutral is ground, because it only is at the service entrance!
@@davecasler I always think of the neutral as the center tap of the transformer. Your videos are excellent - thank you!
Hey Dave, haven’t seen any new videos in awhile, hope all is ok! I watched this video several times and antennas confuse me. I would like to make a dipole for 10 meters and I’m not sure of my length or my formulas. Can you help me out with that? Also is it better to feed with ladder line than regular coax? I would love a mug... -73- W1KPS
Kevin, the general formula for the length of a half-wave dipole is 468 divided by the frequency in megahertz. It gives a result measured in feet. If you make a ten meter dipole, use about 28.4 MHz as your frequency, because that's the middle of where the activity is, such as it is with the low sunspot cycle. You can feed with ladderline with a tuner or with coax and not need a tuner (if you tweak the antenna for lowest SWR). You can order the coffee mug right on RUclips.
@@davecasler Thank you for your reply Dave.I appreciate it. -73- W1KPS
Great video Dave! How tall were your test poles? I’m thinking I can get a dipole 20’ off the ground, but that might be max. I’m hoping for all hope I can do some DX. I’m limited by some funding for a tower (kind of expensive) and by my wife. I really wish I could run about a half mile of cable to the radio station tower, but that might be expensive and they may frown upon it. Anyway I’m playing catch-up with videos as I’m a new tech, but loving it. -73- Kevin KC1KSM
My test towers were only 20 feet tall.
I'm new to Ham so, take this for what it's worth. The antenna tester read 7.some odd MHz and you said that's the top of the band. My crappy little Baofeng reads 400 some odd MHz. Are we talking about the same MHz? Are we talking about radio frequencies? Big sign over my head reads, "Not Getting It"
I was illustrating a 40-meter dipole.
Study "ham radio bands". You may have figured it out by now.
What type of insulators? Where to buy?
73 de KI5CXO;
You can make them from pieces of plastic pipe, or buy electric fence insulators at a farm and ranch store, or use little pieces of plexiglas with holes drilled in them--lots of options.
You also had that antenna tester.
Can u use fishing line?
Yes, if it's strong enough.