TIM G5TM - AMATEUR RADIO PAGE

Ever thought about a Doublet Antenna? Just why do you have to use ladderline instead of coaxial cable if you want to use multiple bands with one centre fed dipole? Here's a look at why...

What is your preference? In this video I looked at both of these options to see how each would be likely to perform as a true multi-band antenna from 80-10 metres.

  In my quest to find a convenient multi-band solution to operating HF portable I have tried several configurations, including the venerable linked-dipole for 40/20metres and full sized 20-metre-long end-fed half wave antennas. The selection of Ampro-whip antennas I own perform well from 14 MHz and upwards but become a true compromise from 7MHz and below.   My interest in using 40 metres portable has necessitated the need to use full sized half-wave antennas in both of the above mentioned configurations, which in turn requires the use of a good deal of space to accommodate a 67 foot long antenna. The safety aspect, ensuring that high voltage end points are kept above head height, means that I often need 80 feet or more of space to run an antenna portable for 7 MHz.   Those of us who operate portable have probably experienced the difficulties faced with utilising this much space. Hill-tops and beach-side locations are often used by other people and this leads to issues...

  A Multi-band Home-brew Antenna in a Small Garden or a Newcomer to HF   A Typical Dilemma: So you have just passed your Foundation Exam and/or you live in a typical small British garden in an urban or semi-rural setting. You have no room for a full-sized 40 metre dipole (even in an inverted-v configuration). Maybe you have tried a vertical antenna such as one fed with a 9:1 UNUN but found it noisy and not a great radiator of your much-prized RF? Or you are tempted to spend a few hundred pounds on that shiny new multiband (no radials) vertical that would surely become your solution?   Such all-band off-the-shelf verticals are easily obtainable and can work well. However, many newly qualified operators are faced with two major obstacles with these antennas:   1. Price: typically ranges from around £200 to beyond £500.   2. The need for radials: Many manufacturers and sellers will maintain that you can work these vertical antennas without radials. Yo...

Anyone who has visited my YOU TUBE channel will know I enjoy working HF Mobile. My choice has been using the basic, but effective, mono-band Ampro range of Hamsticks, as sold here in the UK. Below you will find some links to some of the videos I have made about working HF Mobile. I am lucky to live a ten minute drive from a seaside location and therefore the extra kick from having a nearby saltwater ground-plane. Why don't you try it!? 73 De G5TM