Easy to Build Quarterwave Vertical Antenna

How I build this easy Quarterwave Vertical antenna for 20 meters. #hamradio #amateurradio #antenna
Amazon link to telescopic pole:
a.co/d/cf2CmJ4
Amazon link to banana wire clip:
a.co/d/bCXxCL0
Amazon link to beach umbrella sand spike:
a.co/d/4YgvGpT
Amazon link to speaker wire:
a.co/d/73IgGm9
Amazon link to copper ground strap:
a.co/d/98Gvcpt
Affiliate Facebook group I Love QRP:
/ iloveqrp

[@k2wo1]

Love the videos and love your enthusiasm. Well done Walt. 73, George K2WO

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thank you so much George! 73 K4OGO

[@Tommyr]

Got to love those quick to deploy verticals! Easy peasy!

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Yes quick and easy!

[@Tommy_Boy.]

Super video Walt! Thanks for getting this one together and sharing! Love it! Nicely done. 👍📻⚡

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks so much for the kind words!!!!

[@pd9rd]

You have some very interesting antenna video's, thanks! 73 from The Netherlands.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks for watching! 73, Walt

[@hamradioqrp-k0klb]

Gotta love the G90.. great contacts on the wire... another fantastic video.. thx for sharing you ham radio skills... k0klb

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks so much my friend!!

[@user-zb9us4on9r]

Hi Walt. Really nice video and thanks for making it.😀

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks so much Paul!

[@FEPLabsRadio]

Walt - great job!! "Antennas by random parts"!

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks! hahaha yep, kinda like Grandma's pot luck soup, just through what ya got in the kitchen in it and it comes out good!

[@Alex_ES1MER]

Hello Walt Thank you for sharing with everyone, your useful experience. Which in our case, very simple or let's say plug and play. This makes our hobby, all around the world, more and more popular. As a result, we have G90s, like me, you and many other amateurs. 73, Alexandr ES1MER, from Nordic Europe.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks so much Alexandr! 73 from the Atlantic Coast of the USA!

[@mikestone9129]

Always great to see what you're building next. As a fairly new Technician Class I'm always learning. You are motivating me to get my General. Miss Norfolk area. 73s

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Go get that General!!!! 73 my friend!

[@timg5tm941]

Great job again Walt!

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks so much Tim! I’ll be over in Europe in a few days hunting for you on the bands!

[@kennethblackwell1137]

Thanks Walt. I enjoy your channel.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@k4nyxradio485]

Love 1/4 wave vertical when portable!!!! Run one at the home qth as well. Simple antenna with decent performance.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Yes indeed!

[@alan4cars]

Another fun video. A great ham radio location with a simple antenna. 73 WA6MOW

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks so much Alan! 73 K4OGO

[@DK5ONV]

Uncle Walter R O C K S. I will never forget our 1st portable to portable Contact we had earlier this Year. 💯👍👍👍🙋‍♂️

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Me too Uncle G it was awesome! I’ll be in Poland in a few days and will be looking for you on the bands! 73 my friend!

[@DK5ONV]

@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Good moring UW. Those are good News and i will try to catch the Train (my Bike) to get to one of my portable Radio Places. I am in progess to move to a new Place to live just a few Blocks around the Corner from my old Place. A fatass Heatwave hit my Location again, yesterday 102°F in the Day and 86°F at Night. Today 96°F and the Humidity is as high as the Mt. Everest. We just sweating like Pigs from doing nothing. I am looking forward to chat with you via Airwaves. Happy mid of the Weekday & 73 de YFUG🙋‍♂️🍻

[@DanielWiley]

KEWL Activation. I have that antenna in my bag also, works Great. Also carry a EFHW and a NorCal Doublet.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks! I'm headed to Europe for work and will be there a couple months. I have an EFHW packed! 73 K4OGO

[@2yiz]

Nice location and good works...

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks! I’m lucky to live near such a great spot

[@control5835]

Hi Walt, very similar to my set-up here in the back streets of Dover UK! I've a home brew designed vert, but for 7mhz (but it will also tune on 14mhz) mine is ten turns of 3mm (outside dia. plastic coated multi-strand) on 2" plastic water pipe. Then four metres above the base loading coil. Just random length radials and earth stakes. All over Europe on just 10W!

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

That’s awesome, thanks for sharing!

[@spencerhochstetler]

Thanks for the video and inspiration to put one of these together. I picked up the "Red Fox" version of your "Breeze" carbon fiber telescoping fishing pole from Amazon. A tip for those that purchase carbon fiber poles: some of these poles will interact with the vertical wire in a pretty severe way when the wire runs alongside the rod. In my case, a 16.5' wire that was taped to the vertical pole was resonant at about 11 (!) MHz and not ~14 MHz as it should be. So, I leaned the pole over (drove a tube into the ground to hold it) by about 30 degrees from vertical and hung the wire from the end of the pole like a crane lifts a load. Resonance at 14 MHz achieved! With 4 quarter wave radials [I don't have an ocean nearby ;)], I was able to work VT, IA, and WI from my yard in TN at 20W on my Xiegu G90 at an SWR < 1.5 during testing. A very portable setup and I look forward to activating some parks on POTA and maybe just play radio while on vacation... 73...

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Good info, thanks for commenting. 73 de K4OGO

[@Adam-qd8jh]

Thank you! I was having the same issue. I attached my 16.5’ speaker wire to the most flexible piece at the top and it bent just enough to keep the wire away from the pole. When I had my wire taped to the pole I was getting an swr of 8 but afterwards my swr dropped back down to 1.3 from the beginning of the band and 1.8 at the far end

[@LB0FI]

Awesome! And that was my plan b if I couldn’t get a hold of a telescopic whip.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Excellent plan B, I really enjoyed your video today!!!!

[@LB0FI]

@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Thanks!

[@chrisranes7964]

Great antenna and video. I wonder how well it would perform if the radials were elevated? 73, Chris NS8Q

[@akcharlie1960]

REALLY APPRECIATE all your vids starring the G90. I'm ordering one soon for POTA/SOTA/field ops and want to know what battery you like and do you recommend the Mars Mod. Keep the videos coming.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Mine has the Mars mod, it’s easy and safe. I like my little LifePo4 6aH battery. Perfect size and lasts for hours.

[@LambertMatias]

Great to see you giving the g90 some love ❤😊. Questions: Why should someone buy an Fx-4cr over a g90? And would you ever part with your Fx-4cr?

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Honestly if I had to pick one I would buy the G90 over the FX-4CR. No I wouldn't part with my FX-4CR, it is also a great little radio and very compact for portable ops. It all comes down to that internal tuner in the G90 giving it the edge. other than that it's a toss up between the two.

[@bitemykrank1970]

Add some floating radials by tying some wine bottle corks onto copper wires so they float on the surface, 3-5 bits of wire about 5m long with a few corks on each.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Great idea!

[@bevo65]

Walt, how and when are you logging these QSOs? Are you going back and listening to the video? Either that or you're really good with one hand!

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

I go back through the video, it’s time stamped

[@bevo65]

@@COASTALWAVESWIRES Thanks. As a n00b, I have a hard time copying people's calls -- they talk fast and I listen slow. 😆

[@thehamjazz]

G'day Walt, love your videos mate. Hey a question about this antenna.... what was the SWR with this set up? I do a similar thing up here with 2 raised radials and a 17ft whip, SWR 1:1, right across the 20M band. I definitely want to throw the radial(s) into the ocean. Thanks for posting the video mate. 73. Simon

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks Simon. SWR on this is about the same, 1:1 across the band from 14.250 to 14.347. You will be amazed at the effect of operating with the radials in saltwater. 73! Walt K4OGO

[@martinmurphy5139]

Walt, great job as always! Can you share links for the fishing rod and the banana clip?

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks so much! Just added links to the pole and clips in the description of the video.

[@henry87349]

I love watching your videos as I’m a new tech with a G90. Question if I build a 10m version of this vertical do I need to use a balun or unun? I haven’t really learned about these yet and want to try out some antennas out. I understand that balance the unbalanced power in coax but the G90 has a good tuner I think just wondering if it would be ok.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

With the G90 and it's tuner you could absolutely build it without a balun or unun. A vertical wire 8 feet 3 inches should get you perfect SWR in the SSB portion of 10 meters for Techs. I do it just using a banana clip without a balun and it works great. Good luck and good DX!

[@henry87349]

Thank you I’m going to try it today.

[@andyw3720]

Your audio is amazing. How are you capturing it? Also, my G-90 is my go-to radio for POTA activations, usually leaving my FT-891 at home. You’re having fun there! Waves from Mobile, AL

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Hi Andy, I just use the internal mic in my iPhone 13 Pro Max and then edit the levels in KineMaster when I edit the video. 73, Walt

[@Aimsport-video]

You’ll notice he speaks loudly. That helps the iphone mics so as well as they do.

[@AnthonyJones-vk6xq]

Walt great video, i would love to know the name of the short music track at the start of your videos ? Keep the videos coming.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks Anthony, that track was done for me by my son who’s a pretty popular local musician here in the Norfolk area. He was formerly with a band called Court Street Company and recently left and formed his new band Allen Hudson and the Halfmoons. Here’s a link to their first single that was just released: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXymoWaJhbOajKM

[@outlaw6595]

Great show and set up. 1/4 on 20 meter? And did you use any transformer ( I didn't see one) or try to tune it on other bands?

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

No transformer, just the wire clip at the end of the coax. My G90 tuner actually tuned it up on 17 but there wasn't much on he band at the time. Thanks for watching! 73 K4OGO

[@millbitchell]

Was the antenna resonant or did you use the tuner in the G90? Great video Walt!

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

It was resonant for 20 meters didn’t need the ATU. I’ve actually used it on 17 with the G90’s tuner. Thanks for watching!!

[@CE3FJK]

free salt water amplifier never fails. good activation 73s!

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks for watching! 73, K4OGO

[@agoraphobicadam1171]

Cool Antenna. 73 Walt, KO4HPC

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks Adam!! 73 K4OGO

[@ralph9987]

Hi Walt, Is this antenna multi band? What were the swr readings on 20 thru 10? And what logging app do you use? 73

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Hi, this antenna is a resonant 20 meter band antenna with perfect 1:1 SWR on that band. It can be cut for any band. I just log with QRZ. 73, Walt K4OGO

[@WillieJu]

That fishing rod is carbon fibre, - does it not affect the wire antenna negatively because its a conductive material?

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Nope not at all

[@petermajor4599]

💎💎💎💎💪 GREAT 👋🍀🐿👋

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks!!!

[@petermajor4599]

@@COASTALWAVESWIRES 👋 kind regards from germany. De Peter , 73🤗😄

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Peter I’m about to board a plane to Munich in 30 minutes 😂 Unfortunately I’ll only be passing through on my way to Gdańsk. 73, Walt

[@petermajor4599]

@@COASTALWAVESWIRES BOAH 🌼🌻🌼🌻🌼🌻 that is extreme cool!!! HAVE A NICE TRIP to europe!!!!! 😊 unbelievable 😊 🍀 i am home at 40 minutes from airport MUC

[@SuperCapsfan101]

Hi, Walt. I want to build one of these. No balun or choke required? Tnx 73, Mike K3CXG

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

You can build it without one as I showed here but a 1:1 balun will make this a much better antenna.

[@brianfields4479]

hey walt my friend, hope your well. great video, great ant, simple, works just great, what more does anyone want. my 1/4 verts work zl to eu and everywhere else everyday, and yet some tell me verts are no good or need to be elevated to work dx hi. keep up the good work, see you next time. zl3xdj.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks so much my friend! 73/K4OGO

[@control5835]

Verts best ground fed! And long as without blowing over, if not compensate for length with base loading coil. Tune to say 7.15 then find correct no. of turns for max. signal, this should be near best for xmit resonance as well! These verts can simply be moved as far from noise sources as possible and with their co-ax feeds going along the ground they aren't suseptable to qrm!

[@selenamiranda8409]

How do you tuna boat? Or tuna fish? = With a 1/4 wave fishing pole.

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

hahahaha

[@josehenriqueschossland485]

Qual e o tamanho do contrapeso ?

[@waynerichter3190]

How long does the 12v/6a battery power the g90?

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

I’ve used it for 4 to 5 hours continuously without issue

[@waynerichter3190]

Thanks! Last question I swear…when you put radials for this antenna (not in water) how many Is minimum and how long do they need to be? I am space compromised at my place. I love your channel. Your my new go to for ham and qrp!

[@PatAutrey]

Does the radio actually go in the water? Does it get wet and submerged or is it above the water

[@PatAutrey]

I meant to say ground radial

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

@@PatAutrey yes I drop the radial into the water but try to keep as much of it on the surface of the water. It’s the water surface that’s the ground plane.

[@PatAutrey]

@@COASTALWAVESWIRES thanks for clarifying! I was planning to put a weight on it to sink it to the bottom!

[@o2jmpr1]

No common mode choke?

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Not when I was putting it together but it would absolutely perform better with one.

[@snowdiddley4634]

Cool beans Walt KE8NKV 73

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks for watching! 73 K4OGO

[@gregjones3660]

Hamateur radio

[@n1drs679]

Nice work Walt antenna works fantastic Nice to make your video 😂 de N1DRS

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks so much for the awesome QSO! That playback was the best part of the video, I really appreciate it. 73 de K4OGO

[@SmokeSignalsRF]

Great video showing how easy it is to get on the air. 🎙 W1FYG

[@COASTALWAVESWIRES]

Thanks for watching! 73, K4OGO