Half Square Antenna Tips and Tricks | HAM RADIO

The Half Square antenna is capable of fitting into a small space, and this 20m version offers 3dB gain in two directions. It requires only 10m garden length and can be configured to also operate on 40m, 15m and 10m as well as 20m. Even 80m operation is possible with a simple home made add-on.
Our Original Video describing the 20n Half Square
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[@simonm0jqm615]

Peter, thank you for all you do to encourage amateur radio experiments. Simon

[@watersstanton]

Many thanks Simon.

[@emoisit]

You are the only person on the internet that has said which way this antenna radiates. I have been looking through Google and KZbin searches and no one ever says if it is off the sides or the ends. They always show the EZNEC patters and stuff but never in reference to which way the antenna is hanging. So... Thank you for answering the most important question about how to string this antenna up for the direction one is looking for. 👍 String it up North/South. Radiates East/West. Thank you!!!

[@watersstanton]

Glad to be of help John

[@F4LDT-Alain]

Just watched two video of yours about this antenna and they're of great help, thanks! When voltage-fed, it's basically an EFHW with a different shape from the usual sloper, inverted L or V, isn't it? But this shape does seem to bring significant improvements. It's a rainy Sunday, K index is in the red, no portable today so let's cut some wire. And here comes my half-square antenna ready to be brought up on two poles, with red electrical tape markers at 5.03m and 10.21m (metric system here...). To be tested for my next portable field day. Thanks and best 73s!

[@user-mh6hi8of5j]

Greetings from across the pond. I was licensed near Boston, Massachusetts and moved to North Carolina near Charlotte. Thank you for the tips on the 20m half square antenna. Very helpful. I will give it a try. Soon I will be working off a large mag loop that easily tunes 80/40m. without moving any tubing around. It looks a lot like a swing set when assembled. It's about 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep. I expect good results from it. 73 de KB1KVL

[@loonypontoony]

Excellent, Just set one up using a 49/1 transformer that i puchased with a EFHW antenna which never really performed very well in the way i set it up (low and sloping up), it works very well on 20m acording to DX spot and just had a qso with a chap on 10m in Bulgaria that gave me a 5/9 and sounded shocked at my 10 watts of power, as mentioned it seems quite directional as expected. Thanks for the advice and 73s M7MNM.

[@watersstanton]

Great to hear from you. Keep at it. 73 Peter

[@presidentspilot]

Thank you, Peter! I am on a quest to build one like what you have recommended, for 80 meters and above,..... set about 40 feet high, using a home-brew 100 micro henry coil at the other end, starting from my 20 foot high deck, and boosted up even higher,.... with 2 stacked, ten-foot top-rail pole sections, (used for American chain-link fencing, as suggested by Dave Casler, KE0OG). I LOVE ENGLAND!! I was there in Gloucester, for about 15 consecutive summers, working with an English craftsman, Robert Mitchell, who was permitted (by Her Majesty) to build near-exact copies of the Thomas Tompion Barometers, currently hanging in Hampton Court Palace. (As he has now passed away, I no long go back there!) He was a like a TRUE father to me!! I will ALWAYS miss typical SENIOR GENTLEMEN of the English 'persuasion',.. like yourself, Peter. ALL CLASS!! God Bless, Peter!! 73's and TNX! Ron, K6PAM

[@bobadkins7377]

Thank you for this info. There seems to be an explosion of alternatives to the classic dipole this particular cycle. Good! I’ve been working on alternative ones myself and this half square is very appealing. You are sharing great information Peter, thanks again, keep it coming.

[@watersstanton]

Tou are very welcome.

[@glennstevenson6242]

I really enjoy your videos Peter. Thank you.

[@watersstanton]

Glad you like them!

[@bassangler73]

Thanks Peter!

[@watersstanton]

You are welcome.

[@garrywalker2783]

Hi Peter. I built one of these a few weeks back. Im very pleased with it as the performance is very good and it makes a great portable antenna too. Ive also been working DX on 40m with it this past few days, granted conditions have been good, but it works very well even on 40. It compares well at the other end with my 10m 5/8 wave vertical ans as 10 has been so hot lately, Ive been switching between the 2 antennas. The 5/8 wave is slightly better on average, but on many contacts, theres nothing between them. All in all, very impressed. F5VDM

[@watersstanton]

Thanks for sharing. 73 Peter

[@Mottersmotters]

Great video as always. Thank you for the advice and information. I have tried a efhw and vertical in mine. My garden is between to rows of terrace, gardens backing onto each other. Small garden indeed, 8x8 with a shed, grass and some decking. I bet my neighbours love the sight of my 10m mast when it goes up. As for noise I get a S5-7 depending on the day. Struggling to get more than Finland and spain but I am qrp 5w on the Ft817 Motters M7TRS 73 👍🏻

[@watersstanton]

Good to hear from you. Keep at it.

[@brianfields4479]

Very interesting ant, although my 20m vertical works very well, but now I simply put a parasitic reflector behind it, I got 6-10db gain in my favored direction long path. Only using 2 5m cheap painting poles.

[@watersstanton]

6-10dB is normally only achieved with several elements. In fact 10dB at HF is extremely difficult to achieve with anything other than a very large antenna.

[@DanMarkland]

Would be interested in how this sits in your garden with regards to EMF compliance. Most of the popular HAM channels seem to be keeping very quiet on this subject considering the rest of the HF bands come into force in Novemeber.

[@watersstanton]

I think a I would be more concerned about a VHF 5W handheld in forn of my facw!

[@DanMarkland]

​@@watersstanton I get that, I really do but unfortunately it doesn't seem to be about common sense. The fact is, if you run probably as little as 10W through that with 3db gain, you wouldn't be compliant in a small garden. You'd have to run it through the calculator, accept that it's not compliant and document what steps you take to ensure it is only operated in compliance e.g a monitored perimeter with no transmissions when people are near by or just run the power so low it's not even worth it. The reality is, this nonsense is here to stay and I think it should be addressed when discussing these types of antennas.

[@danielwinn5707]

@@DanMarkland Good news! The ARRL has a calculator for these questions! If you run a 100w radio into this antenna, with a 5db gain figure (more than W/S states in this vid) the minimum distance from the antenna is about 3.5 feet. 1000w is roughly 12ft. So, there's some info for ya. Have a great day!

[@dannybleachflower8628]

@@DanMarkland make a video about it then rather than moan about what KZbinrs do.

[@DanMarkland]

@@danielwinn5707 I know there is a calculator for this, my point is videos showing how to run these antennas in small gardens without addressing the elephant in the room where you're not strictly 'allowed' to run it properly seems a bit misleading.

[@gregtreble9086]

I have been running a 20m half square for over 3 months in 2 configurations voltage fed using 2 X 7m squid poles as supports and feeding with a ,9:1 UnUn and last 2 months using two timber posts 3.9m high with a fibreglass dowl insulator mount into aluminium telescopic tubing 5.2m long with a 10.3m horizontal wire connected to the same on the other vertical. My 9m X 9m steel shed is between the verticals and used as a grounded counterpoise. I voltage feed with an AH4 auto tuner and works extremely well on 40m and 20m with DX and Australia wide communications and I find also is a very quiet antenna. 20m DX 5/9 reports to UK and even on 40m a 5/9 report to Denmark which blows my mind that this was possible with 100 watts. It will tune with 9:1 and AH4 from 89m to 10m however performance on 80m only suitable for local chats. Well done on your videos on the half square which I find the same as you reported. Cheers Greg VK3KV These two antennas

[@watersstanton]

Hi Greg, great to hear the results you are getting. I hope it encourages others to try this antenna out. 73 Peter.

[@markturner5799]

great easy to follow video everyone are making half squares now i love it with my g90 still going strong thanks peter

[@watersstanton]

Good news

[@YllaStar95970]

Great Winter project.👍

[@watersstanton]

Thanks 👍

[@ik8vwa]

I can't figure out what to use for the two upper corners where the wire should create a 90° angle. Would you help, please?

[@markturner5799]

just built another going to try for 80 thanks for that by the way the g90 tunes up the 20 half square

[@watersstanton]

Have fun!

[@Porco_Utah]

I have Inverted L antenna 18 ft height 30 ft long with wire on other end hanging down, now I know it is called Half Square antenna. I feed them with automatic antenna tuner. indeed it is very quiet receive antenna. AG6JU

[@colinmcdonald7591]

I think you've started something on the internet. M0XXT obviously got wind of this and is trying one out as well. His modelling shows very good gain over a quarter wave at a low angle good for DX. He modeled the mono band version fed at the top corner directly with 50ohm coax though. I would be interested to see what the modelling would look like fed at the bottom of one of the legs with the 49:1 unun and whether this configuration reduces gain or changes far field radiation patterns in any way. Just as an aside, ready made 40M end fed half wave antennas are pretty cheap and easy to get these days. One could just buy one and configure it as a half square. I am curious if you used a ground rod on the shield side of the unun? You don't have to I know but some experimenters swear by it and say it improves performance if you have an earth ground with an end fed half wave antenna.

[@watersstanton]

Many thanks. The change in feed point still preserves the gain on 20m. I have never ever found any benefit in an earth or a counterpose with an EFHW. . BUT the coax choke immediately below the 49:1 is absolutely essential. 73 Peter.

[@shropshireladoutdoors743]

Dx commander just did this ,this week very strange

[@Testalan1212]

Stolen?

[@watersstanton]

My original video of 2 months ago probably prompted that. Either way it is a great little antenna.

[@markturner5799]

@@Testalan1212 this is the second video off peter about this antenna i think me calling into cals chat on a few freq on his lives

[@markturner5799]

make one and see its a great dx antenna

[@woodskid4ever]

Lol...no patent on the HS. Chillax...

[@richarde735]

what if I make a 40m half square (10, 20, 10 in length) but tune it for 20m will I achieve greater gain on 20m?

[@watersstanton]

No

[@dezwatson6993]

It probably will have gain on 20m but won't radiate broadside like on its fundamental. It will most likely fire off the ends.

[@markturner5799]

on 40 15

[@dannybleachflower8628]

Interesting that this has already been covered by other channels lately.....