Ham Radio HF DX Antenna First Contacts - Morse code practice with captions

A 26-foot mast, 49:1 unun transformer and a scramble wound coax choke make an easy and effective homebrew vertical antenna system for the 17-meter amateur radio band. My first two contacts with this simple vertical antenna were Germany and France.
An unusually warm February 9th presented the chance to install this quick and easy antenna. The mast was already in place, supporting two horizontal wire antennas. (Previously, when I installed the mast, I included a plastic insulator between the aluminum mast and the steel fence post support. A PVC sleeve around both the fencepost and the mast keeps the mast centered on the top of the post and prevents rotation.)
A half-wavelength vertical radiating element results in a wavefront that is directed in the most advantageous direction for long distance (DX) communications, with most of the radiated energy concentrated at a low angle above the horizon.
For Morse code practice, remember you can control the speed to your preference with the KZbin playback control settings. Have fun!
73 NG9D

[@dwlawson78]

Love your videos. And love the fact that you adjusted the weigh of the bug to match the speed of your contact. I have a lot of respect for you as an operator.