Basic Principles of Cheap Wire Antennas for Newbies in Ham Radio

Correction at 33:21 - frequency should be lower - around 6.95MHz. Cheap and Easy.. A Free Lunch for Ham Radio operators. Verticals, dipoles, delta loops, DX or daytime QSOs. Why you need at least THREE antennas.
Callum.
Originally presented to Northern Colorado Amateur Radio Club on Jan 20th 2024.
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▶️ • Tips and Tricks Tips and Tricks
▶️ • Antennas Antennas
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▶️ • Commander World My Stuff
▶️ • Foundation Training Ham Radio Training

[@thomasperina2990]

Hello Lord Callum: Thank you for another terrific antenna. One thing about you old chap is that you live & breathe antennas. Thank you again sir, God Bless, & my best wishes to you, Wendy, & your Beautiful dogs. TMP, Unit22, from N.J.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Thank you! Have a great day !!

[@YllaStar95970]

30 years of experience, into a 45 mins video, to resonant with a newbie to the hobby? You Sir, are the ultimate balun.👍

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Wow, thanks!

[@bassangler73]

Good video brother! Everyone likes to talk radios but hardly ever touch on the most important part...Antennas!!!

[@DXCommanderHQ]

True!

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Correction at 33:21 - frequency should be lower - around 6.95MHz

[@m7trsradio]

Fountain of knowledge. Great work Callum. All that is way above my pay grade. 👏🏽👍🏽

[@DXCommanderHQ]

We're all getting there..! Glad you liked it.

[@m7trsradio]

@@DXCommanderHQ love the content always helps people to understand 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@jockmazza]

Brilliant!!! Youcan see the thrill of talking with other folk. That's why I took up CB in early 80s and it led to world travel and an a really interesting life.

[@ehayes5217]

Great info & btw, I love my 40m, full-wave, horizontal delta loop (w/ a 4:1 balun), works just as u described! 73 de WA4ELW in TN 🇺🇸 dit dit 😃

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Fabulous!

[@garryhammond3117]

Awesome Callum! My plan is to install an "irregularly shaped" 160m horizontal wire loop using various trees on my 2.5 acre lot at variaing heights (20-40 feet) this summer and feed it wirh lhome brew (~600-Ohm) ladder line using the spool of DX50 wire I bought from you. - Fingers crossed. - Cheers!

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Perfect!!!!

[@M6EastCoastGirl]

Brilliant! Thanks Cal! Lots of food for thought here! 👍

[@seanwood8043]

Wealth of information thanks as always DX Commander

[@DXCommanderHQ]

My pleasure!

[@ifell3]

I used to be a land scout, I bet you were a great leader!

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Awe thanks! The parents thought I was a bit odd, the kids thought I was completely normal!

[@ifell3]

@@DXCommanderHQ well you're not influencing the parents aha

[@kingduckford]

I remember hanging an 80 meter dipole about 18 feet off the ground on the farm for the local traffic nets (500 mile radius is three states and two countries, not multiple countries like in the old world) and then experimenting long range at night with it. I remember making some good contacts on some nets like Ole Miss with people thousands of miles away in the US, and when I told them what antenna I was using, some of them about went ape shit, and told me I was lying. I guess it goes back to the two principles of 1. get an antenna in the air and quit worrying about it, and 2. you don't know what an antenna might do until you put it up. In any case, good video on some good theory and examples of basic antenna.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Brilliant comment!

[@FromthehamshackwithNJ4Z]

A Master - Class in getting started with antennas. Thanks Callum, great stuff here. This needs to be a primer for new hams getting started.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Hey John! I'm glad I passed the NJ4Z test!! :)

[@FromthehamshackwithNJ4Z]

@@DXCommanderHQ man you taught me... there is not a test for you.

[@ukm6yik69]

I have recently put up a 68ft wire in a triangle shape with a 4:1 balun and my g90 it tunes from 160 to 10m. 40 it does well so far

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Lovely!

[@migalito1955]

Very interesting. I am in the shop working on a retirement project and as I listened I heard essentially my 40 meter inverted V being modeled with MMANA. I will have to go back and look at thr field plots. I still need to download the antenna modeling software, but that is coming.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Brilliant!

[@saxmusicmail]

I agree, if you can only do one band, 40 meters is the one. 66 feet span. It can angle a bit, and inverted V, make it fit. Two choices here, 1, a plain dipole. This should give you 40 meters and with a little touch up from a tuner, 15 meters, too. Some of my best DX has been on 15 meters. But something we have done for portable events, a 40 meter OCFD. Same span of wire, but divide it 44' + 22". You won't be able to use 15 meters, but you WILL be able to work 40, 20, and 10 meters. If you split it with 20% feed point (13.2' + 52.8') , you will be able to work 15m, too.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Fine!

[@anderskihlelb3bj835]

Great video :) I normaly use 1/4 mono band vertical. Working great portable. And i want to have somthing good fore the DX stuff. I think this summer i will try to elevate the antenna+radials. Maby. But ground radials is more easy, just trow some cable on the ground/1-6m loong and off u go :) But i want to try elevated also. Maby 2-4 radials is same ore better then 80 meters of cable that use last year.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Elevated radials... Feel free to experiment.. The modelling suggests you need some height though to make any differrence.

[@anderskihlelb3bj835]

I am guessing 5meter up whit the antenna, then radials 45 degree down? What do u think ?@@DXCommanderHQ

[@user-uj2so1qe2q]

Great video Callum, I have always had dipoles, however this time as we are moving to our house after 3 years of travelling, I will have a dipole and also an end fed half wave, I was particularly interested in the loop that you described to eliminate QRM, do you have more specifics on that loop, I would be very much appreciative if you could give me a hint on it, cheers, 73 and hope to catch up with you on the air

[@LeeMcc_KI5YPR]

Ok, now a delta loop looks interesting. I fired up MMANA again.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

HAHA!

[@ukm6yik69]

When I changed from a wire antenna ie dipole or a cobweb or vertical and I switched to a yagi it was night and day. I have a ma5b mini beam at home and a full size 3 element tri bander at the allotment on a 10m mast.

[@M6EastCoastGirl]

Excellent use of the allotment! More beam than beans!!! Love it! 👍

[@KeepEvery1Guessing]

I have a tower, but I'm now to decrepit to climb it, so this is all good stuff.

[@full_metal2452]

Excellent!! 👏

[@stephenmooney1153]

First of all Dx commander is awesome! Just fyi the u.s. is rule of thumb 1500 miles tall and 3000 miles wide! Just for anyone across the pond . Ham radio the great unifier …. 73 keep up the great work

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Good point!

[@saxmusicmail]

Callum, I see a bass, guitar, and drums. What, no saxophone? What kind of Rock & Roller are you? 😆 I once spent an hour and a half talking sax to a number of hams after the first one asked about the bass saxophone on my QRZ page.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Wow. Sax would be cool in here!

[@kevinaponte7078]

Hello callum great video as usual love watching and learning from you as I to have adhd and your teaching style works great for me I was wondering if you would be interested in doing a video on full size loop antennas or mabey even 1.25 or larger wavelength loops I am very interested in this type of antenna as I live in the country and can run something that big I have also watched your video on making a 4:1 balun and have already built one thank you for all you do for the hams all over the world 73 from Minnesota Kd9dle

[@DXCommanderHQ]

OK.. so for non-resonant loops, you can go EITHER with a 4:1 balun and ATU the heck out of it back in the shack.. OR go with balanced line to a nicve outboard ATU. I'll add it to the list..!

[@nickl3872]

Thank you sir

[@DXCommanderHQ]

All the best

[@Rubedo777]

Hello everyone 💙

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Yo!!

[@genoa1979]

Hello mr dx commander 🎉

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@buckeye43210]

Callum, thanks for all the antenna videos. Could you turn your 40m loop into a 80m dipole by adding an 80m trap opposite the feed point?

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Actually no, there is very little current half-way around a loop.. But easier.. Just disconnet 2m / 6-ft opposite the feedpoint. I considered using relays for this once.. But this was my method for YEARS to get onto 80m. Good tune as well!

[@buckeye43210]

@@DXCommanderHQ Thank you for your prompt reply. I'm planning my antenna farm here at my new QTH, but have to be a bit stealthy as I now live in an HOA.

[@markwatson3135]

Excellent video, new to amateur radio, and very interested in building my own antennas, but I do have a small space with power lines running through it. Do you have a link to the ground loop loop at 37:40? Thank you!

[@DXCommanderHQ]

This is mine: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHXGkp-qebp-pKs or just search "loop on ground"

[@christophersmith1155]

I WANT TO BUILD A GROUNDPLANE FOR 10-11 & 12 METERS NOW THAT SKIP IS AT A HIGH POINT. LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT CLASS PROFFESSOR.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Check this then.. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGm0omdjZcSHoLM

[@jimphillips4377]

Hi, complete novice here, I'm looking at starting out on cb ssb to begin with as I'm not licensed. I want to try and dx in the afternoons with spuradic e as we're aproaching solar maximum. I have hills immediately to the south of me so I would imagine my best efforts would be north east and west. Would I be best of with a verticle or is there anything that would give me more gain in these directions. I can only go about 4 metres high with wire though

[@DXCommanderHQ]

If you only have 4m height, go with a simple vertical.

[@bruceroberts3082]

Question is can I run wire that is only one meter above a aluminum carport roof, 10 meter band ? And any problem running length of full 10 meters ? Newbe here.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

OK, you are too low probably to make an impact. Ideally a good starter antenna for CB will be a vertical.. Even a mobile antenna would work on the car port.

[@Mike_M_KI4MRC]

Good fun! 🍌🍌🍌

[@BLUESKYS4EVE]

All hat, no cattle.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

That is a bloody weird expression. Keep taking the pills.

[@justawfulgamer7738]

500 miles isn't anywhere near covering the entire US.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Indeed.. then go to 20m band Vertical or evenings 40m Vertical.

[@alexsmit1829]

What to do for people who have a flat roof of a multi-storey building, 14*30 meters in size? GapTitan worked well, but there are no counterweights.

[@DXCommanderHQ]

A small DX Commander Rapide using paving slabs as guy points?

[@user-uj2so1qe2q]

Great video Callum, I have always had dipoles, however this time as we are moving to our house after 3 years of travelling, I will have a dipole and also an end fed half wave, I was particularly interested in the loop that you described to eliminate QRM, do you have more specifics on that loop, I would be very much appreciative if you could give me a hint on it, cheers, 73 and hope to catch up with you on the air

[@DXCommanderHQ]

Sure.. Just go here www.kk5jy.net/LoG/