Portable HF Vertical Antenna | Ham Radio

[@coreysheckler4777]

The JPC 12 with the x6100 is awesome on 20m. Up here in NH from midnight to 3am the band is fantastic.

[@KingLoopie1]

Thanks, Peter! The older and more broken down I get, the more simple appeals to me... 😂👍

[@raylowe3324]

This reminds me of an antenna I built for home use back around 2010. I built a fan vertical for 10,20, and 40 meters. The base was about 10 feet off the ground. I had one horizontal radial per band. The 40 meter element was actually an inverted L. The performance was excellent. I also could work the other HF bands with a tuner. Wonderful video of an excellent antenna.

[@watersstanton]

Many thanks.

[@yqtszhj]

Excellent video. I have been working a home brew 5 meter aluminum vertical made from an extendable pole with a 2.5 meter fiberglass base (total length about 25 feet). The verticals attach to the antenna about 7 feet above the ground and angle about 30 degrees downward. 2 radials are resonant and are facing west southwest and west northwest, and the other 2 were about 3 meters long and facing northeast and southeast. I noticed a significant improvement westward as compared east. I’ll have to try elevating the resonant verticals as you did to see if I can get further improvements. Thanks for the always excellent videos.

[@watersstanton]

You are very welcome

[@Alf991]

Thank you Peter. I always enjoy and indeed look for your videos. Always informative and thought provoking. All the best.

[@watersstanton]

Many thanks

[@vk2sky]

Another JPC-12 tip: I have found that if you move the variable coil element from the top of the fixed elements down to the bottom (just above the coax feed section), you can get a decent SWR on 60m as well. Alas, we can't use 60m in VK... 73 Richard VK2SKY

[@watersstanton]

Many thanks Richard.

[@dalemyers9439]

Excellent post!

[@n0vty873]

I have used a similar antenna setup but I put the loading coil on top of the feed point and get a 1:1 match on 40m. and with a little bit of messing around I can get a 1:1 match on every band above 40m through 6m. All the extension below the coil are not required.

[@Dan-56]

A number of years ago, I volunteered to set up a portable station for the Boy Scouts jamboree on the air. I used a Hy-Gain AV-18 on a tripod, and for the radials, I used a number of lengths of four conductor TV rotor cable with each wire of the flat cable cut to a resonant of a different band. It worked surprisingly well 🤪👍. I always enjoy your antenna experiments, keep them coming 😃, 73 de Dan WD4DB

[@watersstanton]

Many thanks Dan

[@brianfields4479]

Great video Peter. As I use long path only, all my radials point in that direction. A simple 20m vert in the corner of the garden, slightly raised up fastened to the fence, can have its radials attached to the fence and raised. Quite often with this type od arrangement, sigs just seem to pop up from a dead band. 73 zl3xdj

[@watersstanton]

Many thanks Brian. Interesting about “dead band” comment. Exactly what I am hearing in the evenings. Hope all OK at your end.

[@wd8dsb]

Hi Peter, some guys on the topband (160 meters) call this configuration of a raised radial an elevated gull wing radial (based on its geometry). 73, Don wd8dsb

[@watersstanton]

Yes and I believe there is an aircraft wing design that uses the same name.

[@M6EastCoastGirl]

Excellent contact into China! 👏 Im going to try this with a retractible metal tape measure once I get a 243-43 ferrite core to fit at the feedpoint end! I love the PAC12 the first time I used it on the beach I had a QSO on 20m with Ferry, YB0AR on10w onthe Xiegu X6100!Thank youforallthe info and great videos!💐

[@M6EastCoastGirl]

Or maybe use a cannibalised retractable camping washing line reel and replace the cord with wire knotted to the appropriate 1/4 wavelengths. I used one once to make a linked dipole using tiny, jewellery making, barrell connectors a few years ago. I might appropriate that again!

[@watersstanton]

Thanks for sharing.

[@BurtonChristmasLites]

I used a Wolf River Coil tuned to 40m ssb and also used a 213" whip. I put the whole system on a camera tripod and raised it up to about 5ft. Then I connected TWO radials 33ft in length going in one direction going about 45 degrees apart. At the very same time I had a 49:1 with the feed point up in the air with 66 or so feet flat topped close to 30 feet up in the air. This was broadsided in a northerly direction. The radials were also pointed in a northerly direction. The vertical was much quieter. Stations that were some 1,000 miles away were giving me equal reports (5 9+) off of the vertical. Their reports from me were about the same on the vertical. The flat topped dipole also equal in their reports, but had a 10 over 9 noise floor on 40m ssb. Reports to my south within say 150 mile range were several s units less on the vertical, with northerly pointing radials, than on the dipole broadsided north and south. VERY happy with the vertical with raised radials. Much easier on the ears since that was a week long stay while camping and making over 1300 contacts. Robert KD4YDC

[@watersstanton]

Thanks for that info Robert. Very interesting.

[@wshanney]

Here is So California we are not allowed to put stakes in the ground in many of our parks. I do something similar using a short tripod to mount the vertical and then stretching the radial out, keeping it above ground or sloping it down. Thanks for the great ideas...73 de W6QR

[@watersstanton]

Good to hear from you.

[@krzysiekva2hu903]

hello from Poland,thanks for ur video and all info-it helped me a lot in understanding vertical GP,my only /q:what is the model of this toroid that you are using for current choke ???many thanks,Chris

[@JG-DivMan]

Thank you for this and the many other excellent, informative videos. I really enjoy them and always learn something along the way. I'm intrigued by what you shared, but not as much for portable setups as for my 6BTV, permanently setup in my yard. Like your similar vertical, it is nestled only a few feet from a fence that separates my property from my neighbors. As a result, I have a generous radial field to the east and south, far fewer to the north (tree/shrub), and virtually none to the west (fence). Conventional wisdom would expect better performance in the direction of the best radial field, but mine seems to perform exceptionally well to the west (no radials) and only spotty performance in all other directions (in spite of having a "good look at the sky" in all but the northerly direction). My plan is to stealthily create some elevated radials terminating at various points in the fence (where they won't create a trip hazard, etc.). I'm also contemplating placing some aluminum window screen ("magic carpet" inspired) and see if I can get a bit more signal to the east and south. This video gives me a bit of hope that it might work and worth trying. But that's the fun in all this, isn't it?

[@watersstanton]

Great to hear your plans. Sounds interesting.

[@hooked911]

I also am interested in trying this with a BTV antenna. I would also like to see someone run a 1/4th wave elevated multi band radial. 1 radial for each band installed on the antenna. I wonder if having multiple tuned radials would work or not. Anyone tried this?

[@haraldlonn898]

Thanks Peter.

[@TREVORHunt-p2g]

Mine Gott, now how many elevated radials do I fit to the feed, I think it's 6, as good old Water has mentioned, a few 2m ones, and in other videos, 17 and 23ft. So I'm in a second floor flat and will fit six, so 2 pairs of 9, 17 and 23ft. Then he says fit ones that are 1/4 wavelength, so bin that initial list for pairs of 5, 10 and possibly 15m in a coiled up manner as I'm out of room. Ahhh, WTF is the actual answer chaps !!!

[@cornbread-KO5RN]

Good Show 👍

[@K7PKB]

Great idea and will try it. Curious, is this the same principle of the Buddy Stick antenna with one elevated radial with the vertical element elevated also?

[@watersstanton]

I don’t think they advocate resonant radials but you can always change that!

[@glynbrandon7981]

Great videos Pete , you remind me of Magnus Pike good at educating people .. thanks Pete

[@watersstanton]

Many thanks for that.

[@MD0MDI]

Have you ever come across a small vertical called 'Super Antenna', picked one up at a car boot for £10, it looks interesting but I cannot seem to locate any instructions on it, you get a bag of bits, brackets, coils ate stright bits but they all seem to have the same threads on so cannot workout which way they go, I am having a great time trying to put it together logically and using a Antenna Analyzer (AA-600) to test what I do but nothing seems to work, maybe that is why it appeared at a car boot, but it looks professional and very well made, just cannot find any information on it. 73. James

[@watersstanton]

I have heard of it but have no details. Sorry.

[@nr3rful]

Your the best

[@jomckarth4836]

i agree

[@thomaskilburn3111]

I'm a amateur radio operator living in a unassisted senior living center. I use a home made magnetic loop antenna in my room. Only 20 watts for local communication around the 200 mile area. Mainly with traffic nets. So transmission are short. Can you do a show on mag loop users in England and Europe. Thank you. Tom AF5AG M and 73. To

[@graphicventures]

Hello Peter, I intend to put up a vertical antenna for 20m on the roof of my home which is 6 meters from the ground level. Would this be something that would work?

[@watersstanton]

HF verticals on roofs do seem to work well. They often see more sky!

[@basshorseman998]

Just getting my chops back on CW Peter, perhaps I shall run into you somewhere...Another good experiment, which is what we should be doing...Thanks again

[@watersstanton]

You are very welcome.

[@jamesgeorge1709]

I'm going to try a varient at the present time I have a resonat Reflector 15ft from my 6BTV I want to put a resonant Director a 1/4 wave in front of it and I'll raise that radial #ft above the ground. I"I'll let you know how it works.

[@watersstanton]

Sounds interesting.

[@Lou-KI5FTY]

Peter, if you are adding an elevated radial with a 1/4 wave length, do you still have a 1/4 wave vertical or essentially a L shaped dipole?

[@watersstanton]

Yes

[@michaeldina1103]

What length should the directional element be?

[@watersstanton]

Quarter wavelength.

[@tommiehinman1349]

What's the difference between the jcp12 and the pak12?

[@watersstanton]

Probably just the name. But you can never be sure if there are any mechanical differences.

[@hughpatterson1480]

Thank you! I bought one of these antennas for portable use and I was looking for a way to create a smaller footprint while using it. I'm going to try this out and will let you know how it fared. I live in a location in which space is limited so this should be a real help. Thanks again...73...KN6KNB

[@watersstanton]

You are welcome!