The Ham Radio HF NVIS antenna and you

Build your own Ham radio HF NVIS antenna. Have fun, learn, and save your money. Baofeng virus free.
#survivalcomms
#survivalradio
#NVIS

[@BMCTackle]

I live in an HOA, so experimentaton is imperative. I have a temporary 40 meter dipole set up in the yard. It is about 2.5 feet off the ground, definitely below 3 feet. The legs on the dipole are 30.1 feet per side, that is what it took to get an SWR of 1.2 or better on the general frequency range of 7.178 to 7.300 MHz. The antenna has been working great, didn't think it would get past Wyoming, Arizona, Colorado, & Nevada, but it has, and not bad, LOL. I am in NE Utah and have had QSOs all the way to the east coast, signals of 2/1 to 4/4 , which is way better than the total ZERO I expected. Given the actual band conditions (not the good fair poor ratings found on the daily Solar Terrestial Data forecast) this antenna has done pretty good. I go on the OMISS 40 meter net in the evenings, and this is where I have been testing it. This is a temporary setup, I hope to put it up to 35 feet later this week, waiting on a friend to bring the ladder we need to get up on the roof. I have been using this setup for the past 4 weeks and I am impressed with its performance. I would love to see what it will do on a day where the actual band conditions are good, but I am more anxious to get the antenna up and working under normal operating conditions. Given the HOA thing, I am happy that it works where it is now, not optimum, but it works, it is an alternative should the roof mount become an issue. My elevation here is circa 6900 feet. The soil is conducive to plant growth, flowers, berries, apples, & vegetables, the soil retains moisture, but by 1 PM it is dry, and I set the sprinklers to go off at that time so the Kentucky Blue Grass stays green. When we dig here, it is mostly large rocks going down, the 8 FT copper ground rod became an angled one, no way to it drive straight down here. We are in the Rocky Mountains, LOL! WW7GBA Louis

[@survivalcomms]

Very cool - when you elevate it expect to add some length to it to bring it into resonance. The simple full length resonant dipole is a wonderful antenna and will out perform the Gucci multiband acronym intensive wire antennas for a fraction of the cost. HF radio is definitely a case where we are subject to the ionosphere but elimination of transformers , traps, tuners, etc. and running a bare naked full size resonant antenna system gives us the best chance possible. Thanks for watching !

[@slik560]

Good information. All I need to do now is buy a farm to deploy this creation. 🤠. No doubt this antenna is the best bang for the buck that anyone could find. 👍🇺🇸

[@survivalcomms]

Ty. If you can fit an 80m dipole on your lot you can get creative and move the elements around a bit . To save money you can delete the balun. Fun thing about antennas is the experimentation. Thanks for watching !

[@TN9mmShooter]

Best video I have seen explaining NVIS and how to make the antenna. I am just getting started in the community and this video made my head stop spinning. Thank you!!

[@survivalcomms]

I am glad you enjoyed it. I try my best to keep it concise. Thanks for watching !

[@TN9mmShooter]

@@survivalcomms my only question is this. Where did you get that balun. I can't find the 50a. Only the 50. At least here in the US.

[@survivalcomms]

@@TN9mmShooter I have eliminated a balun from mu current build using just an insulator and it has worked well. If you elect to use a balun a promising 1:1 balun is the palomar 50:50 palomar-engineers.com/antenna-products/baluns-and-ununs/1-8-30-mhz-balunsununs/11-toroid-baluns/Bullet-50-50-1-1-HF-Balun-Optional-Dipole-Kit-1-61-MHz-500-Watts-PEP-up-to-34-dB-noise-reduction-p137249375

[@ratchetman]

Great video. Thank you!

[@survivalcomms]

You are welcome ! Thanks for watching !

[@agoraphobicadam1171]

Man, I love this stuff.

[@survivalcomms]

I do too ! Thanks for watching !

[@OH8STN]

Awesome video. The baofeng virus. I nearly soiled myself laughing when I saw the thumbnail. You know I wish I could figure out where the heck to get one of those surplus fiberglass antenna masts. Keep going 👍

[@survivalcomms]

TY ! LOL the baofeng virus is real. I have been using one of the telescoping flagpoles for years for wire and lightweight antennas. I have a camo net set of fiberglass poles that I used for an exercise years ago but after you stack 5 its a crapshoot to see which section fails first. The cat's pajamas are the utility company hot sticks. A buddy of mine scored a few that were removed from service. Like 35 ' extended. Always great to hear from you ! Thanks and thanks for watching !

[@scottyhardway7557]

My Dude, this is awesome. I'm a new ham, coming up on 2 years. Got my General 1 yr ago and been practicing hf with vertical antennas. Just now committing to learning NVIS propagation, and this video was very helpful. Thank you!

[@survivalcomms]

You are welcome Thanks for watching !

[@rjinnh3933]

Well presented vid. Many good points to incorporate into my kit. 73 OM

[@survivalcomms]

Thank you and thanks for watching !

[@brianshanahan3878]

Awesome video and great explanations! I would like to try this on 10 meter just for giggles and that's the only HF radio I have plus I'm only a tech right now :)

[@RobertJochim]

Even if you get an NVIS antenna resonant for 10 meter use, it may not perform the way you want; because the the 10 meter wavelength is relatively short, most of that RF energy will not be reflected back down to Earth - most of that RF energy will just punch through the ionosphere. Favorable conditions will exist for 10 meter NVIS from time to time, but those will be few and far between. With that said, try it anyways - experimentation is the best way to learn.

[@survivalcomms]

Indeed high frequencies are great for band openings but not NVIS. Thanks !

[@survivalcomms]

Like Robert said below high frequencies typically exceed the maximum useable frequency and do not propagate well using high angles of radiation. He said it best experimentation is the best way to try it out. When you see a VHF band opening give it a shot . There have been some insane band openings this summer . Thanks for watching !

[@LycanthropiesSpell]

I think I can source all but the tuner and balun ( which I probably can make - got a ring around here somewhere :-) Like the modularity of it, and it might be exactly what my 817 ND needs...great, another thing on my ever growing to-do list ( about to finish my homebrew teepee/yurt, tent stove will follow shortly. Then it's of to check my emergency power source and attach a cable and output panel to feed a small inverter...just so we can roll up our electric blinds - yup, pro's & con's...). Stay frosty, watch your 6, ON3KD/P out.

[@survivalcomms]

I had the balun in my hamfest box fortunately. Project lists are good things. Glad all is well in your world ! Thanks for watching !

[@Ron_C]

Nice kit, Bret! I have that Emtech tuner as well,,love it. So, setting up a regional HF network in your area..? The baofeng virus is real...I have a few of them!!..lol

[@survivalcomms]

I really like the EMtech nice and compact ! I have been working up some regional stuff here. BTW 10M is open right now. Always great to hear from you and thanks for watching !

[@docpearson]

Fantastic great video I really enjoyed it. Question. I have heard that the more horizontal the antenna is the better closer nvis you can achieve. i see your antenna is angled. Is there a minimal angle you dont want to go past to truely get a good nvis result. Thanks.

[@survivalcomms]

Thank you very much ! It is true that if one can achieve a perfect horizontal profile that it would provide a benefit in service theoretically. I'm not certain what window of angle that would be but what you can achieve as close to horizontal would be desirable IMHO. To me the most important element is to ensure both stations are rigged for NVIS rather than the NVIS station trying to work a vertical or a monobander at 150' . HF is voodoo science compared to line of sight . The recent VHF + band openings here would give HF a run for the money . Thanks for watching !

[@johndickinson8848]

Have you come across any data on what power is required for reliable NVIS communication ? I have seen 15watt mentioned in an Army field manual but not much else.

[@survivalcomms]

There is no hard and fast rule. HF radio is not a precise science whatsoever regardless of what anyone tells you. One day a greasy string and one watt will suffice the next a kilowatt might not be enough. HF is dependent on the ionosphere cooperating with your point a and point b. The best advice I can give is to practice your desired talkpath over time and determine what time of day is most reliable and what band provides you with the most reliability. Is 15 watts enough ? On occasion it might be but it requires practice and preplanning. Thanks for watching !

[@HuplesCat]

Really interesting and not as big a load out as I'd have guessed

[@survivalcomms]

Its not a lot at all antenna wise. Its a cinch to set it up. Thanks for watching !

[@dt-paz516]

What do you think the best band/antenna configuration would be used to set up communications with somebody 35 miles away?

[@survivalcomms]

If you have a BIG elevation advantage at either or both points you can do it with VHF and directional antennas under average conditions w/o infrastructure. If you ask most folks who have played radio for a while they will attest to having done such at some point. Two stations running NVIS at 80,60,or 40m would give you the best chance from close to ground level man portable equipment but its something you need to practice and test . I hope this helps thanks for watching !

[@notsure7874]

That fishing swivel is a coastlock snap in case anybody is wondering what to search for.

[@survivalcomms]

Thanks for watching !

[@BobBob-il2ku]

For 80 meters yours dipole is 124ft long what frequencie is optimal for that 3.800 mhz? I’m trying to buid a 80 meter NVIS antenna (for phone) I don’t have an analyzer I’m trying to decide what length to cut it at

[@survivalcomms]

468 divided by the frequency in MHZ says 123 ft. its better to start long and trim to resonance. Thanks for watching

[@BobBob-il2ku]

Do I need an analyzer or SWR meter to cut the wire to length?

[@survivalcomms]

No it is not required. At the 9 minute mark in the video you have all of the dimension info you need to build a working antenna for 40 and 80m bands.

[@daveschwarz5279]

Nice

[@survivalcomms]

Thank you and thanks for watching !

[@anonymous_friend]

Who makes that bag for your antennas/cable?

[@survivalcomms]

It's West German surplus. I picked it up over 20 years ago. Thanks for watching !

[@vicwilliams9731]

What else do you need to run that antenna analyzer. Just software?

[@survivalcomms]

Its the software for a rig expert AA30 antenna analyzer. Thanks for watching !

[@vicwilliams9731]

@@survivalcomms Can I just download the software or do you need the rig expert AA30 also?

[@survivalcomms]

@@vicwilliams9731 You need the rig expert. It works on its own or when interface to a PC.

[@wparkinson4]

Maybe I missed it... is it a Current or Transformer type balun?

[@survivalcomms]

Its a current type balun . Thanks for watching !

[@wparkinson4]

Another question.... what is the Hight of your mast? I am currently using the DX engineering version of this antenna. (static.dxengineering.com/pdf/WP-NVIS-Rev2.pdf) opens PDF. My antenna is made to these specifications. I am going to try your version to see if I can improve performance. I have ordered a balun and will rebuild mine similar to yours. This antenna has been a good preformer but is limited even with a tuner. I have been using the DX designed antenna for almost 4 years and has held up to hurricanes and wind storms. Its just time to upgrade. Thanks in advance!!

[@survivalcomms]

@@wparkinson4 The fiberglass mast is 22 feet. I don't leave it out in the sun here full time as the UV here in FL is brutal . My primary hf antenna at home is an 80M doublet at 30 feet.

[@BobBob-il2ku]

Excellent video you should consider using Amazon affiliate links in the description for all the components needed to build this. You make some $ & it doesn’t cost your subscribers anything plus makes it easier for them to source the materials.

[@survivalcomms]

Thanks for watching !

[@BobBob-il2ku]

Rough cost of the build of buying everything new?

[@survivalcomms]

Depends on your source of supply and if you elect to use a balun or not. You could easily build a good antenna for less than $100 including feedline if you leave the balun out.

[@BobBob-il2ku]

Does NVIS works 5-30 miles or is that too close?

[@survivalcomms]

Yes it can however it depends on the receiving station's antenna setup. Experiment with your comm plan and test it out. Thanks for watching !

[@BobBob-il2ku]

That would be with both stations having a NVIS antenna

[@survivalcomms]

@@BobBob-il2ku Yes it should work but you have to try it to find out for sure. And try it again and again over a period of time to see if it is a reliable talkpath.

[@craigpalmer9196]

5 stars

[@survivalcomms]

Thank you ! Thanks for watching !

[@herrprepper2070]

Nothing is “free”, not even electrons. Someone is paying for them.

[@survivalcomms]

Only in the HAARP zone :) Thanks for watching !

[@johngriswold]

Given that your radiators are insulated, the end insulators are simply extra weight.

[@survivalcomms]

Ok... Thanks for watching !