Difference between revisions of "HF Antennas"
From The RadioReference Wiki
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* [https://swling.com/blog/2020/12/how-to-build-a-simple-linear-loaded-dipole-for-low-noise-shortwave-radio-listening/ How to Build a Simple Linear Loaded Dipole for low noise SW Listening] via SWLing.com | * [https://swling.com/blog/2020/12/how-to-build-a-simple-linear-loaded-dipole-for-low-noise-shortwave-radio-listening/ How to Build a Simple Linear Loaded Dipole for low noise SW Listening] via SWLing.com | ||
* [https://swling.com/blog/2021/09/giuseppes-homebrew-tferrite-2-mediumwave-shortwave-antenna/ Giuseppe’s Homebrew “TFerrite 2” Mediumwave & Shortwave Antenna] via SWLing.com | * [https://swling.com/blog/2021/09/giuseppes-homebrew-tferrite-2-mediumwave-shortwave-antenna/ Giuseppe’s Homebrew “TFerrite 2” Mediumwave & Shortwave Antenna] via SWLing.com | ||
| + | * [https://www.sdrplay.com/antennasuggestions/ SDRPlay Antenna Suggestions] | ||
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsgdcHeP6S0 49:1 End Fed Multiband Antenna (YouTube)] | * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsgdcHeP6S0 49:1 End Fed Multiband Antenna (YouTube)] | ||
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===Technical=== | ===Technical=== | ||
Revision as of 21:18, 29 January 2024
No doubt about it, without a good antenna, no matter how good the receiver, you will not hear much of anything. These links should help even a newcomer feel comfortable about selecting and installing a HF antenna. There's several technical links for the experimenters in us, along with several commercial retailers. For loop antennas - both receive only and transmit-capable - please see our Loops article.
If you're a newcomer or old hat, or anywhere in between, when installing antennas, Safety First.
Make this link a must read. Don't become a statistic!
Receive Applications
Active Antennas
- Active Antennas KB6RWX
- Mini Active Whip Antenna for handhelds (via eBay)
- RF Systems Antennas and Accessories via Jacobs Breda Electronics, the Netherlands. PDF document
Indoor Active Antennas
- Grahn GS5 Active Antennas (in German)
- MFJ 1020C
- Palstar LA-30
Outdoor Active Antennas
- Bonito Antennas page
- Cross Country Wireless HF Active Antenna
- Dressler Active Antennas sold by Broadband Power Technology
- MFJ 1024
- Pacific Antenna Active Antenna kit
- RF Systems DX-1 Pro Active Antenna
- PA0RDT Mini Whip clones (Amazon)
SWLing.com Artcles
- Bonito Boni Whip review
- Traveling and DXing with the Bonito MegActive MA305 Antenna
- New antenna from Bonito: The MegaDipole MD300DX wideband active dipole
- Test the MegaDipole MD300DX wideband active dipole via a KiwiSDR
Other Websites
- Building your own Active Antenna via DXer.ca
AMANDX Indexed Articles
- AMANDX = Association of Manitoba DXers. Their home page is here
Commercial Antennas
- Alpha Delta DX-SWL Shortwave Sloper
- BevFlex-4X Receive Antenna System
- G Whip Magnetic Balun Receive Antenna
- HVend .3-30 Mhz SWL antenna
- Lowbander.com
- Look at the bottom of the page
- Palomar Engineers - End Fed Antennas
- Go about 2/3 of the way down for a 37 foot version
- RF Systems Antennas and Accessories via Jacobs Breda Electronics, the Netherlands. PDF document
- Universal Radio SW/MW Antennas
- Vibroplex PAR EF-SWL Antenna
- WinRadio Antennas
Homebrew
- Basic HF Antennas
- Broomstick Antenna
- The EWE in the Garden
- If you are using a portable and want to add a bit of protection against static electricity, or want to add a crude RF Gain control, see this article for a simple project you can build.
- The McGyver(tm) special
- Hard Core DX Antennas Page - Technical Discussions, Plans, Hidden Antennas and more
- How to Build a Simple Linear Loaded Dipole for low noise SW Listening via SWLing.com
- Giuseppe’s Homebrew “TFerrite 2” Mediumwave & Shortwave Antenna via SWLing.com
- SDRPlay Antenna Suggestions
- 49:1 End Fed Multiband Antenna (YouTube)
Technical
- Antenna Basics
- Beverage Antenna
- DIY Antenna Mounting Bracket
- Need a coax attachment to feed a fan dipole? Take a look at the Fan Dipole Attachment designed by chgomonitor
- Grounding Bulkhead with supressors for your scanning station
- Although the above article mentions a scanning station, this applies to HF, too
- Grounding is Key to Good Reception (Blog article)
- Joe Carr's Technical Notes - via DXing.com
- Magnetic Longwire Balun - Not really a Balun
- Magnetic Longwire Balun - A Con or Not?
- Monitoring Times - All About Antennas (PDF)
- Terminology
Verticals
Amateur / Commercial
Array Solutions
DX Engineering Products
- Active Horizontal Receive Antennas DXE-ARAH3-1P
- Active Vertical Receive Antennas DXE-ARAV3-1P
- ARAV3-4P Active Vertical Receive Antenna Packages DXE-ARAV3-4P
- DX Engineering ARAV4-2P Active Antennas
- Reversible Beverage Systems DXE-RBSA-1P
- Eight Circle Complete Array Systems DXE-RCA8C-SYS-4S
- Receive Four Square Array Systems
- YCCC Receive Vertical Array Kits and Kit Packages DXE-YCCC-9CRCL
Various Other Distributors
- Alpha Delta Communications
- Balun-Designs.com
- Barker and Williamson
- Buckmaster 7 Band OCF dipole
- Chameleon CHA MPAS Lite
- Cobra UltraLite
- HyEndFed Antennas
- KM4MPF Sales
- MFJ Wire Antennas and related
- MyAntennas.com
- My Go2 Antenna (TN07 Engineering)
- Palomar Engineers
- Radiowavz
- SGC Base Station Antennas
- SGC Portable, Mobile and Whip Antennas
- SE-HF X80 Vertical Antenna
- Universal Radio Amateur Antennas
Technical and construction topics
- Attic Antennas --Always Surprise Me (John Schriener Jr. N2LK via EHam)
- Amateur 7 Element Yagi calculator
- The Antenna Elmer
- An Attic Coaxial Cable Trap Dipole for 10,15,20,30,40 and 80 Meters
- Antenna Lessons from Old Timers (EHam article)
- Antenna Projects of Frank N4SPP
- Bobtails and Half Squares
- Broadband Butterfly Terminated Dipole (YouTube video)
- DX Zone Antennas Catalog
- End Fed Half wave wire
- Feeding a Folded Dipole
- HFLink ALE Antennas
- PA0FRI Technical Information for Hams
- Reinventing the tape dipole via eHam
- Shortened Folded Dipoles via eHam
- Six Band HF Center-Loaded Off Ce nter Fed Dipole
- The Terminated Tilted Folded Dipole (T2FD)
- The Folded Dipole Antenna
- The Snake Antenna (eHam)
- W8JI.Com Antennas Page
- Files
- Dallas Lankford was an active DXer and writer for many years on topics of antennas, loops, amplifiers and more. His files are linked below - these are all zip files stored on Google Drive so you need something like WinZip or 7-Zip to uncompress them. These articles are generally very technical in nature.
Books
- Antenna Books by the ARRL and RSGB
- Stealth Amateur Radio
- Stealth Antennas - Amazon Kindle
- 73 Dipole and Long Wire Antennas by Ed Noll (PDF)
Reviews
- DXing.Info Equipment Page
- EHam Reviews
Mailing Lists/forums
- Return to Antennas
- Return to HF Military Communications
- Return to Shortwave Radiogram Gateway