The HAM Radio Operator's Antenna Manual
by Buck Rogers K4ABT

PacketRadio.com®™, is a division of BUX COMM inc"Home of the RASCAL"

Antennas & Accessories

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Half-Wave HF Antenna Cutting Chart.

 

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VHF/UHF Cutting Chart
 

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Antenna Isolation / Spacing Charts
 

 HAM Radio and Commercial 2-way radio antennas

 

A=Benz-O-Matic propane torch; B=Lead-Free solder; C=Tape measure: D=Tubing cutter; E=Sharpie marking pen; F=Solder Paste; G=1/2 inch copper caps; H=Hardcopy of the above drawing; I=Wet Towel; J=PreCut, ready to assemble parts of the 2 meter J-Pole.
 

 

CLICK HERE AND DESIGN YOUR OWN "J" Pole
 

Design-A-Quad Antenna

Calculate the total wire length for each element of a quad antenna.
REFLECTOR = 1030 / F (MHz)
DRIVEN = 1005 / F (MHz)
DIRECTOR 1 = 975 / F (MHz)
DIRECTOR 2 = 960 / F (MHz)

ELEMENT SPACING between:
1) Reflector & Driven Element = 730 / F (MHz)
2) Driven Element & 1st Director= 600 / F (MHz)
3) 1st Director & 2nd Director = 600 / F (MHz)

Enter the formula for the antenna calculation
Divided by Freq MHz

Total wire-length in feet is FEET.
Total wire-length in inches is INCHES.
One of four sides in FEET = <- Use ONLY this number for "element spacing" when entering the element spacing numbers (constants; 730 or 600) above!
Total all spacing measurements (in inches) then add 2 inches for each end.

THE QUAD SHOWN BELOW IS AN EXAMPLE OF A QUAD DESIGN USING DESIGN-A-QUAD ABOVE

ANTENNA  INSULATORS Weatherproof, (TENYTE) insulators.  Perfect for your DIPOLE or Windom antenna. For the apartment dweller, you can now hang the 20 meter doublet in the attic.   I've QSO'd with stations all over the world with the 33 ft dipole in the attic of my garage.   One insulator at the center, and one at each end.   It's great for other HF WINDOM, single, and multi-band dipole antennas.  Dielectric strength is superior to the old ceramic insulators, without susceptibility to cracking or breakage under impact or extreme temperature changes. Package of  3,  $2.99   ANTINSL3   Package of 10,  "TeNyte" BUX TNT Insulators $8.99,  ANTINSLX10

At BUX COMM, *We don't cut corners! The components used in the manufacture of our BALUNs are from top quality components, beginning with the Silver Plate SO239 connectors. The center insulator is teflon™(E.I Dupont). The wire we use to wind the ferrite donut is heavy-duty, silver flashed wire, with teflon™ insulation that will handle RF voltages above 5000 volts, and temperatures above 2000 degrees. The binding posts are heavy-duty, tempered brass, with end holes and side-thru holes to accommodate either type loop-thru connection. A double-shoulder brass capture nut is used to add a secure bite and improve antenna wire electrical connections. 4:1  Balun,  BUXBALUN 41   $19.95 o 50 ohm, SO-239 unbalanced input o Balanced output o 1.6 to 30 MHz o Toroid (Voltage) design o Heavy Duty, Lightweight construction o Sealed against moisture ____________________________________________________ 1:1  Balun,  BUXBALUN 11  $19.95 o 50 ohm, SO-239 unbalanced input o Balanced output o 1.6 to 30 MHz o Toroid (Current) design o Heavy Duty, Lightweight construction o Sealed against moisture ____________________________________________________ BUX UN UN De-Coupling transformer, similar to above, but has SO-239 (female) input connector and output connector is 1 ft Mini 8 cable with PL-259 (male).  BUX ONION  $19.95    4:1, 1.5kw Balun,  BUX BALUN 41HD  $27.95 Toroid  design, wound with teflon covered, silver plated wire.* Heavy-Duty, construction. 1:1, 1.5kw Balun,  BUX BALUN 11HD  $27.95 Toroid  design, wound with teflon covered, silver plated wire.* Heavy-Duty, construction.  4:1 High Performance, Heavy Duty, 2 KW Balun    *CW/SSB duty-cycles only.  SSB/CW Power @ 3.5 MHz* >1.5 kW if SWR is less than 3:1 *Not rated for AM, RTTY or other high duty-cycle digital modes. Double-co-efficient coupled design. Exceptional High output. Large toroid ferrite cores. High winding reactance with only a L-C compensatio. Teflon insulated, large gauge, high temperature, wire. Compensation for wide bandwidth Rated above the legal power limit. Stainless-steel eyebolts. Input Connector SO-239 Output Connector Hard-Drawn, tempered Brass Binding Posts. Bandwidth 160 - 10 m. Power Loss, dB less than 1 dB.

BUX COMM ©graphic

BUX MOBALUN When you hear those strong HF mobile signals, here's one reason they stand out from the rest. By installing the BUX MoBalun near the input to your antenna, you deliver more RF energy to the antenna. At the same time, the BUX MoBalun prevents RF from traveling back along the shield (high SWR) of your coax. High power rating, Low-permeability toroid,  with Internal composition fiber-glass  to prevent vibration during mobile operation. For input and output connectors, we use only the best Silver plated, Teflon insulated, SO239 connectors.  500 watts PEP.  This MoBALUN is also ideal for marine antenna installations. BUX COMM ©Photo              $19.95  MOBALUN

An HF Dipole Antenna specially designed with the Apartment Dweller, RV, & Field-day operator in mind.
Don't be fooled by those over-priced knock-offs that use a piece of drilled aluminum that breaks in a cold wind.  This is the original, Fixed station, RV, apartment dweller, and portable dipole from BUX Communications.  It is designed for rapid deployment and effective HF communications where space is limited.  The mounting bracket and hardware are made of high-quality, hard-drawn, aircraft aluminum, to withstand the elements and maintain a strong posture in adverse wind and weather conditions.

On a budget, Mobile in an RV, or live in a space-restricted environment?..  Here's the the solution: Here's an HF horizontal (or vertical) polarized antenna that will meet those beams "head-on!"  When installed on a rotor, this combo makes a great bi-directional fixed-station antenna.  Shown here with BUX UNUN (ONION) as the decoupling balun (unun) to prevent reradiating of the coax shield and better match at the antenna feed point.

When the stations with the gain and power in their antennas are transmitting in the horizontal plane, then you should be meeting them in the same plane.  Horizontal signals tend to follow the earths contour, and are easier to capture using a horizontally polarized antenna.  See the BUX UNUN elsewhere on this page.

BCC Photo ©   Photo above;  BUX COMM, "DBLCOMBO", see details below.  BUX COMM © graphics 1998-2004 (c)

By combining a pair (two) of the single band HF Mobile (loaded) tunable-tip antennas, you can have an ideal, single element, (bi-directional) horizontal dipole. ←  At left;  is a photo of the BUX CommCo dipole configuration using a pair of our model BHF20M mobile antennas, and our model DABRKT "Double Antenna BRacKeT."   The DABRKT will fit up to one and a quarter inch (1-1/4") diameter mast. The supporting mast is attached to the apex of our warehouse.  Overall height of my antenna above ground is only 17 feet. When you see me on 20 meters (14.070,15 USB) running test on RASCAL interfaces, this is the antenna I am using.   ←  By combining a pair (two) of the single band HF (VHF) whips at left, you can have an ideal, single element, horizontal dipole (beam). This type antenna opens the world of HF and VHF communications for the apartment dweller, RV HAM, field-day operating, and a variety of other uses and applications.  Shown mounted on one and a quarter inch (1-1/4") diameter mast. Bracket alone is $16.95 $16.95 each  DBLBRKT  tuneable-tip antennas allow adjusting for minimum VSWR.   or see the DBLSPCL; details below↓ ←  When you see me in QSO on 20 meters, using PSK31, I am using this antenna mount with two of the BHF-20 M antennas at 17 ft.  An FT-817 at 5 watts PEP, worked 50 + countries. When installed on a rotor, this combo makes a great bi-directional fixed-station antenna.   Turning radius, seventeen feet, (approx). HF Mobile (loaded), tunable-tip antennas

BUX HF MOBILE ANTENNAS Tunable-tip enables adjusting for minimum VSWR. Mobile tuneable-tip antennas. BHF75M  75 METER  3/8" X 24 THREAD   8 feet long $16.95 BHF40M 40 METER  3/8" X 24 THREAD  8 feet long $16.95   BHF20M 20 METER 3/8" X 24 THREAD  8 feet long $16.95   BHF17M 17 METER  3/8" X 24 THREAD 8 feet long $16.95  BHF15M 15 METER 3/8" X 24 THREAD 8 feet long $16.95   BHF10M 10 METER  3/8" X 24 THREAD 8 feet long $16.95  BHF6M  6 METER  3/8" X 24 THREAD 6 feet long  $16.95   Spare 48 inch stainless-steel stinger (TIPS) for above antennas. TIP48,   $2.95   Here's the perfect solution for your RV and portable HF antenna applications.   Use our dipole, mast-mounted bracket for 'fixed-station',  field-day operating, apartment dwellers, and the RV  travelers.  With two of the mobile HF antennas shown at left, you can have the best of both worlds. By combining a pair (two) of the single band HF Mobile (loaded) tuneable-tip antennas, and (VHF) whips at left, you can have an ideal, single element, horizontal dipole (beam). This type antenna opens the world of HF and VHF communications for the apartment dweller, RV HAM, field-day operating, and a variety of other uses and applications.  Shown mounted on 1 & 1/4" mast.  Antenna(s) Not Included. $16.95 each  DBLBRKT  tuneable-tip antennas allow adjusting for minimum VSWR.   By combining a pair (two) of the single band HF Mobile (loaded) tuneable-tip antennas above, you can have an ideal, single element, horizontal dipole (beam). This type antenna opens the world of HF communications for the apartment dweller, RV HAM, field-day operating, and a variety of other uses and applications.  The packages described below include two antenna, the Double Antenna-Bracket (DBLBRKT), and mounting hardware $ 39.97 DBLSPCL (without BALUN) With BALUN, see "DBLCOMBO", below. 75 Meters→,    40 Meters→,    20 Meters→, 17 Meters→,    15 Meters→,    10 Meters→,    6 Meters →  By combining a pair (two) of the single band HF Mobile (loaded) tuneable-tip antennas above, you can have an ideal, single element, horizontal dipole (beam). This type antenna opens the world of HF communications for the apartment dweller, RV HAM, field-day operating, and a variety of other uses and applications.  The package described below includes two antenna, the Double-Bracket (DBLBRKT), mounting hardware, and BUX BALUN (UNUN).    $AVE $$$$$, ADD the BUX UNUN , shown below, BOTH, DPLSPCL & BUXUNUN, for only $ 54.97, ORDER, DBLCOMBO  75 Meters→,   40 Meters→,   20 Meters→,  17 Meters→,   15 Meters→,   10 Meters→   6  Meters →