ANTENNAS • FIELD GUIDES
ANTENNA
GUIDES
Dipoles, end-feds, verticals, doublets, loops, VHF/UHF and receive antennas: choose it, build it, tune it and put it up safely.
Build It. Tune It. Take It Outside.
Practical antenna guides for Kentucky portable operators: what to pick, how to build it, how to tune it, and how to put it up safely in a park. Each guide is tagged by level, so you can start where you are.
Start With
Which Antenna
Is Right For Me?
Then build a first dipole and put it up.
START HERE →Start Here
Plain-language guides for your first antenna.
Which Antenna Is Right For Me?
Dipole, end-fed, vertical, doublet, loop or a 2 m J-pole: pick the right one for where you operate.
Build Your First Dipole
A single-band 20m wire dipole you can make in an afternoon.
SWR Basics & Fixing High SWR
What SWR really tells you, and a checklist when it’s high.
Antenna Safety & Park Manners
Power lines, lightning, RF and being a good guest.
Next Steps
Multiband wire antennas and telescoping verticals.
Loops, Ladder Line, Receive & VHF/UHF
Hang a delta loop from one pole, run one doublet on every band, build a J-pole, and hear through the noise.
Loops & Delta Loops
Delta, square and horizontal loops: sizes, feedpoints and matching. Plus a magnetic loop calculator.
Receive-Only Antennas
Build a Loop on Ground (LoG) or Beverage on Ground, wind the transformer and hook it up safely.
Ladder Line, Doublets & G5RV
88 ft and 44 ft doublets, G5RV and ZS6BKW: feeder length checker and ladder line vs coax loss.
VHF & UHF Antennas
J-pole, Slim Jim, roll-up J-pole, ground plane, tape-measure yagi, HT and mobile upgrades, with a calculator.
Use The Numbers
The calculator and the printable guides that go with these articles.
Antenna Calculator
Dipole, linked-dipole, end-fed and whip lengths for any frequency, plus coax loss.
Ununs, Baluns & Chokes
Wind your own EFHW 49:1, 9:1, 4:1, receive transformer or coax choke: core, turns, wiring and testing.
Loaded Verticals & Homebrew Coils
Wind your own loading coil for a whip vertical: inductance, turns on PVC, a tap chart for every band, tuning steps and radials.
Radial Calculator
How many radials and how long, for verticals on the ground or raised.
Antenna Pattern & SWR
Where your signal goes and the SWR curve for common portable antennas.
Power, dB & S-Units
What an antenna upgrade is worth compared with more power.
Harmonics Planner
One wire, many bands: find the best length for a multiband end-fed or dipole, safe random-wire lengths, and where your harmonics land.
Antenna Efficiency & Solar Minimum
What the low point of the solar cycle means for your antenna choices.
Beginner’s Guide to Portable Operations
Everything you need for your first portable outing.
Portable Operations Safety Guide
Field safety for portable operators.
Get Outside. Get On The Air.
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