Simplest first HF antenna is a half-wave dipole.
My first antenna was a 40m dipole hung from trees with lead in run in
thru an upstairs window to my radio.
Actually this was in 1958 and I was 14 years old so had no
money. Back in those years there was something called twin-lead
which was used as feedline for TV antennas and was cheap. I made a
folded-dipole and used another piece of twin lead as feedline which I
soldered into a PL-259 which I connected to my three tube receiver
(which I also built from a kit).
Yeah that was connected wrong and it had high SWR but it received
just fine. Later it worked well connected to my Heath DX-35 which
could load anything. I would not know anything about SWR for a
couple years but had just a lot of fun with that wire antenna. It
was probably 15 to 25 foot off the ground and put up with something
called "clothesline". Back in those years people hung their clothes
outside in the sun to dry attached to clothesline with something
called clothes pins.
OH well, that is how I, a pretty ignorant 8th grader, started out in
ham radio on 40m (and it would also work on 15m). It received all
bands pretty well. 10m AM in 1958 was something to have
experienced. No one will every see conditions like that sunspot
maximum again (well for a couple hundred years, anyway).
How long is a half-wave dipole?
L = 468/F, where L is in inches and F is in MHz
40m band F=7.2 MHz, L = 65 inches
This is on page 580 in my 1972 ARRL Handbook (yes I still have it).
to see what I have today, check out my website (link below)
73, Ed - KL7UW
http://www.kl7uw.com
"Kits made by KL7UW"
Dubus Mag business:
[email protected]
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