Category: Antennas

  • What I’d Buy Instead of the Chameleon MPAS 2.0

    A modular HF portable antenna kit that beats the $625 Chameleon MPAS 2.0 on both performance and price, built around the CaHR Hydra and a Spooltenna EFHW.

  • Hex Beams and Cubical Quads: Compact Gain Antennas Compared

    A full-size multi-band Yagi delivers serious gain, but it also demands a serious tower and a lot of real estate. Hex beams and cubical quads exist for hams who want real directional gain without going that far. The hex beam’s folded-wire approach A hex beam uses folded wire elements strung between spreader arms in roughly…

  • Choosing Feedline Length to Avoid Common-Mode Problems

    There’s a persistent myth that feedline length needs to be some magic multiple of a wavelength to work correctly. It doesn’t, for a properly matched coax feedline, but feedline length does interact with common-mode current problems in ways worth understanding before you run a cable. Coax length and SWR: mostly a non-issue If your antenna…

  • RigExpert Stick Pro Review: Why I Love It, Plus How It Compares to the Rest of the Lineup

    My honest take on the RigExpert Stick Pro after putting it to work on antenna projects, and a breakdown of how it stacks up against the rest of RigExpert’s analyzer lineup.

  • Building a 1:1 Common-Mode Choke for HF

    RF in the shack, unstable SWR, mystery noise: a lot of it traces back to common-mode current on your coax. A choke is a cheap, quick fix.

  • The Yaesu ATAS-120A: My Take on This Motorized Mobile Antenna

    An overview of the Yaesu ATAS-120A active tuning mobile antenna, including how it works, what it covers, and how it performs on my Jeep paired with an FT-891.

  • The Chameleon MPAS 2.0 – The Compromise

    A modular HF system that packs into a backpack and deploys a dozen different ways. Here’s how the Hybrid Mini upgrade changes things, and how the SS17 compares to the stock military-style whip.

  • Getting the Most from the G90’s Built-In Antenna Tuner

    Part of our The Xiegu G90: The Complete Guide. The built-in tuner is one of the main reasons I recommend the G90 to people building their first portable HF kit. It’s not just a checkbox feature. It’s genuinely one of the better internal tuners I’ve used at this price point, and it changes what you…

  • The Comet CAT-300: My Favorite Manual Antenna Tuner

    A simple T-network, a cross-needle meter, and 160m through 6m in one box. Here’s how I set mine up, how I tune with it, and why it’s become a permanent fixture on my desk.

  • What Is a Moxon Antenna? Plus Some Great Build Videos

    The Moxon squeezes real gain and a strong front to back ratio into a surprisingly small footprint. Here is what it is, why it works, and where to watch it get built.

  • The G5RV and Windom: Are Multi-Band Compromise Antennas Still Worth It

    The G5RV and Windom show up constantly in older antenna books and forum threads, and newer hams often wonder if they’re still worth building now that EFHWs and modern multi-band verticals exist. Both designs work, but both come from an era with different assumptions about what gear you had on hand. How the G5RV actually…

  • Building a Roll-Up Slim Jim Antenna for VHF/UHF

    The Slim Jim is a J-pole’s flexible, packable cousin, built from ordinary twin lead and small enough to roll up and stuff in a jacket pocket. Here is how to build one.

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