Tag: antenna theory
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Different Antenna Configurations You Can Run With an EFHW
One end-fed half-wave wire can be deployed in a surprising number of shapes. Here are the common EFHW configurations and when to reach for each.
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How Ground Radials Impact Your Vertical Antenna
A quarter-wave vertical is only half an antenna. Here is why ground radials matter so much, and how the number and type you use changes your performance.
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How to Build a Wire Dipole Antenna for HF on a Budget
A simple, cheap half-wave dipole is still one of the best-performing HF antennas you can build. Here’s how to cut, build, and tune one for under $30.
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Building a 9:1 Unun for a Random Wire HF Antenna
A random wire is the cheapest, most flexible HF antenna there is, as long as you pick the length carefully and match it right. Here’s the 9:1 unun build.
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Why an End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna Benefits From a Counterpoise
End-fed half-wave antennas are famously simple, but that little counterpoise wire is doing more than you might think. Here is why it helps.
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Building a 2m/70cm J-Pole Antenna
A J-pole is one of the best-performing, cheapest antennas you can build for 2m and 70cm, and the whole thing can be built from a length of ladder line or copper pipe in an afternoon.
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What Is SWR, and Why Does It Actually Matter?
Part of our Building Your First Ham Radio Station guide. SWR is the number every new ham gets nervous about before they understand what it means. It shows up on the radio’s display, on a meter, on a tuner, and it gets treated like a pass or fail grade for an antenna. It’s simpler than…
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Meshtastic Range Testing: Antennas, Placement, and Realistic Expectations
Marketing claims for LoRa range are wildly optimistic. Here’s what to actually expect from a Meshtastic node, and what actually changes your real-world range.
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Off-Center-Fed Dipoles: What They Trade Off Versus a Center-Fed Dipole
Moving the feedpoint off center turns a simple dipole into a multi-band antenna, at the cost of a genuinely awkward impedance and some real compromises. Here is how that trade actually plays out.