Tag: antennas
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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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Mobile Antenna Mounts, Grounding, and Noise: A General Installation Guide
A mobile antenna is only as good as the mount, ground, and cable routing behind it. Here is what actually matters, regardless of which specific antenna you end up running.
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Building Your First Ham Radio Station
Every antenna build, cable lesson, and shack project on QSO Journey, organized into one roadmap for putting together a station that grows with you.
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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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Coax Connectors Explained: SO-239, BNC, SMA, and N-Type
Choosing coax is only half the equation. The connector on each end matters just as much, and mixing up the wrong one for the job causes more problems than the cable itself usually does.
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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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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.