How To Use Your Roof To String An Hf Antenna

A simple technical look at an hf horizontal loop of.

How to use your roof to string an hf antenna.

For your balcony you can hang one out the balcony and lay the other on the floor hang it as a vertical dipole if you can get it to the upper balcony or even string or snake it out on the floor of the room both legs. The classic rain gutter loop antenna is it any good. Instead i d invest that money in a remote auto atu that can be used with a wide range of future antennas. The main thing to keep in mind is that the antenna should not be in close proximity of large metal.

On vhf i use a roof rack mounted 5 8 λ commercial mobile antenna that retails for 14 95. On the hf bands a bumper mounted homebrew antenna that costs about the same as the vhf antenna added the bonus of a fun day at the workbench. Compromise disguise antennas are no strangers to hams especially on hf. In order to mount an antenna on your roof without damaging it you should attach the antenna to the gable the fascia or the chimney.

My hf antenna is a bug catcher. Quite versatile and compact to carry. This may be your biggest design challenge to figure out where to string the antenna. But which ones are worth the effort.

Most of the cost and complication of factory built multiband antennas comes from the need for impedance matching on each band. On using a metal roof as an antenna the joints between panels are likely not soldered and are likely to form corroded diode junctions that generate. Twice as high as a vertical for the same band. It tunes up nice on 40m and 20m.

Whatever you do do not put holes in your roof to attach your antenna. A vertical hf antenna can get away with a height of only λ 4. That ideally at least assuming low angle radiation is the goal a horizontal antenna needs to be really really high i e. If all else fails string a wire from your window to something outside and above the roof like a tree or a nearby house.

Need lots of room keep them away from metal objects like heaters and ducts wire antennas can be run near the peak of the roof inside the attic bent in odd shapes to match the space available. By john portune w6nbc. The hf bands and 2 meters. A pair of tall trees can work well if they are spaced at a convenient distance.

Or you may have to connect one end to your house and the other end to a pole. Wire strung around your house at rain gutter height plus. This is something i keep neglecting to consider. Attic antennas many types of antenna can be mounted in the attic if you don t have radiant barrier tech shield.

You can also buy non penetrating mounts that use weights rather than screws to hold them in place.