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Introduction
Who needs this article? Anyone who is a new shortwave radio listener. Shortwave
listening is a bit more complicated than AM or FM radio listening, and satisfactory Ac e i? {1 / 2 } I n d o o r
VH F /U H F A n t e n n a
results depend upon designing and installing a good antenna.
Why? Shortwave radio signals usually travel great distances. They bend around the $12.99 at Ace Hard...
earth by reflecting off the ionosphere.
Why do I need to know that? The ionosphere is a finicky mirror! In the daytime, it
reflects higher frequencies, and absorbs lower ones. At night, it reflects lower
frequencies and absorbs higher ones. Around sunrise and sunset, the middle
frequencies seem to travel best.
Sooooo... Is that daytime at my house, or at the far-away radio station? Good
question! Answer: Somewhere in between. It means that higher frequency, daytime St e a l th te n n a ®
bands will bounce into the US from the west (Australia, Japan) in the evening, Su b u rb a n An t e n n a
because it's still sunny in the Pacific. Likewise, stations from the east (Europe, etc.) ( ...
will bounce into the US in the early morning hours, increasing in strength through $60.99 at Ace Hard...
midday, then fading out as the sun goes down over the Atlantic.
This is too complicated! Not at all. You will soon learn to locate your favorite
shortwave stations on the right frequency, depending on what time it is. Shortwave
stations (24-hour transmitters) will use two, three, or even four different frequencies,
rotating through them every day. When it's time to change, they make an
announcement.
What if I'm not listening when they make the announcement? Part of being a Te rr e st ria l D ig i ta l
shortwave listener means collecting radio schedules. These are found on the internet. Op t imu m VH F / UH F
.. .
You can also just spin the dial and listen, and keep notes of what is where, when, and
make your own custom listening schedule. $89.00 at Mounts a...
Ok, so what else do I need to know to get started? Your little portable shortwave
radio has a useless antenna. Oh, it's fine for FM -- but shortwave antennas need to be
at least fifty feet long to be useful!
Oh no! I can't put up some big, ugly antenna! All it takes is a very fine wire. It can
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run out the window to a tree, or stapled along under the eaves, or even in the attic.
Ok! I think I can do that! Sure! Anybody can do it. Millions of people all over the world use shortwave as
their primary or only source of information.
So, just what is an antenna? Technically speaking, an antenna is an impedance matching transformer. It
matches the low impedance of a transmitter or receiver to the extremely high impedance of the
surrounding space. It converts power alternating in a wire into power alternating in free space (or air), and
vice-versa. A poor antenna converts very little signal, but a good antenna will receive and convert a great
deal more signal.
Do I really need to know that? No, but you do need to know how to get enough signal to your radio to
greatly increase your listening options, and reduce annoying signal fading. You also need to understand
that antennas also pick up noise -- man-made and natural -- and you want your antenna to receive more
signal than noise.
Ok, so what is impedance? Impedance is like resistance, but more complex. Impedance includes capacitive
and inductive reactance.
Oh? So what's that? It doesn't matter. What's important here is that you realize that, when an antenna is
properly designed, there is an impedance match, and that usually means that the antenna is operating at
maximum efficiency in converting an electrical signal to radio waves (transmitting), and vice-versa
(receiving).
I didn't realize it mattered that much. It depends - if you want the best possible performance from your
antenna, you must design it correctly. Also, you will want an antenna that is physically strong, and safe, so
it will stay up through many years of storms.
Why does a shortwave antenna need to be so long? Because shortwaves are long (they are called "short"
waves because longwaves are miles long!) If you only want to listen in the daytime, 50 feet of wire is fine.
However, if you also want to listen to the lower, night-time frequencies, you'll need 100 feet or more.
Why? The length of the antenna needs to agree with the length of the longest radio waves that you want to
receive. Shortwave broadcasters use frequencies that are from about 50 to about 400 feet long, and an
effective antenna needs to be at least one-fourth of that length -- and one-half is much better.
I didn't realize it mattered that much. It depends - if you want the best performance from your antenna,
you must design it correctly. Also, you will want an antenna that is physically strong, and safe, so it will
stay up through many years of storms. In most areas, it must also be well hidden.
I live in a Property Owners' Association. What can I do? Most people in the US now live in communistic
property owner's associations. These usually have rules (which you agreed to by signing the contract) that
prohibit visible outdoor antennas. They don't want you messing up the neighborhood by exercising your
constitutional rights, so they require you to enter into a contract that restricts your rights. I call it,
"Communism by Contract," for that is exactly what it is. It is also discrimination, because shortwave radio
is just another information source, like TV and the internet.
They won't let me put up any outdoor antennas. I will show you how to put up simple, effective shortwave
antennas which are almost invisible. If your local communists can't see it, they cannot object to it, since
the rationale for their anti-antenna ruling is one of visual appearance. If they do object, you still have
options. You can fight the ruling and get an exemption. You can fight on the grounds of a federal FCC ruling
called PRB-1, which covers small satellite dishes, but may, in the spirit of the law, add weight to your
argument. Or, you can simply hide your antenna better, such as running it under the eaves or in the attic.
Is this going to be complicated? Not at all. There are standard formulae for various antenna designs, and
standard (common-sense) mechanical practices.
Why are there different designs? Again, it depends. You may want your antenna to transmit or receive
equally well in all directions, or in one direction only. You may want it permanent, temporary, or hidden.
Oh! You mean, like a CB ground plane versus a TV antenna! Correct - and there are serveral other designs
and parameters which we will consider herein.
Like what? Like whether the antenna design has a wide or narrow bandwidth.
Bandwidth?! You just read on!
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SAFETY FIRST!
POWER LINE SAFETY
Every year, people are killed because they allow an antenna or support to contact overhead high-voltage
power lines. Remember: Never, NEVER run any antenna wire, feedline, support line, or guy wire OVER OR
UNDER power lines !!! The antenna, support, or guy can fall into the power line -- OR the power line can
fall into them. A wet antenna support rope will conduct high-voltage. NEVER assume it is safe to run a rope
or string over or under power lines.
NEVER raise a pole, mast, or tower is such a way that it could fall into a power line !!!
Get help. Tie off safety lines (dry nylon rope) perpendicular to and away from power lines. If your mast is
40 feet high, erect it 45 feet or more from power lines. NO EXCEPTIONS!
To reduce power-line induced noise in your shortwave radio, shortwave longwire antennas should be run
perpendicular to, and away from, utility power lines.
LIGHTNING SAFETY
Every year, people are killed because they ignore simple lightning protection measures. The basic lightning
arrestor is simply a grounded spark-gap device. You can buy them, or make one from an old spark plug.
All large antennas -- even horizontal wires run low to the ground -- increase the risk of electrocution
and/or property damage from atmospheric lightning. The simple rule is: the longer the wire, the more
voltage will be induced upon it by a nearby lightning strike. This voltage will leap off the end of the wire in
a fat blue spark, and you will hear it pop. Any time you hear thunder, disconnect the antenna wire from the
radio. Put the end in a glass or jar and lay it on the floor near the wall. If you have a radio ground wire,
clip the antenna wire to it instead.
You don't need a direct strike to have lightning damage. Any strike within a mile will produce an
electromagnetic pulse that will induce thousands of volts on your antenna wire, probably damaging your
radio. If you get a direct hit, it will probably destroy your house, with or without a lightning arrestor.
NOTE: A lightening arrestor only drains away small pulses -- it will NOT protect you or your house from a
direct strike. ALWAYS disconnect the antenna from the radio when storms are approaching! Do not leave
an unattended radio connected to an outdoor antenna. Tell the whole family!
LEGALEZE
Antenna erection in the vicinity of power lines can be a FATAL activity! Your safety is your responsibility --
not mine! THE AUTHOR ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR USE OR MISUSE OF ANY INFORMATION
HEREIN.
The author cannot guarantee nor warranty that the plans and information herein are perfect in every
detail, nor that your use of them will satisfy your needs. The outcome is entirely your responsibility. They
are intended simply as a guide for you to use in designing and building something to suit your own needs.
Every antenna installation is different.
Radio Shack is Registered Trademark of Tandy Corporation. My mention of Radio Shack products in these
plans should not be considered an endorsement, just that they are readily available and of reasonable
quality. I am under no agreement with Tandy Corporation.
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DEFINITIONS
Cycle or Hertz - two changes of the polarity of energy, i.e., stop, forward,
stop, reverse, stop.
Kilocycle or kiloHertz (kHz) - One kilocycle = one thousand cycles per
second.
Megacycle or MegaHertz (MHz) - One megacycle = one million cycles per
second.
Frequency - how frequent something repetitive happens. The frequency of
alternating energy is usually expressed in cycles per second or Hertz.
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SIMPLE ANTENNAS
Now that we know our antennas should be resonant, let's see how to make them resonant.
First, are we transmitting or receiving? Transmitting antennas are much more critical than receiving
antennas, although a receiving antenna can transmit if it is resonant (or otherwise matched) and if it can
handle the transmitter's output power. A transmitting antenna can also receive, and will do so particularly
well on the frequency for which it was designed.
If you are running a low-power FM transmitter, or a CB or HAM station, you already know something about
transmitting antennas. Amateur operators, in particular, must pass exam questions on antenna design and
theory.
If we are operating a shortwave radio, we want it to quit fading out in the middle of our favorite shows.
Now that you are ready to get brilliant, learn rule #1 of antenna design: All antenna designs are a mixture
of compromises. Just like boat hulls and airplane wings.
What we need to do, therefore, is identify our particular need and design an antenna which is optimized to
fulfill that particular characteristic - whether it be directionality, gain, or bandwidth, or just all-around good
performance.
I have been an antenna experimenter for over 25 years. My goal has always been to build cheap, simple
antennas that work well. It's all in the numbers. I had a $25 multiband shortwave antenna in the attic
which would outperform any commercially-made $150 antenna. I had a discone scanner antenna made of
stainless steel welding rods which I built for about $3. I had a VHF yagi which would go five miles on ¼
watt, made of scrap TV antenna parts. The only antenna I have ever had to purchase is a satellite dish,
because I can't build parabolic reflectors. I am currently running a 265-foot dipole fed with ladder-line and
an antenna tuner. My next will be a 130-foot square horizontal loop. Having 5½ acres of trees helps!
You can string up a wire just about anywhere and get a good signal on shortwave. Fifty feet of very fine
wire, strung along the ceiling on thumbtacks, will give you much more signal than the ridiculous telescopic
whip that comes with portable radios. Telescopic antennas are extremely too short for shortwave
frequencies!
There is one fundamental rule for receiving antennas: It must be at least ¼-wave long at the lowest
frequency you plan to use. Thus, if your lowest regular listening is on 3315 kHz, your wire should be 70
feet long - minimum. Obviously, the 5-foot whip antenna on your shortwave is just a bit too short. For
much better performance, it shoud be ½ wave long on your lowerst frequency (a Zepp). Multiwire dipoles
are best of all. Avoid all "trap" antennas.
Let's design a decent longwire antenna for general shortwave listening. We will want to listen down to 2500
kHz (2.5 MHz), then analyze its performance.
The formula for determining the ½ wave length of wire is: 468 ÷ f (MHz) = feet.
In our example, 2.5 MHz is our lowest frequency, therefore: 468 ÷ 2.5 = 187.2 feet of wire. That's a lot!
No room!
Let's say we'll design it for 5 MHz, and be willing to accept slightly reduced performance down to 2.5: 468
÷ 5 = 93.6 feet of wire. We can handle that.
Longwires are usually strung up something like this:
This arrangement keeps constant tension on the wire while allowing the tree to sway without breaking the
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wire.
Electrical suppliers carry 500-foot rolls of #14 stranded THHN wire (about $35). Electricians frequently
have scraps and partial rolls. Farm supply stores carry #17 aluminum fence wire (about $12 for ¼-mile
roll). Wal-Mart carries 100-foot rolls of telephone house wiring (about $10) (solder all 4 strands together at
both ends). Any wire will do -- but some will last longer than others. Stranded, insulated wire is best.
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DIRECTIVITY
As previously stated, a ½ wave antenna radiates off of the sides, perpendicular to the
wire. Longwire antennas radiate toward the far end of the wire. Let's look at what
happens to the directivity pattern of our 94-foot wire.
As we dial up the frequency, the pattern of the antenna
changes. The following diagrams show relative signal strength,
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looking down from the top. As the frequency goes up, the two
lobes split into 4, then get stronger toward the far end of the
wire. The patterns are like doughnuts circling the wire - thus,
the patterns extend upward as well as long the ground.
In each case, the wire is fed from the left end. Increasing the
frequency has the same effect on the pattern as lengthening
the wire. The two side lobes squash and divide into four (at 1
wave), then the directivity shifts toward the far end of the wire.
They then come together as one long lobe. This is the primary
negative design characteristic of longwire antennas.
You should keep these patterns in mind when stringing up a single-wire antenna, so
that, at your favorite frequencies, a lobe is pointing toward the right part of the
world. Other (slightly more complex) antenna designs avoid this problem of
changing directivity by using several antenna elements of different lengths, as we shall see on the
following page.
It's important to note
that the height of the
antenna above ground
also affects the pattern.
Lower antennas have
higher radiation angles -
thus, more energy is
wasted into the sky. It
would be nice to be able
to get our antenna ½ wave above ground at the lowest operating
frequency. This would mean that our 100-foot long antenna
should be 100 feet high, but alas, this is hardly practical -- unless
you have some old pine or redweed trees on your property. The
general rule of antenna height is: higher = better. Surprisingly, however, even the top wire of a fence will
do quite well.
You can bend the antenna
wire around corners, but
it's better if you do not.
Try to keep most of the
wire in a straight line.
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Note that ½ wave antennas are also resonant at 1½ waves. This is called "third-harmonic" operation.
Knowing this, international radio treaty makers long ago placed the shortwave broadcast bands at
convenient locations. The result is that we can use 4 wires to pick up 8 shortwave bands with excellent
efficiency. Below are the calculations for this antenna (frequencies shown are approximate band centers for
the meter bands shown):
The wires are spread 3-4 inches, held in place with simple Plexiglass spacers. Just cut a few pairs of the
acrylic about 2 by 12 inches and run a few small bolts through them, pinching the wires between.
Obviously, you stretch the whole mess out on the ground, assemble it, then pull it up with your rope and
pulley.
The wires all join at the peak of the house and connect to the center wire of 50-ohm coax (RG-58). The
shield of the coax connects to a wire which runs down to your ground rod. Solder and tape all connections
to keep water out. Don't forget the lightning arrestor.
If you have a big tree about 170 feet away, this antenna will give fabulous results.
The next design is a center-fed multiwire dipole (below). The big advantage is, since the array is supported
at the center, you can use lighter (cheaper) materials, since each span is only 72 feet long. Also, using two
tall trees puts more of the antenna higher off of the ground.
The only way you that may further improve on this design is to raise it higher. If you have thousands of
dollars laying around, you can string it across three 100-foot towers - and probably get a write-up in a
national magazine.
Ok - enough dreaming. Let's get realistic here. We have no trees, and dozens of property association rules.
We need a good shortwave antenna in the attic.
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1 (top) 05.90 MHz (49 meter) 17.70 MHz (16 meter) 468 ÷ 05.90 = 79' 3" 39' 6"
2 07.20 MHz (41 meter) 21.60 MHz (13 meter) 468 ÷ 07.20 = 65' 0" 32' 6"
3 09.75 MHz (31 meter) 29.25 MHz (10 meter) 468 ÷ 09.75 = 48' 0" 24' 0"
4 11.85 MHz (25 meter) 468 ÷ 11.85 = 39' 6" 19' 9"
5 15.30 MHz (19 meter) 468 ÷ 15.30 = 30' 6" 15' 3"
Since this is a dipole (center-fed), we need to buy ((79.25 + 30.5) ÷ 2) + 2 = about 55' 2" of ribbon
(leaves an inch on each end for connection). We then measure, mark, cut, and peel it all apart to make the
two halves of the dipole (notice that the center wire is cut twice - 7 feet is discarded) (cut each conductor
by pushing a small screwdriver through it):
If you can't get in the attic, you can lay it on top of the roof. Bring the coax out through a ridge vent, if
possible. Waterproof the connections. NOTE: If you don't want to build it, Radio Shack sells this type
antenna for about $35 (+ coax).
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NUTTY ANTENNAS
These are all the crazy "try it and see if it works" non-designed antennas. They usually work better than
the telescopic radio antenna, but worse than the indoor longwire.
House wiring: You can run a short piece of wire from the telescopic whip to the ground screw on the
nearest electrical outlet, thus using the ground wires of the house as an antenna. The problem is
that they go in all different directions and tend to cancel one another. But it's the thing to try if you
can't even thumbtack a wire on the ceiling.
Aluminum foil: KBOHAE reports that, "Aluminum foil can be used to make some very effective indoor
antennas. Especially when these antennas must be physically short (less than 1/4 wavelength). I
have tried various antennas for shortwave listening over the years. The most effective indoor
antenna that I have found is made from 2 or 3 strips of aluminum foil attached to the back of a
world map. This antenna has outperformed any inside wire antenna that I have tried. It has also
outperformed some outside wire antennas." Thanks. This hadn't occured to the author before, but a
slab of foil on the end of a wire should electrically lengthen it, like the capacitance hats on shortened
verticals.
Hidden wires: If the ceiling wire is too bold for your landlord, you can run a long wire under the
baseboard -- just push it under (between the carpet and baseboard) with the back end of a butter
knife. Works pretty good in upstairs rooms, but not worth the effort on the ground floor. The best
hidden indoor wires are attic dipoles, stapled under the rafters, as shown on the previous page.
They do require, however, access to the attic space, as well as a way to get the coax down to the
radio. This is generally not for renters.
Foil tape: If you are about to repaint, you can run a roll of foil tape along baseboards, then paint it.
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ADD-ON GADGETS
Like every other hobby, shortwave listening attracts sundry gadgets. Some of these are quite useful, some
are not, and some are for specialty purposes only.
Audio Filters
These process the audio (speaker) output in some desireable way. You must plug them in between the
radio's speaker (earphone) jack, and an external speaker (or headphones) which you have to purchase
separately.
Audio filters allow you to "narrow" the bandwidth of the audio -- like turning a "Tone" control way down,
but with more sophisticated control. It is a nice add-on, if you listen to CW (morse code), or if you
regularly get interference from stations on nearby frequencies (like 5 kHz away) from your favorite
stations. You can filter out the "hetrodyne" squeal -- but they will not filter out electrical noise. Be not
deceived!
If you get an audio filter, make sure it covers what you want to do, like shortwave broadcast clean-up, or
single-sideband, or CW (morse code) copy. Each of these requires different types of filtering. Some units
have it all in one box, and of course, cost more. Ask an Amateur (Ham) radio operator -- we Hams read
the radio magazines and keep up with these things.
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These connect to the speaker output of the radio, and usually to the serial input of a computer. They are
used to receive and decode CW, radioteletype (many varieties), and weather fax transmissions.
My recommendations: The cheap ones ($100) are garbage, so don't waste your money. The better ones
which cost several thousand dollars work very well. You need to have a real need-to-know (like surveillance
work) to justify the expense. Even then, most of the signals are encrypted, and it's illegal to intercept
them.
What to Avoid
Don't mess with "active" antennas, unless you are trying to get shortwave in the car or from motel
rooms.
Don't mess with multiband, analog dial-type radios. You know the ones that have 21 shortwave
bands, AM, FM, TV sound, etc. Get a good digitally-tuned, continuous-coverage (150-30000 kHz)
shortwave, in the $150 to $400 range. Get one with "BFO" for sideband and CW listening. The
Sangean 818 is the best radio made for less than $200 and I highly recommend it. C-Crane Co. is
the best source.
Don't mess with automotive radio shortwave converters or other such rinky-dink shortwave receiver
kits. They all have a very limited frequency range, typically 1 or 2 megahertz -- and the useful
shortwave band is is about 20 megahertz wide! Gimmicks to get you money…
Don't waste money on "wall plug antennas" that promose to use your whole house wiring as a great
antenna. They work no better than simply connecting to the ground screw in the center of the outlet
plate.
Don't blow $150 on fancy multiband trap-dipole antennas. Traps waste power. A $30 multiwire
ribbon dipole works better. Don't waste $75 on a simple inverted Vee dipole which you can build
yourself for $20 or less. Don't blow $135 on a name-brand discone antenna when Radio Shack sells
the same one for $60.
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in cross section, where dimension "L" is equal to one-quarter free-space wavelength (0.25), which is
as follows:
2952 ÷ ƒ(MHz) = L (inches)
where ƒ is the lower cutoff frequency in megahertz.
The diameter of the disc is 0.67L to 0.7L, and should be spaced about ½-inch above the point of the
cone.
The disc must be supported by an insulator block. The center of the coax connects to the disc, while
the shield connect to the cone. The skirt of the cone is supported by four small aluminum tubes,
flattened and bent at both ends. Old TV antenna elements work well as braces.
Radio Shack sells a discone which uses eight elements spaced around the circle. They claim 25-1300
MHz coverage, which is ridiculous. Still, it is a fine, stainless steel antenna for $59.95, which will
cover all VHF-UHF needs, including ham-band and FM-band transmitting.
These plans use dimensions which will set the lower cutoff frequency below 88 MHz, so that it may be used
for FM micro-broadcasting. For cutoff to include:
Lowest Band: Cutoff: "L=":
FM broadcast 87 MHz 34"
Aircraft108 MHz 27½"
VHF-Hi 138 MHz 21½"
Eliminating the lower bands simply makes a smaller antenna, which is easier and cheaper to build and
support. The antenna has a considerable surface area and wind load, therefore should be placed upon a
well-guyed mast. The guys may attach immediately below the skirt of the antenna, without any need for
insulators.
Ideally, the discone should be made of copper or aircraft aluminum ("Alclad") sheet metal, but a heavy
screen (¼-inch galvanized hardware cloth) will work as well, with lower wind loading and less cost.
MATERIALS
4' x 9' of ¼" mesh hot-dipped galvanized hardware cloth
One ten-foot section of 18-gage 1¼" TV mast
One SO-239 chassis-mount type coax connector
One PVC pipe cap (sized to fit snugly over the top of your mast)
Six feet of old TV antenna element, or ½"x½" aluminum anglestock (to brace the bottom of the
cone)
Two 2" worm-gear clamps (radiator hose clamps)
Sundry self-drilling sheetmetal screws, small machine screws (8-32) with double-flats, locks, and
nuts.
A small brazing torch and light-gage brazing rod would be helpful, but not essential.
You might want to finish the edge of the disc and the lower edge of the cone with #9 steel tie wire,
to stiffen it.
CONSTRUCTION
Heavy leather gloves are required! Unless you like pain and blood.
Cut out a half circle with a 36-inch radius for the cone. Leave a 1-inch tab, as shown, along the
straight edge. This will be overlapped and sewn together with wire, to form the seam of the cone.
Cut out a full circle with a 25-inch diameter for the disc.
Roll the half-circle into a cone. Overlap the 1-inch lip and sew or braze it together. This overlapping
is essential to ensure the cone has a nice round shape, and does not tend to "point" at the seam. Be
careful not to dent the cone.
Sew or braze #9 tie wire around the base of the cone, and around the edge of the disc, if desired,
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for stiffening.
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No antenna, pole, mast, or tower should ever be raised alone, nor by unsupervised children.
Well, that’s all for now, folks! I hope this article has been helpful. If you wish to continue learning antenna
theory and construction, obtain a few good books on the subject. I recommend you start with The ARRL
Antenna Book.
73, de KV5R
Copyright (c) 2002, 2007 by Harold Melton, KV5R. All Rights Reserved.
May not be copied without express written permission. Feel free to link to this page.
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