Homemade
Ham Radio Antennas

Homemade antenna parts & tools

So much has been written on homemade ham radio antennas that it would be a shame not to point you to some of the best sources of articles on the subject.

Because many ham radio operators, all over the world, like to experiment with homemade antennas, I felt I should share with you here my favorite sources of information for the antenna "home brewing" enthusiast.

Who "Brews" The Best
Homemade Ham Radio Antennas?

I believe that QRP enthusiasts come up with some of the most efficient and effective homemade ham radio antennas.

Why?

Because they have to extract every micro-volt of RF possible from the radio waves to hear other QRP ham radio stations.

Also, when a QRP operator puts out 5 watts of RF or less into an antenna system, s/he wants most of it to get out there and do it's thing!

Every successful QRP operator knows that her/his success is due to two essential elements.

1. Mastering QRP operating techniques.
2. Installing well designed antenna system.

For more on QRP and its antennas, here is a good reference that I recommend without hesitation.

• Low Power Communication - The Art And Science of QRP. 3rd Edition, by Rich Arland, W3OSS (ARRL Publication), chapters 6-7.

Books On Antennas

There are many good books out there. Here are the ones I refer to the most.

ARRL Books

Solid reference books by the American Radio Relay League:

• The ARRL Antenna Book. 21st Edition ISBN: 0-87259-987-6
• VHF/UHF Antenna Classics. First edition. ISBN: 0-87259-907-8
• Low Profile Amateur Radio, Second Ed. ISBN: 0-87259-974-4
• Low Power Communication, Third Ed. ISBN: 0-87259-104-2

And, of course, the "bible" - ARRL Handbook For Radio Communications - contains all the technical details to help you understand how antennas work - which helps quite a bit in reducing time spent on trial-and-error! :)

Note: if you are a US citizen, I encourage you to buy ARRL publications directly from the ARRL, preferably as a member supporting the ARRL. Outside USA, you will get a better deal by buying from Amazon or some other online discount outlet than from ordering directly from the ARRL.

See this link for more ARRL books on antennas.

RSGB Books

Building Successful HF Antennas By Peter Dodd, G3LDO, RSGB Publication. ISBN 9781-9050-8643-6

See this link for more RSGB books on antennas.

Periodicals

The only periodical publication on antennas that I can recommend is AntenneX because it is exclusively dedicated to antennas and it covers all aspects of antennas worth writing about.

AntenneX offers articles for every level of expertise, from the beginner to the highly technical. Admittedly, many articles are aimed at the more experienced and technically oriented amateur radio operators.

• AntenneX - The online magazine exclusively dedicated to every aspect of antennas.

73 de VE2DPE
Claude Jollet
7, Rue de la Rive, Notre-Dame-des-Prairies, Québec, Canada J6E 1M9

QTH Locator: FN36gb