My Homemade 40-Meter NVIS Linear-Loaded Dipole for POTA

by Tom VE3YTN
(Ontario (FN04), Canada)

Center feed point

Center feed point

Hi Claude,

I want to thank you for the design of the NVIS portable antenna.

I built it to the dimensions given in your article (see reference link to the article below) but folded each end back about 9 inches then moved its resonance point to the middle of the band by trial and error.

I am including 3 pics of how I deployed the antenna for POTA. The first pic shows the center feedpoint held up with a stick against a tree.

Although my antenna is not resonant on 20, I did try it with a tuner and worked California with it from home (FN04).

I built mine with twin lead heavier stuff that I picked up from a ham sale.

I used the same BNC twin banana plug connector that is described in your article. I did not put any chokes on the coax as I didn't have any RF feedback issue.

I ran some tests at home using a 50 ft and a 25 ft section of coax between antenna and radio.

Compared to the 17 ft vertical on the truck I would say signals were 2-3 S-units better on this antenna. I was getting 58 & 59 reports pretty much all night till 9:30 and then they started to fade.

I think it is definitely a worthwhile antenna to explore for its simplicity and simple deployment. I'm going to look into building some for other bands in the future.

My recent POTA activations were done using this antenna. It's strung up between 2 trees about 6 feet off the ground (see photos).

I have made over 200 QSOs at 100w and tonight logged 23 QSOs using only 5 watts!

My main reason for building your NVIS design was to improve the local contacts. I'm amazed how well it works across the North-East and even Florida as well as getting local Ontario stations. Maybe propagation was just that good. Time will tell.

It is easy to build and setup. It is simple and does not tangle up in tree branches. It also doubles as a clothes line when not being used on POTA. LoL.

Here (below) is a recording that VA3BLV made on October 10, 2022 at 01:11 UTC (recorded off KiwiSDR software-defined receiver in Jumonville, PA, Grid FM09dw), while I was using your 40 meter linear-loaded antenna design on 7.220 MHz on a POTA activation of parc number VE0140 in Ontario.


Thanks again. I'm impressed with this antenna.

Tom VE3YTN 73

Reference article: https://www.hamradiosecrets.com/nvis-antenna.html

Click here to post comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Ham Radio Antennas Rave Accounts.



Found this page useful? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.

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

QTH Locator: FN36gb

Disclosure
If you make a purchase via a link on this site, I may receive a small commission on the transaction, at no extra cost to you. Thank you!


Online interactive ham radio license course.

Solo Build It!

(One word queries work best)

Testimonials



Click here for more testimonials.


FOUND THIS
SITE
USEFUL?

GET THE EBOOKS


Because you never know when...


VE2DPE
Is a member
in good standing
of

Radio Amateurs of Canada logo
American Radio Relay League (ARRL) logo.
Radio Amateur du Québec inc.
Club Radio Amateur Lanaudière inc.
Quarter Century Wireless Association Inc.
Straight Key Century Club - SKCC Logo
FISTS North America Home Page
North American QRP CW Club - NAQCC Logo
VE2DPE Ham Radio Operator and SolopreneurVE2DPE

Also a proud member of an international community of solopreneurs
using SoloBuildIt!
(SBI!)
to promote my self-published eBooks
since 2005.

See my review
of this unique product for online businesses.


CQ CQ CQ

If you have a question, a comment or a topic you would like me to cover, please do not hesitate to ask here.