Antennas
Smith Chart 101: Tame the Beast
I had a viewer ask me to do a video on the Smith Chart and here it is. This is a quick overview of what the Smith Chart is and how it works as well as how to plot points on the chart. This just scratches the surface but should be a good starting point ...
Read more: Smith Chart 101: Tame the BeastIs Your Antenna Really Efficient? SWR isn’t the only thing
Don’t assume that a good SWR means that your antenna is truly efficient and getting out there. This video goes over the other factors that weigh in on how well your antenna is operating.
Read more: Is Your Antenna Really Efficient? SWR isn’t the only thingQRP Guys End Fed Half Wave Kit – Full Build Instructions
End Fed Half Wave antennas are a great option for portable QRP operations as they are easy to pack and deploy and add very little weight to your kit. This is an easy kit to build and in this video I give you my impression of this very popular antenna kit. I also show the ...
Read more: QRP Guys End Fed Half Wave Kit – Full Build InstructionsK6ARK EFHW – Tiny Portable QRP Antenna Kit
As a follow on to my last video on the K6ARK Dipole Balun, I decided to show off the 49:1 UNUN setup for an End Fed Half Wave. Here is a simple ultra portable QRP antenna solution that will appeal to SOTA and POTA as well as other portable operators. I intentionally didn’t show how ...
Read more: K6ARK EFHW – Tiny Portable QRP Antenna KitBuild K6ARK QRP HF Dipole Matching Unit
Adam K6ARK is an avid SOTA operator and does a great job designing and building ultra light weight HF equipment such as this 1:1 Dipole balun. I go through the build process of this kit as a dipole balun. There were a lot of videos on how to build it as either a 49:1 or ...
Read more: Build K6ARK QRP HF Dipole Matching UnitDX Commander: Best HF Antenna For You?
The DX Commander is an extremely popular HF vertical antenna and for good reason. It is easy to build and more importantly, it performs extremely well. It covers the entire bands of 40 thru 6 meters and you don’t even need a tuner to cover the entire band with the exception of 10 and 6 ...
Read more: DX Commander: Best HF Antenna For You?Chameleon MPAS-Lite: Is it the right choice for you?
The Chameleon MPAS-Lite is a very nice antenna that deploys very quickly and band hopping isn’t a problem either as it covers 80 through 6 meters but there is a catch, you need to use an antenna tuner to use this. That being said, if you want something you can quickly get on the air ...
Read more: Chameleon MPAS-Lite: Is it the right choice for you?AlexLoop Hampack: Should You Buy It?
In this video I go over the AlexLoop Hampack to give you an idea whether it is worth your $600 or not. I like it and it does really well particularly when you don’t have a lot of space to set up like a hotel balcony or a busy park. It also works good for ...
Read more: AlexLoop Hampack: Should You Buy It?Tune the Buddistick Like a Pro
I take the Buddistick Pro and my RigExpert Stick and show you how you can get a nearly perfect tune on this antenna. Since the Buddistick uses an elevated counterpoise, you have to tune it as it is an active part of the antenna which differs from ground radials which tend to be much less ...
Read more: Tune the Buddistick Like a ProBuddistick Pro: Is it any Good?
In my first YouTube video for this channel, I explore the Buddipole Buddistick Pro and give my honest evaluation. Spoiler alert! it is a great antenna that has worked well for me. Pretty quick to setup and built really well. Understand that this is not designed to be a full time setup. Many have griped ...
Read more: Buddistick Pro: Is it any Good?