HFU HF Underground
Technical Topics => Equipment => Topic started by: osiris on February 21, 2023, 1223 UTC
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Hi, All. I'm looking for recommendations for an antenna to take with me when I go hiking. My plan is to bring a portable receiver and set up an antenna. I can power the antenna from a power pack. Something that could be mounted on a tripod would be perfect. Even if I have to use U bolts. I have one tripod that I removed the head from.
Thanks in advance.
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Why not use a dipole in an upright "L" configuration? It's an easy up and easy down antenna, and matches 50-75 ohm coax when the feedpoint is 6-8 ft. off the ground. You tie the extended bottom wire off to a bush or a tree. It's good for receiving and transmitting for those of us who live in the land of trees. You can roll it up and be gone in 5 minutes when you're done. It was one of my favorite no tune pirating antennas and is good for listening, too. You hear distant signals about a half hour to 45 minutes before you would with other types of antennas.
I swiped it from a QRP website in my pirating days from an article on CW dx camping. As 95% of my tx'ing was done from out in the woods with a gel-cell battery, that antenna along it's minimal packed size and amount of coax was just the thing for the job.
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Some wire laid out on the ground can do for mobile/pedestrian rx ops. Easy to pay out and reel in, if long enough it even will exhibit some directionality, long enough here meaning a half wave or so to the tuned freq.
No power needed.
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The PAR End-Fedz SWL and HF transmit antennas seem to work well, according to most users. I've watched a few YouTube demonstrations from a few years ago and the Par cable seemed to work well slung up a tree using a slingshot or whatever method they liked.
I use a homebrewed bolo to sling wire up a tree occasionally -- it's just a white flexible plastic pill bottle from generic NSAIDs with flat tape bass fishing line (more resistant to tangling than standard fishing line). I fill the pill bottle with coffee grounds or sand. I swing it around like a bolo and sling it up a tree. Then tie one end of the antenna to the pre-tied loop in the fishing line. Hoist it up, wrap the other end around the tree trunk to hold it fairly steady. Done.
Years ago I used to listen for the HF QRP backpack ham nets. Some of them talked about dragging wire behind them to transmit and receive as they were hiking. That would probably work pretty well if there's no other pedestrian traffic, and the antenna wire resists snarling.
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You might consider a telescoping vertical for your tripod if wanting a freestanding antenna option.
There are affordable 5.6m telescopic whips on eBay and similar.
Awhile back I deployed a temporary vertical antenna built with an inexpensive 13' telescopic crappie fishing rod, light gauge wire, and a tripod. The rod was around $12 at Walmart. I used one counterpoise wire of about the same length on the ground. A tripod is not even needed if you push the rod a few inches into the groud, wire tire it to a support, or similar.
I had a balun at the feedpoint, but a simple ferrite choke or even direct coax connection would likely suffice if not dealing with much common mode noise. About feedline, whatever small affordable coax should suffice for a typical portable HF receving antenna deployment. Lightweight RG-174 is popular for portable HF work.
I used like 50' of bulk RG-6 since it was just a temp antenna in the yard. Anyway, mine worked okay for a quickly tossed together receiving antenna IMO.