DX Boost for Your HF Vertical - Simple Low Cost

Here's a better way of installing an HF vertical antenna. It will improve the performance for a for very little extra cost.

Spider Pole fibre glass poles.

[alancars]

Great advice. I used a 4btv on the roof of my home for years with amazing results. Working portable, I also found much better results with my vertical configurations off the ground with the radials also off the ground. Playing with antennas is a really fun part of this hobby. 73's WA6MOW

[drjtgill]

40 years ago I had a Hygain 18AVT 5 band vertical (very similar to today’s 6BTV). I had it mounted at the eave of my house (~10 ft) and had 2 wires for each band in a ground plane configuration. It worked very well for several years. The radials weren’t at ideal angles, but it worked. A SSB contact from Texas with an Indonesian station using a Kenwood TS-520 is still one of my most memorable QSOs.

[nattyras]

If antenna companies are wondering why sales are dropping. Is because we are learning all the secrets slowly but surely from uncle Peter. Thanks again for a great one.

[loraz]

Hello Peter. I have had a 10m fiberglass pole supported by a piece of pvc plumbing pipe set in concrete for two years now. It is ready to start it's 3rd Wisconsin winter. The biggest issue I have had is the pole collapsing, especially in the winter. I pull each section as tight as possible, use a good grade of electrical tape to cover each joint well, and put a zip tie on the upper section at the joint on the tape. Use needle nose pliers to twist-pull the zip tie tight. It has stayed up fine since I did this, and is a great antenna overall. Very fast to take down for storms or hoa silliness.

[_tor]

Thank you for your videos sir. I have taken your advice very seriously. You have made this hobby enjoyable with all your tips. My friends and I are greatful.

[erpece]

Great information, Peter. I would like to add that if you use a metal support for a fiber glass pole, make sure the feed point is (just) above the top of the metal support. This will minimize the effect of the metal support.

[mikes]

I cut circular disks out of a plastic used from a kitchen cutting/preparation board. Slide over my Spiderbeam - 3 band only and could add more, 20/17/10. Radials 18” off the ground. Every day is a learning day. Thanks Peter.

[RobertMacCready]

I have an aluminum flag pole that I separated at the bottom by about 1'. So the flag pole is about 23' up. Used sheets of aluminum around the base, and attach the radials off the edges of the aluminum sheets. I used random lengths. Got about 9 right now. Longest one is about 25' and shortest is about 6'. 8-foot grounding rod at the base of the antenna. Got an MFJ remote antenna tuner and she tunes up nicely from 6 to 80m. Been playing with WSJT-X FT8 and 4, and it works amazingly well. From North Central Florida I've worked New Zealand, several Russian stations, Australia a few times, Brazil and Argentinia, and Kuwait, to name a few. Have over 1000 contacts in just a month and 1/2.
I can run up the stars and strips (it is a flag pole) and so no one sees an "antenna".

[smfridley]

Greetings from Texas Peter! Thoroughly enjoy your vids and suggestions to the ham radio community. My favorite antenna is an EFHW on a spiderbeam and a drive on antenna mount. Superb DX. Now motivated to build a better vertical for my HOA location (very hot here at the moment though). Keep up the great work. Your are a true gem!

[johnmarron]

Another great video, .what you have described is how the dxcommander is constructed..thanks again keep them coming. 73 john

[dbmi]

yeah - i buildt my 3 band vertical last week and now the vertical vids on youtube are booming ;) THX and cheers, 73 - i made it exactly as you describe. The capacitive effects from the elements interacting and other metal stuff near the antenna make it a sport event to bring the pole up and down to tune the system .... Snapping Wago clamps are a good help (series 221)

[bobblacka]

Great video. I had a brand new 18AVQ vertical in a box left over from the 1960's that I never had time to put up. This antenna had no traps instead using a loading coil at the base. I repurposed it as a 20m mono-bander trimmed exactly to one-quarter wave length. I mounted it on a section of galvanized steel conduit about 5 meters above ground. I always use a 1:1 balun with my antennas to prevent coax feedline radiation. Having room for only one radial, I gave it a try anyway. Amazingly, after tuning, the SWR was 1.05 at the center of the band rising to only 1.2 at the band edges. Haven't tried WSPR yet, but from reception reports, it appears to have good DX propagation in all directions. The lesson here is even one elevated radial can work if you don't have room for more.

[DLGKC]

Great video, Peter. Useful information. At the end of your video, you are describing Cullum‘s DXCommander 😁 good ideas taken from old books. 73 de Chris DL1GKC

[asddbdsd]

Another great video, thanks Peter. Meanwhile I own three 12.5m Spiderbeam fiberglass poles and I'm totally happy with them. 73, DF9CK

[johnallsopp]

Thank you, Peter, for your time presenting practical educational videos, s for the new ham and old-timers like me. There's always something to pick up from watching video presentations. I have tried many verticals, some ground mounted with a minimum amount of radials, ie 16. Using a simple homemade field strength meter at my QTH, which is surrounded by trees concrete and other houses, I have found that most of the time the ground-mounted verticals I have built, on 10, 15, 20 meters are down around 6 to 9dbs at one halfwave distance from the feed point, one wavelength and three wavelengths were similar. Raising the bottom of a 20-meter vertical from ground level to 5 meters above I gained the 6-9dbs. Wonder what a vertical for 14 Mhz at 16.5 feet will do if mounted on the chimney stack with radials lying on the slates, I, 'll report back when completed, I use the reverse beacon network for checking received signals, it is a very handy tool. VY 73 de JOHN G4YDM

[MrDbone]

A very good Monday afternoon to you all from Wellington Somerset

[alangoulding]

Another video with excellent advice Peter, I replied to your previous video regards the choice of verticals and the installation of my Cushcraft MA5V on a 10ft mast on the side of my house making it around 30 plus feet from the ground. I thought i would add another bit of my install that may interest the viewers. The alloy mast is 2 inches dia with a 3mm wall thickness, by trade I am a manufacturing engineer for 40 + years so am a little handy on the lathe, I turned a nylon bush for a tight fit inside the mast and bored a hole to suit the aerial base to slide in snugly. To look at my MA5V it looks as its just one very large antenna no U bolts to fix to the mast for location. Now I wasn't sure if my fixture would affect my install as the 4 ground radials encircle the mast to a point but maybe I was lucky its had no adverse results on SWR or the way the Cushcraft performs...just thought I would share my idea Peter..(I have 2 Diamond 2/70 mounted in exactly the same way again with no effect on performance) 73s de G7WBB Alan

[gooq]

Enjoyed the video, sound advice. And yes Spiderbeam masts are the way to go.

[theradiocommsgeek]

I agree with you mostly with elevated radials the 45 degree will bring down the sdr. I plan on a multi band vertical like the commander I live 400 feet off the beach at a elevation of 2 feet of sea level. The salt water is a better ground by 1000 percent so I can't wait its like magic. And probably ground mount.
I might try it also with elevated radials.
Keep up the good work!
Chuck AA4CP
Fort Pierce, Florida USA

[Dan-]

I like using the LDG 1:1 Balun at the feed point of my homemade verticals. And I’ll bet you have them for sale in your shop 😉! Another great inspiring video to get out there and build an antenna 📡😃👍! de Dan WD4DB