How to Add a Counterpoise Easily - Put A Ring On It! - Counterpoise Hack for Ham Radio

Hack for a Ham Radio Counterpoise?

While making the Flatlanders Mirrors EFHW video, I realized I needed a counterpoise.

In this episode, I will show you an easy way and the over engineered way I installed a Counterpoise for the EFHW. This has been requested by multiple individuals and I am happy to share what I can.

The first tip should work as a temporarily solution, if you ever need an emergency counterpoise in the field (IE, you lost you counterpoise lug, the solder to the lug came undone, etc.

[robertmeyer]

Depending on soil and whats around. I have had trouble with no counterpoise. getting RFI into mic. etc. putting CMC choke at radio helps depending on coax. But I found potting the counterpoise at the antenna and a 1:1 or CMC at the antenna works better. dropped my noise floor and improved my signal to noise ratio on my RX. This varies a lot from place to place . Even on a different day this can change. I find for me just putting about 17 ft wire on the ground does the trick. and at QRO 1KW still worked great . If I am veritable I use 4 counterpoise on ground. spread them out and works great. some use the magic carpet for counterpoise and have great success with that . Every set up different. use what works best. Keep options in the go bag. Works great for me. 73

[JarlSeamus]

That is the Genius behind simple A hose clamp on the coax connector. [Chef's Kiss] Perfection. You could easily do that with a short piece of wire and a power pole connector or Wago.... Love it!

[Kinetic]

Yo, the jubilee clippy idea to connect the counterpoise is a great idea! I had thought about creating a place to connect counterpoises on a 3/8-24" antenna magnet mount (lacking any access to ground--unlike some variants) by chopping into tho coax shield and soldering in a little ring terminal (of course sealing the whole thing up well against moisture etc) ... or by chopping through the coax and installing a new PL-259, and basically adding a ring terminal wire before crimping down the connector ... but your solution is even more McGuyver elegant! Tksss

[pepdog]

I use a battery charger type clamp easy on and off.

[techjohnc]

May I suggest a piece of flexible stranded wire instead of the magnet wire?

[craigpalmer]

Undoing the antenna wire, might to put this on a cardboard tube so no rats nest

[dougdaniels]

Hose clamps, almost as versatile as duct tape and sheetrock screws!

[thedoobie]

If the counter poise wire has to be a specific length for the band of operation, do you then have to account for the coax and the counterpoise wire? Or, does the counterpoise wire take the coax out of the equation?

[abundantlifehomestead]

When I was in the Army, every vehicle radio antenna was grounded to the body (ground plane) via hose clamped strap at the feed point. I don't know if they still do that, probably not.

[P.SeanCoady]

Great job, but why should we have to perform something that should be standard.

[MrTalaue]

Interesting what is called "antenna" nowadays....

[danielkingshott]

Stupidly obvious solution *facepalm*, thanks for sharing!