Antennas without the maths
If you only improve one thing, improve the antenna. A modest radio with a good antenna beats an expensive radio with a bad one, every time.
Three rules that cover most of it
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Height beats power
Especially on VHF and UHF, getting the antenna up and clear of buildings and trees does more than any amplifier. A few extra feet of height is often worth more than doubling your power.
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Outside beats inside
Walls, foil-backed insulation and metal roofs all absorb signal. An antenna on a fence post outdoors will usually beat a better antenna in the attic.
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Simple works
A piece of wire cut to the right length and fed in the right place is a genuinely good antenna. Most beginners' first shortwave antenna is exactly that, and it works.
Common beginner antennas
- Rubber duck - the stubby one on a handheld. Convenient, and the weakest antenna you own.
- Roll-up or telescopic whip - a few dollars, clips to a handheld, and often doubles your range.
- Ground plane or J-pole - a simple fixed VHF/UHF antenna for the roof or a mast.
- Dipole - a length of wire in two halves, fed in the middle. The classic shortwave starter.
- End-fed wire - a single wire and a small matching box; easy where you only have one high support point.
- Magnetic mount - sticks to the car roof, which acts as part of the antenna.
If you rent, or have restrictions
Plenty of licensed operators live in apartments or under homeowner rules. Options that work: a wire along a balcony rail, an antenna in the attic, a telescopic mast put up only when you are operating, or simply taking a radio to a park or hilltop. Portable operating is popular in its own right, and there are award programmes built around it.
Do not build the mast alone
Antenna work involves ladders, roofs and, near power lines, genuine danger. Club members will help - many clubs treat an antenna raising as a social event.