[CQ] Antenna commentary

[Jonathan Lassoff]

On Thu, Mar 29, 2012 at 12:14 PM, Jordan Hayes KG6UAE <kg6uae at arrl.net> wrote:
>> - I don't want to be spotted as a nerd from google earth.
>> - I would like HF and VHF/UHF coverage.
>
> I think these two are mutually incompatible :-)

Well, not entirely.... there are ways to share infrastructure for two antennas.

If coax path space is tight, you can use a diplexer for two different antennas.

For space constrained HF, Moxons and capacitively-tuned loops are
compact and have a little bit of gain. Wire antennas can also be setup
somewhat discreetly. The G5RV is a cheap and simple multiband antenna.
The Buddipole is a portable tripod thing that's pretty neat.

For VHF on the roof, a J-pole is nice. It's compact and has a little
gain over a basic groundplane.


If you're interested in antenna projects in general, back issues of
QST magazine and ARRL articles have all manner of neat stuff.

Cheers,
jof