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KL7JR
DUAL BAND WIRE VERTICAL I've used dual band wire verticals before and continue to be
impressed with the results that a few dollars worth of materials and an
hour or two of labor yielded. You can make this antenna with as many
vertical radiators as you have room for, and use a variety of insulating
materials. You can even make it quarter-wave, half-wave or a full
wavelength in size! I chose 1/2 wavelengths for each of my favorite
bands (17 and 20 meters) and because I also wanted 40 meter capability.
This antenna actually works 10-40 meters with an antenna
tuner! For 28 MHz it's In the photos below, the two coiled wires on top of the 6
inch square PVC tube (left over from an awning project) are the vertical
radiators. All other coiled wires make up the ground radial system (put
out as many as long as you can). I used whatever scrap wire I had laying
around for the radials. The PVC pipe at top of photo is used to support
the top of antenna. The vertical wires are spaced about 18 inches apart to
avoid any interaction of the wire antennas to each other. I've seen a
commercial 5 band wire vertical that used 6 inch spacing but always
thought that was too close. You can decide on the spacing of your antenna,
size and the number of bands you want to work. Have fun with your antenna
experimenting! Note in drawing above that antennas are spaced 18 inches
apart at top. The two coiled wires on top of the 6 inch square PVC tube in
photo above,
Editors Note: This nifty idea of supporting antennas can not only be used in portable, emergency or field day use but you can use it as a permanent method to hang several antennas from a tower by using an extention bar mounted out from the tower to hang the support from!
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