HF Hamsticks for portable or base operations?

[TheSpaceMann]

Anyone use Hamstick type HF antennas for base or portable HF operation?

 

[prcguy]

I've tried them for base and portable and performance was not so great. Hamsticks are fine for vehicle use because that's usually about the biggest thing most people can get away with. If you spread out 100-200 sq ft of chicken wire as a ground plane on your roof you can simulate the performance of a vehicle with a hamstick but if you put the ground plane on the ground (earth) you will loose some performance due to ground losses.

I've also seen people use two hamsticks to make a dipole and that's fine on 10m where the hamstick is nearly a full 1/4 wave per side and on 20m they still work somewhat, but try that on 40m or especially 80m and you have a dummy load on a stick.

If you have a little space for a wire antenna you can do much better than a hamstick. What bands are you interested in? You can make or buy a 64:1 transformer to match an end fed half wave and for 40-10m it uses about 63ft of wire.

If you have one of the 33ft telescoping fiberglass masts you can use the same transformer and make a 20m 1/2 wave end fed vertical with about 32ft of wire straight up the fiberglass mast or a 10m version with about 16ft of wire and these work really well for limited space and don't need any ground plane.
prcguy

 

[K5MPH]

I have used one for 10 Meters for mobile its ok but not that great....

 

[k9rzz]

I've used 'em on most bands 10 - 80m on the mobile mostly for listening. Have them on the roof top, dead center, seem to work well enough. Tip: don't drive into the parking structure with the 80 meter whip on top ... oh, antenna was fine but it dented my car! LOL

 

[15plus1]

Never tried it, but looks promising....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbQwLPVmG70

 

[TennaSky]

Hamstick

I have owned a Hamstick for all bands 10m-80m in the past, gave them away before I realized that Lakeview was out of business, and everything else that's similar I've found to be inferior, but now I make my own using fiberglass rod & teflon coated 14-16ga wire, so the story has a happy ending.

I like the performance of mine better because I use a taller whip (66" Wilson 5000) and larger diameter rod so the coil is more efficient, especially at lower frequencies. My 40m performs as well as the Screwdriver and the 80m is only 2db down from the screwdriver, probably due to the mounting location being rooftop on a set of 4-mag mounts across the front & a triple mag as the heel to the rear. Handled 80mph into a 25mph headwind, best magnet test so far.

On 10/11m I'd prefer even the new cheapies to a SS 103" as the minimal wrap coil tends to raise the current and offer a lower TOA, which could be counterproductive if you're mobile is located down in a valley where a higher TOA (Wilson 5000/SS103") might be better. On the lower bands the coils are so small and the Q so high you'll only get a small portion of the band and 'meager' performance, increasing as the frequency increases.

73zzz

 

[TheSpaceMann]

I have owned a Hamstick for all bands 10m-80m in the past, gave them away before I realized that Lakeview was out of business, and everything else that's similar I've found to be inferior, but now I make my own using fiberglass rod & teflon coated 14-16ga wire, so the story has a happy ending.

I like the performance of mine better because I use a taller whip (66" Wilson 5000) and larger diameter rod so the coil is more efficient, especially at lower frequencies. My 40m performs as well as the Screwdriver and the 80m is only 2db down from the screwdriver, probably due to the mounting location being rooftop on a set of 4-mag mounts across the front & a triple mag as the heel to the rear. Handled 80mph into a 25mph headwind, best magnet test so far.

On 10/11m I'd prefer even the new cheapies to a SS 103" as the minimal wrap coil tends to raise the current and offer a lower TOA, which could be counterproductive if you're mobile is located down in a valley where a higher TOA (Wilson 5000/SS103") might be better. On the lower bands the coils are so small and the Q so high you'll only get a small portion of the band and 'meager' performance, increasing as the frequency increases.

73zzz

Cool!! How do you go about putting together your homebrew hamsticks?

 

[TennaSky]

Home-brew Hamstick

Hey there SpaceMann,

Well, I do it the easy way.

In a nutshell, I take a 4' x 3/4" solid fiberglass rod, add a strong hose clamp to each end to prevent splitting, drill a hole in each end, wrap with wire, top with a 66" Wilson whip, insert a 3/8" x 24T stud at the bottom & cover with shrink tubing.

Drill a 1.5" deep hole straight down into the top of the 4 foot long 3/4" diameter solid fiberglass rod for the whip, making the hole slightly larger than the whip for the top end of the coil wire to tuck down into, & fit tightly alongside, the whip - with NOLOX or equivalent as a contact-enhancer/oxygen-inhibitor/lubricant.

When I build my 160m Hamstick I plan to use 1"-1.25" solid rod and insert a 3/8" x 24T stud at both ends so I can use a 3/8" x 24T barrel nut at the top, allowing me to then use a Hustler HD Quick release and a standard tip with allen set screws to hold the whip.

I tightly wind/wrap a pre-cut length of Teflon-insulated 12ga-14ga wire around the upper end of the fiberglass, TOPPING OUT 13.5" below the top of the 4' x 3/4" solid fiberglass rod, to add an additional foot of active whip length (made of the wire from the top of the coil up to the top hole) to increase efficiency as much as possible.

The coil is typically a good amount shorter than the remaining 3' of fiberglass rod beneath it so I "lazy wrap" about 5-6 turns around the rod down to the base where I've drilled & tapped the end for a 1.5" long, 3/8" x 24T allen stud.

Fiberglass has no real cross-sectional strength so I add strong hose-type clamps around the base and one at the top before drilling & assembly to prevent the fiberglass from splitting.

To attach the bottom of the coil wire to the 3/8" x 24T stud, I cross-drill the rod at the point of the base where the 3/8" x 24T stud tops out inside the rod, so the bottom end of the coil wire will poke thru the side of the fiberglass rod into the top of the 3/8" stud tunnel and be 'crush-connected' by the top of the 3/8" x 24T stud.

At the top I simply tap down the base of the whip (after hand-beveling the end of the flat-cut whip) down into the hole (already occupied by the top end of the coil wire) by using vice-grips to hold the whip at 1.5" up from the base of the whip so I know when it's fully inserted.
This provides a snug fit and I find no need to machine an expensive brass or aluminum tip fitting to secure the whip to the fiberglass.
- Haven't lost one yet.

I use a 66" Wilson 5000 whip and get about 78" of active whip length including the top foot of coil wire above the coil which I extend straight up from the coil to the top hole.

The length of the coil wire is usually a bit less, maybe 10%-15% less, than a 1/4 wave minus the top whip length, so I begin with that full 1/4 wave length of wire minus the whip length of 78" and trim until tuned.

I use just enough tape as is necessary to hold the top & bottom of the coil in place.

I tune by trimming the coil wire at the base of the rod until I like the SWR, then cover with shrink tubing and enjoy, though sometimes the type/brand of shrink tubing will cause an out of tune condition due to velocity factor changes, always lowering the resonant tuning frequency, so I'll correct by pulling a little wire out of the bottom and trimming until re-tuned.

I probably left something out or confused the heck out of you, so feel free to ask for any clarification.

73

 

[TheSpaceMann]

Hey there SpaceMann,

Well, I do it the easy way.

In a nutshell, I take a 4' x 3/4" solid fiberglass rod, add a strong hose clamp to each end to prevent splitting, drill a hole in each end, wrap with wire, top with a 66" Wilson whip, insert a 3/8" x 24T stud at the bottom & cover with shrink tubing.

Drill a 1.5" deep hole straight down into the top of the 4 foot long 3/4" diameter solid fiberglass rod for the whip, making the hole slightly larger than the whip for the top end of the coil wire to tuck down into, & fit tightly alongside, the whip - with NOLOX or equivalent as a contact-enhancer/oxygen-inhibitor/lubricant.

When I build my 160m Hamstick I plan to use 1"-1.25" solid rod and insert a 3/8" x 24T stud at both ends so I can use a 3/8" x 24T barrel nut at the top, allowing me to then use a Hustler HD Quick release and a standard tip with allen set screws to hold the whip.

I tightly wind/wrap a pre-cut length of Teflon-insulated 12ga-14ga wire around the upper end of the fiberglass, TOPPING OUT 13.5" below the top of the 4' x 3/4" solid fiberglass rod, to add an additional foot of active whip length (made of the wire from the top of the coil up to the top hole) to increase efficiency as much as possible.

The coil is typically a good amount shorter than the remaining 3' of fiberglass rod beneath it so I "lazy wrap" about 5-6 turns around the rod down to the base where I've drilled & tapped the end for a 1.5" long, 3/8" x 24T allen stud.

Fiberglass has no real cross-sectional strength so I add strong hose-type clamps around the base and one at the top before drilling & assembly to prevent the fiberglass from splitting.

To attach the bottom of the coil wire to the 3/8" x 24T stud, I cross-drill the rod at the point of the base where the 3/8" x 24T stud tops out inside the rod, so the bottom end of the coil wire will poke thru the side of the fiberglass rod into the top of the 3/8" stud tunnel and be 'crush-connected' by the top of the 3/8" x 24T stud.

At the top I simply tap down the base of the whip (after hand-beveling the end of the flat-cut whip) down into the hole (already occupied by the top end of the coil wire) by using vice-grips to hold the whip at 1.5" up from the base of the whip so I know when it's fully inserted.
This provides a snug fit and I find no need to machine an expensive brass or aluminum tip fitting to secure the whip to the fiberglass.
- Haven't lost one yet.

I use a 66" Wilson 5000 whip and get about 78" of active whip length including the top foot of coil wire above the coil which I extend straight up from the coil to the top hole.

The length of the coil wire is usually a bit less, maybe 10%-15% less, than a 1/4 wave minus the top whip length, so I begin with that full 1/4 wave length of wire minus the whip length of 78" and trim until tuned.

I use just enough tape as is necessary to hold the top & bottom of the coil in place.

I tune by trimming the coil wire at the base of the rod until I like the SWR, then cover with shrink tubing and enjoy, though sometimes the type/brand of shrink tubing will cause an out of tune condition due to velocity factor changes, always lowering the resonant tuning frequency, so I'll correct by pulling a little wire out of the bottom and trimming until re-tuned.

I probably left something out or confused the heck out of you, so feel free to ask for any clarification.

73

Thanks! Sounds like an ideal weekend project!!

 

[N5XTC]

Anyone use Hamstick type HF antennas for base or portable HF operation?

ok, i have not just "used" hamsticks, I have tested them against an 80 meter G5RV. the g5rv is superior in terms of send and receive. however, if u are in a pinch to get an antenna up while out and about camping or something, or need be packed up quickly the next morning, the ham stick is the way to go. I carry them under my backseat. 10, 20, 40, and 80 meter sticks. i travel all summer. when i am setup for a night sleep b4 rolling the next morning, i use the hamsticks with a magnet mount on my truck. if i am staying for awhile, i use the g5rv and a tuner of course. hope this helps.

 

[TheSpaceMann]

ok, i have not just "used" hamsticks, I have tested them against an 80 meter G5RV. the g5rv is superior in terms of send and receive. however, if u are in a pinch to get an antenna up while out and about camping or something, or need be packed up quickly the next morning, the ham stick is the way to go. I carry them under my backseat. 10, 20, 40, and 80 meter sticks. i travel all summer. when i am setup for a night sleep b4 rolling the next morning, i use the hamsticks with a magnet mount on my truck. if i am staying for awhile, i use the g5rv and a tuner of course. hope this helps.

Thanks! Do you find it necessary to use the tuner with the Hamsticks?

 

[NDRADIONUT]

Where are you planning to operate ?

 

[TheSpaceMann]

Where are you planning to operate ?

Well I do a lot of business traveling. I plan to operate in the mobile, in hotels, and outdoors.

 

[N5XTC]

Thanks! Do you find it necessary to use the tuner with the Hamsticks?

u can adjust the hamsticks for decent SWR. i still run a tuner, however. they are mono banded. u can use them at a hotel. park near your door and run RF cable into the room. i have done that.

 

[TheSpaceMann]

u can adjust the hamsticks for decent SWR. i still run a tuner, however. they are mono banded. u can use them at a hotel. park near your door and run RF cable into the room. i have done that.

Cool! Unfortunately it's sometimes not easy to get the vehicle close enough to the hotel room. I was thinking about temporarily mounting them on a large piece of cardboard covered by aluminum foil, either behind the hotel or on a balcony.