Portable Antenna Recommendations?

[Snyperx]

I was curious to know what folks recommend for a portable antenna that is self contained and works great with HF/VHF/UHF. I am not looking for a mag mount type antenna, but a self contained (antenna, tripod, accessories, etc..) that can be packed and hauled easily for field work. Thanks!!

 

[vagrant]

I was curious to know what folks recommend for a portable antenna that is self contained and works great with HF/VHF/UHF. I am not looking for a mag mount type antenna, but a self contained (antenna, tripod, accessories, etc..) that can be packed and hauled easily for field work. Thanks!!

SuperAntenna and Buddipole offer some antenna options, but the UHF part would be the tricky bit. Perhaps purchase an Elk Log Periodic (2 m / 70 cm) and stack it on top of the Buddipole by a few feet with some PVC and screws. You could just align the Elk horizontal or vertical depending on what you want to do. Expect to open your wallet for those store bought items. If you do not need UHF, then the Buddipole could take care of you from 40 through 2 meters.

I had to come back and edit this after re-reading your question.
- I own a Mini-Buddipole and quite like it. So much fun to fiddle with in various configurations.
- You specifically used the words "...and works great..." that is very subjective from one person to the next. The responses you may start to get will probably mention or question what you want to do from your transmit power to where you plan to use it. Are those things important, sure. Does any of it mean anything if the Sun isn't cooperating, sort of.

You could always build your own antennas. It is a fun aspect of amateur radio.

 

[prcguy]

Your looking for something that is portable, self contained, covers HF, VHF, UHF, that's not a problem and there are many things that fit that description. The difficult part is you want something that "works great".

I've used most things on the market and to fill in the "works great" part I've had to make things that are not available commercially. I can say for HF use in a small portable package, the Buddipole products are hands down the best quality of the bunch. When the HF pack group first formed some of the best QRP signals from that group on 20 and 17m were from Buddipoles.

I had one for years but only used it maybe three times because I have other things that work much better. The Buddipole does work well on 20m on up but its just too short and low to the ground to have any efficiency on the lower bands and a simple wire antenna usually blows it away.

I hate to recommend the 9:1 balun with end fed random length wire, but it does seem to outperform the Buddipole on most bands depending on height. A more efficient portable HF wire antenna is the new PAR quad band end fed which covers 40, 20, 15 and 10m, or a home made version. That and one of the various 30 to 33ft telescoping fiberglass masts to get one end of it up high will run circles around any tripod mounted short loaded whip thingee like a Buddipole, Superantenna, etc. You can also hang a lightweight dual band J-pole (which I also dislike) from the same mast and now you have a VHF/UHF antenna way up in the air.

If you have the space to set up you can put together an antenna I designed that will put out a signal on HF better than most people at home can and you also use any VHF/UHF NMO mount vehicle antenna on top. Attached is a mock up "sales brochure" for the few prototypes I made. The antenna is not expensive to make and I'm posting the brochure to promote building antennas and to spark ideas.

It consists of a full size 40m and 80m dipole crossed at 90deg to each other. It covers the full 40m band and most of 80m without a tuner when fed with 50 ohm coax. I used a 16ft tall "Buddipole" mast which has convenient 1/2" pipe threads and puts the HF feedpoint and base of the VHF/UHF antenna at around 18ft off the ground.

Feed it with 300 ohm TV twinlead or 450 ohm ladder line (I use TV twinlead with BNC connectors attached) and an LDG type tuner will load this antenna up on all bands 80 through 10m. It works mostly in the NVIS mode on the lower bands like 80/60/40m and on the higher bands it has a low angle takeoff for DX. There is also a small 1:1 choke balun at the feedpoint for the HF side.

There is a mobile NMO mount on top and removable ground radials so you simply screw on your favorite mobile antenna and it sits high on top of the mast for better coverage than on your vehicle.

The VHF/UHF ground radials and guy stakes stow inside the top assembly and there are hooks to quickly wind up the HF wires. This thing deploys very fast with the HF elements being the guy wires and it stowes even faster.

In my opinion, this type of antenna would fit your criteria, especially the "works great" part. After playing with the smaller antennas on the market and getting very frustrated when nobody answers my QRP level calls, using a larger but still easy to transport and deploy antenna as described above makes it seem like I switched a big amplifier on. I can literally work any station I can hear with 5 or 10 watts using a "real" antenna instead of a toy antenna.
prcguy

 

[vagrant]

I like that antenna design. I enjoy two OCF antennas in a perpendicular configuration at home. For the VHF/UHF antenna on that setup I would use a Diamond NR770HB. That looks like a fun project to build. Thanks for sharing.

 

[prcguy]

I posted more DIY details and pictures for this antenna on the Yahoo "NVIS" group several years ago.
prcguy

I like that antenna design. I enjoy two OCF antennas in a perpendicular configuration at home. For the VHF/UHF antenna on that setup I would use a Diamond NR770HB. That looks like a fun project to build. Thanks for sharing.

 

[cmdrwill]

prcguy's article: RAPID DEPLOYMENT HF NVIS AND VHF - 3.pdf (128.1 KB, 35 views)

That is an interesting antenna system, nice work.

 

[K5MPH]

Nice antenna system prcguy.........

 

[prcguy]

One thing I forgot to mention is the original prototype had the 80m elements tapped with an insulator and jumper for 60m. Jumper the insulator for 40/80m operation with coax and no tuner needed or open the jumper for 40/60m operation with coax and no tuner needed.
prcguy

 

[SGO]

I was curious to know what folks recommend for a portable antenna that is self contained and works great with HF/VHF/UHF. I am not looking for a mag mount type antenna, but a self contained (antenna, tripod, accessories, etc..) that can be packed and hauled easily for field work. Thanks!!

Hi,

you'll find a lot of choices online but it will greatly depend of your needs and what you want to do with it.

If you're looking at something that will handle vertical whip (for tripod configuration) and wire configuration, then you can look at the CHA HYBRID-MICRO from Chameleon Antenna:
CHA HYBRID-MICRO

They also offer a new portable magnetic loop antenna for 10M to 60M (CHA F-LOOP):
CHA F-LOOP (ORDER NOW)

The great thing about them is that they're configurable for all sorts of needs.

C

 

[W5JG]

I can make a recommendation for the HF. When I first started doing SOTA, I used a homemade doublet that is 22 ft each side. I used a 20 ft Jackite pole to hoist it. This antenna worked very well for 40M-10M. The doublet has the advantage of not only multiple bands, but the lobe pattern is similar on each band.

Although the doublet worked fine, it was a challenge to put up by myself in a high wind. I switched to a magnetic loop for easier deployment. Although expensive, I bought the Alex Loop Walkham.

I did some side-by-side comparisons of the doublet and the loop from the local college campus (large grassy, unobstructed area, surrounded by 2-3 story buildings). In most instances, the loop was about one s-unit worse than the doublet. In some instances, they were the same. In some instances, the loop was better. I attribute the same and better results to the loop's ability to null out interfering signals.

I find that I can setup the loop on a tripod (with my homemade adapter) in less than one minute if I want to. Yes, you have to tune the loop if you change frequency more than a little. However, I find it very easy to adjust the tuning cap while listening for maximum noise. Almost always, when I then transmit, looking for low SWR, I am either right on, or very close.

Considering the one s-unit difference vs the ease of setup and use, I am happy with the loop. Yes, I wish it didn't cost as much as it did. I tried building one like it, but coudln't find a suitable tuning cap that covered the needed frequencies. If you don't like the loop option, the doublet is a good choice.

W5JG

 

[prcguy]

I see SGO only has a few posts with each and every one is pushing Chameleon antennas. Are you associated in any way with Chameleon antennas? Since you signed your post with "C", are you Carl Lavoie KI6TRA who owns Chameleon antennas? If so you should disclose it so people know your comments are a commercial advertisement and profit motivated rather than speaking as a ham from experience.
prcguy

Hi,

you'll find a lot of choices online but it will greatly depend of your needs and what you want to do with it.

If you're looking at something that will handle vertical whip (for tripod configuration) and wire configuration, then you can look at the CHA HYBRID-MICRO from Chameleon Antenna:
CHA HYBRID-MICRO

They also offer a new portable magnetic loop antenna for 10M to 60M (CHA F-LOOP):
CHA F-LOOP (ORDER NOW)

The great thing about them is that they're configurable for all sorts of needs.

C

 

[Snyperx]

If I remove the HF requirement and focus on just the 2m and 70cm bands does that help with my options? Right now I am looking at a MFJ tirpod/pole with a Elk antenna.

 

[SGO]

If I remove the HF requirement and focus on just the 2m and 70cm bands does that help with my options? Right now I am looking at a MFJ tirpod/pole with a Elk antenna.

Trying to get an antenna that do well HF/VHF/UHF all together is pretty hard. Normally VHF/UHF portable are going to use repeaters. HF antenna selection will greatly depend of your needs and location. If you live in a desert area where trees or natural supports are rare then you'll need to get something that is self standing like a portable vertical with tripod or a magnetic loop.

Now if you live in an area where it's raining, snowing a lot (or very windy) then an open coils antenna like the Buddipole won't be very good for you because you're going to spend more time walking between the radio and your antenna for tuning it.

Recently I've discovered magnetic loop and I really enjoy them. They work just about everywhere and are independent from ground system. No radials needed and they're very efficient and easy to setup and use.

 

[nanZor]

I hate to recommend the 9:1 balun with end fed random length wire ....

That is one of my favorite general-purpose wideband HF antennas, although for the best results one should be aware of the following:

1) Either a 4:1 or 9:1 ratio works well, but the transformer should be wired as an UN-UN, and not a Balun. I wonder if the Chameleon is wired as an un-un?

2) Failure to choke or isolate the feedline! 6 scramble-wound turns of coax doesn't cut it. Heavily choke it with a ferrite-based isolator at the feedpoint, or just after the Un-Un, or if purposely incorporating the common mode of the feedline as another-radial, choke it about a quarter wave away. Do not take into account the velocity factor as we are dealing with common mode, not transmission line mode for the dual-purpose radial. Lug the best low-loss feedline that you can especially when operating higher than 20/30 meters.

3) If operating in a purposely non-resonant fashion, where the tuner may be close to the antenna (less than about 50 feet in a portable scenario), try to be on the high-side of resonance (antenna system resonant lower than the bands you want to operate on) on all the rest of the bands. This means that your tuner will be using mostly capacitance, which is more efficient than a lot of inductance. This can be especially true when using a rigs internal tuner, or other automatic tuner that relies on small toroid-wound inductors rather than low-loss coils. In some cases, it may make sense to use a hard-core external tuner with low-loss inductance, even when using qrp.

4) Failure to provide a decent ground system, either on ground, or elevated. This makes choking the feedline even more important than ever, unless you are purposely incorporating it some length away from the feedline heavily choked there.

5) Check / adjust the system for natural resonance *without* the un-un transformer, and then place the un-un back inline. See #3. I use an analyzer to make quick work of this task.

6) If you run with an inverted L, strive for the least amount of multiple current cancelling nodes in the vertical portion if vertical radiation is desired. That means calculating / visualizing the half-waves of current counting from the END of the wire backwards to the feedpoint. Ideally one would want the major part of the current node in the middle of the vertical section. This changes according to frequency of course.

By doing this - even though it sounds like a lot to keep track of, satisfies my need to be a little bit better than random.

 

[PrimeNumber]

My go antennas are an MFJ 40/20 trap dipole and a home-brew 2m slim jim made from 450 ohm twin-lead. For support, I'm relying on an expedient pine tree – we have plenty of those around here.

The dipole is tuned for use as an inverted V. This keeps things simple with a single hang point. With my HF rig's little 3:1 tuner, both bands are completely covered. Paracord and a couple of tent pegs complete things.

The dipole spools around a plastic coffee can, one of those big red Folger's things. The slim jim rolls up inside, along with a couple of barrel connectors. The can keeps things neat, prevents tangling.

The antenna can, several lengths of coax, some paracord, and a few tent pegs all go into a tote bag. It's not a backpacking rig, but more for car camping. But then, I do a lot of car camping, and use a car to evacuate for hurricanes, so this setup suits my needs well.

 

[KG6ABF]

I was curious to know what folks recommend for a portable antenna that is self contained and works great with HF/VHF/UHF. I am not looking for a mag mount type antenna, but a self contained (antenna, tripod, accessories, etc..) that can be packed and hauled easily for field work. Thanks!!

When running at say a fixed portable site (camp ground, park) I use either an end fed long wire, a 9:1 balun ( a kit from Palomar Engineering) a fiberglass vertical home-brew design 31 feet with an optional attachment to form an inverted L in case I want to increase my 160,80 and 40 meter capability. I use either a collapsing fiberglass pole or military section masting along with guying if needed.


I have also tried various dipoles, long wires tuners both manual and automatic. I like the LDG and a small sealed lead acid battery. When I am able to bring along larger batteries and some solar panels deep cycle marine and/or car batteries are easy to obtain. If you use low power, you can build a rolling filed unit like a FT-817ND, FT-857/897, IC 703, 706, battery, solar cells into or next to a rolling ice chest. The type with a handle and attach the rig, key etc to the underside of the lid. When you get there flip the lid and go to work. I made one with a wooden plank for a writing surface and used a cutting board for another writing surface. The cutting board is easier to clean and less affected by moisture/rain/snow etc.

The above is just one of many design ideas you can use.

 

[KG6ABF]

Duplicate post quote didn't appear.

 

[KG6ABF]

Your looking for something that is portable, self contained, covers HF, VHF, UHF, that's not a problem and there are many things that fit that description. The difficult part is you want something that "works great".

I've used most things on the market and to fill in the "works great" part I've had to make things that are not available commercially. I can say for HF use in a small portable package, the Buddipole products are hands down the best quality of the bunch. When the HF pack group first formed some of the best QRP signals from that group on 20 and 17m were from Buddipoles.

I had one for years but only used it maybe three times because I have other things that work much better. The Buddipole does work well on 20m on up but its just too short and low to the ground to have any efficiency on the lower bands and a simple wire antenna usually blows it away.

I hate to recommend the 9:1 balun with end fed random length wire, but it does seem to outperform the Buddipole on most bands depending on height. A more efficient portable HF wire antenna is the new PAR quad band end fed which covers 40, 20, 15 and 10m, or a home made version. That and one of the various 30 to 33ft telescoping fiberglass masts to get one end of it up high will run circles around any tripod mounted short loaded whip thingee like a Buddipole, Superantenna, etc. You can also hang a lightweight dual band J-pole (which I also dislike) from the same mast and now you have a VHF/UHF antenna way up in the air.

If you have the space to set up you can put together an antenna I designed that will put out a signal on HF better than most people at home can and you also use any VHF/UHF NMO mount vehicle antenna on top. Attached is a mock up "sales brochure" for the few prototypes I made. The antenna is not expensive to make and I'm posting the brochure to promote building antennas and to spark ideas.

It consists of a full size 40m and 80m dipole crossed at 90deg to each other. It covers the full 40m band and most of 80m without a tuner when fed with 50 ohm coax. I used a 16ft tall "Buddipole" mast which has convenient 1/2" pipe threads and puts the HF feedpoint and base of the VHF/UHF antenna at around 18ft off the ground.

Feed it with 300 ohm TV twinlead or 450 ohm ladder line (I use TV twinlead with BNC connectors attached) and an LDG type tuner will load this antenna up on all bands 80 through 10m. It works mostly in the NVIS mode on the lower bands like 80/60/40m and on the higher bands it has a low angle takeoff for DX. There is also a small 1:1 choke balun at the feedpoint for the HF side.

There is a mobile NMO mount on top and removable ground radials so you simply screw on your favorite mobile antenna and it sits high on top of the mast for better coverage than on your vehicle.

The VHF/UHF ground radials and guy stakes stow inside the top assembly and there are hooks to quickly wind up the HF wires. This thing deploys very fast with the HF elements being the guy wires and it stowes even faster.

In my opinion, this type of antenna would fit your criteria, especially the "works great" part. After playing with the smaller antennas on the market and getting very frustrated when nobody answers my QRP level calls, using a larger but still easy to transport and deploy antenna as described above makes it seem like I switched a big amplifier on. I can literally work any station I can hear with 5 or 10 watts using a "real" antenna instead of a toy antenna.
prcguy

Did you make it or buy it? Looks like a cool antenna to check out.

 

[nanZor]

When running at say a fixed portable site (camp ground, park) I use either an end fed long wire, a 9:1 balun ( a kit from Palomar Engineering) a fiberglass vertical home-brew design 31 feet with an optional attachment to form an inverted L in case I want to increase my 160,80 and 40 meter capability. I use either a collapsing fiberglass pole or military section masting along with guying if needed.

I didn't know about the Palomar kit! Hope you wound it as an UN-UN rather than a balun, as most of our field antennas like this are anything but balanced! Nearly all experiments with regular baluns were disappointing until I switched to Un-Un's, or rewired them to be one. And unless I intend to make the feedline dual-purpose, I choke heavily right after the unun.

That swappable 600w 4:1 / 9:1 Un-Un kit is on my short list now because sometimes 9:1 is just too much depending on the setup ...

Palomar Engineers

I just picked up a Chameleon Emcomm II (basically a 5:1 Unun with 60 feet wire) and so far I'm happy with it, although I'm running my own 18' wire and ground radials for 20-10m ops. So far so good, and the Unun is a heck of a lot beefier than my little LDG 4:1 unun which gets abused regularly out in the field.

At times I'll pack a little LDG autotuner for use at the feedpoint instead of the Un-un. Lots of fun...

 

[SGO]

I just picked up a Chameleon Emcomm II (basically a 5:1 Unun with 60 feet wire) and so far I'm happy with it, although I'm running my own 18' wire and ground radials for 20-10m ops. So far so good, and the Unun is a heck of a lot beefier than my little LDG 4:1 unun which gets abused regularly out in the field.

Yes they're good antennas that are simple to use and perform well!

CHA EMCOMM II - WSPR at 5W on 20M sloper