For this project, I set out to create a dummy load that could handle HF at 100 watts for a reasonable amount of time. Until taking on this project, I was using the 20 watt dummy load kit from QRP-Labs. This worked fine for my QMX+, but not well for my Yaesu FT-710. I first…
Category: Antennas
Installing an Antenna Tripod and Rigid Dipole on a Shingled Roof
The Project Something that I’ve been wanting to do for a while is get a second permanent antenna setup. Currently, my only permanent antenna is an 80-10m EFHW. Having a second setup would allow me to operate more than one radio at a time during contests. A bonus to this new antenna setup would be…
Hamstick Camera Tripod Adapter
I typically will use hamsticks (40m, 20m, 10m) for POTA activations. Until now, I have been using a large aluminum roof tripod and a 5ft steel pole to mount the antennas. This has been rather cumbersome to transport out into parks. My idea to solve this problem was to adapt the 3/8-24 mount to work…
Common Mode Choke for 80m EFHW
Since setting up my Yaesu FT-710, I’ve been fighting with a problem. When transmitting over 20w on 30m/40m, I will lose CAT control on my computer. I have no problems transmitting 100w on all other bands. My theory is that RFI is making it back into my shack and causing interference with the USB connection…
80m-10m Backyard EFHW “L” Antenna
For my common mode choke addition to this antenna, see HERE. My first semi-permanent antenna was a 40m EFHW in my backyard. the wire was strung E-W, and propagated mostly N-S. After that antenna came down over the winter, I looked into designing a new antenna. The requirements were: The design I came up with…
Building an EFHW Antenna
This build is for an End Fed Half-Wave (EFHW) antenna. There are already many pages that go into details of EFHWs so I won’t go into that here. First is the balun. I used a clear top project box to house the components. The balun is wound for 49:1. On the top is a 5/16″…
Rewinding a 64:1 Balun
I had purchased a 64:1 balun from amazon, however I paired it with a length of wire meant for a 49:1 EFHW. Instead of changing the length of wire, I decided to rewind the balun to accommodate the existing wire length. Below are pictures of this short project.