I just passed my technician test about two weeks ago. I am now KC1TWE.I now want to get my next license.

Great video Jim. I started my ham radio journey in April. Got my Technician in May, General in June and Extra in July. I used Ham Radio Prep for all of them and couldn't have done it without you. Great on line resource. I really enjoy all the other videos you put out such as this one and the HF Masterclass. Thanks for all you do and Merry Christmas.

Good content without the confusing jargon. Good lesson. Good quality audio. Thanks

Got my General today. Thanks for your class, you had me ready.

Excellent video. Well-presented, both verbally and in use of illustrations. Succinct, no wasted time. Paced just right. Logically organized, solid overview at end.

My first antenna was the ARRL / QST kit for about $90. It was a great learning experience for me, giving me 40-20-15-10 bands as a sloping wire. -KD2ZZA

My first HF antenna as a beginner in the 1980s was a parallel fed dipole with approximately 2x 75ft length and a matching unit. Never had such a good antenna again as I never had that much space available again as in my parents‘ garden 😂. Nowadays I go with either resonant end fed EFHW or some kind of vertical monobander on my portable fiber mast and I can recommend both for beginners as well. Not much space needed, works great without tuner and easy to use at home or in portable operation.

So i drive truck, flatbed. A couple years ago I got the antenna building bug. Needed something to do in my freetime I guess😂 28-53 foot of metal makes an interesting groundplane. But building them myself was a really rewarding experience!

Great video and appreciate your delivery style and putting things in context to easily follow and understand,

Nice reference. My only recommendation would be photos of actual installs rather than descriptions.

I used ham radio prep to study for my technician and general license. Yall guys are a great resource. I enjoy yalls videos. I also enjoy the music choice in the videos. Thanks for everything y'all do for the ham radio world. 73's

Anther excellent video Jim. Thank you for making antenna sense out of a complex issue in ham radio. Thank You

I started on HF in July with an end-fed random wire setup. 41' of "invisible fence" wire connected to a 9:1 UNUN I bought on eBay. I get great signal reports (12-80M) from all over the US and a few other countries. For the price of coax and the matchbox (less than $70) I got one great antenna!

Hi Jim. Nice overview of "starter antennas". I put the starter antenna in quotes because at 50 years in, I'm still using dipoles every day. I do have to call you one one thing though. None of the antennas you featured included a trap. A loading coil yes, a trap no. A coil is exactly what it says it is, a coil of wire. A trap is a coil and a capacitor in parallel. It is a method of getting multiple bands on one antenna. Topic 2) Hamsticks make pretty good loaded, not trapped, dipoles for 20 meters and up where they are lightly loaded. They do work on 80. But, they are so heavily loaded that their band width is microscopic. Topic 3) My first antenna as a Tech was some coat hangers I soldered on to a SO239 for 2 meters. That thing worked great. Your summation right on. Any wire you can get in the air and tune to your radio is a great antenna. And, building it yourself adds an extra 1/2 dB. Or, so I've been told.

I had a lot of fun with multiband dipoles and Windoms and the G5RV doublet. Of course, I used a matcher (tuner). - AA6LJ

Wow, this was a whole lot of jargon. I'm just a technician but I've been an electronics in audio, video, computers, power distro, all my life. But d***, I'm gonna have to spend hours online researching all this terminology. This is a long way from a beginner video.

Really good advice on what kind of antennas you can use. I am repairing our stations here in Sweden and I have got some on the bench that were run with G5RV, end fed antennas and and Windom antennas with broken SWR bridges and output stages due to high voltages at the feed point. The G5RV is not an all-band antenna as it is designed for 20m and endfedd antennas and windom antennas also have high voltages at the feed point on some bands. My advice is antennas in resonance or ladderline feeding with a tuner designed for ladderline feeding if you want to run several bands

An EFHW (End-Fed Half-Wave) antenna is a popular choice for Ham radio operators due to its simplicity and effectiveness. It is a single-wire antenna that is typically half the length of a full wavelength, making it easy to install in a variety of configurations. The EFHW antenna is fed at one end and can be mounted vertically, horizontally, or as an inverted L, depending on the available space and desired radiation pattern.One of the key advantages of the EFHW antenna is its versatility, as it can be easily tuned to multiple bands by using a matching network or antenna tuner. This makes it a great option for operators who want to operate on multiple frequencies without the need for multiple antennas.When installing an EFHW antenna, it is important to ensure that the wire is as straight and high off the ground as possible to minimize losses and maximize performance. Additionally, proper grounding and lightning protection should be considered to ensure the safety of the equipment and operator.Overall, the EFHW antenna is a cost-effective and efficient choice for Ham radio operators looking for a simple and versatile antenna solution.

Thanks Jim, great video. A fun part of the hobby is building and trying different antennas. It will be even more fun as we leave winter behind.

I'll put in my vote for the Horizontal Loop "Skywire" antenna: the biggest and highest you can hang it in your yard. You won't be disappointed. It gives you all bands and very quiet omnidirectional receive. On transmit you get all your signal out at a low angle (best for DX) . Use 450 Ohm Ladder line for low loss. I add a 4:1 Balun and a short coax jumper into the tuner, then a jumper into the radio. Be sure to disconnect and ground this antenna when not in use and whenever bad weather threatens. ( for fun, you can rubber band a fluorescent tube bulb to the ladder line and watch it flash at night in a thunder storm)

The best use of money in the ham world is only $300 for a DX Commander Rapide. You have 40M-6M, a relatively small footprint (16 radials of 10 feet), and a strong DX game. Oh, and I'm currently using Ham Radio Prep to study for my Extra. I take the exam on December 27. Your app is awesome. Happy holidays!

This is kind of hard for me with limited math skills. Trying to teach myself though. I really want to get into this stuff.

Thanks Jim. All useful information. Got to call foul slightly on the 'ease' aspect of an end-fed though, given I've been trying to get one into my honey locust tree for the last two weeks with no success.😏 Slingshot, weight, fishing line, paracord etc, incredulous neighbours wondering what the heck I was doing too. 😂 I'll persevere! On buying a commercial one or making one yourself, though I'm still studying for the Technican course with you, I decided on a self-build using an LDG 9:1 unun (which Ham Radio Outlet recommended for a 'random' end-fed), ceramic insulator and some Cerrowire from Home Depot, since I figured the same issue - how to get it up there - would be just as much of a challenge whether it was bought or self-build.

Thank you.

Nice, high quality ham content 👍 Easy to digest and clear price ranges for every option. Very nice.

Please do an HOA friendly version of this.

I was told (pounded into y head) get a budget radio, build a killer antenna, get out like an escape artist. I have a 5watt B-fang, with a good antenna, I can reach over 50 miles with signal strength hat makes the question whether i have a "big" radio (100 watts) or just a "giant" antenna.

I use a Hyendfed 80-10 EFHW. Excellent antenna. I have zero issues. They make the best EFHW. Construction is outstanding. It’s the only EFHW I would ever buy.

Would have enjoyed some photos of radials you mentioned, as well as other examples... 73's

As to vertical antennas I would like to throw the DX Commander series into the mix. As a brand new General in summer of 2023 I found the Classic from DX Engineering to be both affordable at

Yep, I've used or made all 5 🙂

Jim, thank you for this video - and all that you do for hams. The subject of antennas is full of science and opinions. I used your software to help me successfully prepare for and pass my technician and general exams - so, I AM a fan. In my OPINION, the DX Commander (any of them, actually) are a great tool for beginners. Anyway, best holiday wishes, 73 KQ4IXD

The best antenna for beginners by far is an EFHW . Why? 1) inexpensive - good versions at MFJ are less than $100. 2) no tuner needed on resonant bands; get a 40-20-15-10), 3) if you can, deploy horizontally, between two large trees, high up, I’m talking 50 feet, an amazing directional pattern with about 2 dB of gain on your lowest frequency, and lobes achieving higher gain at higher frequencies.) You can deploy it vertically as well. Stay away from Buddipoles if you’re a beginner. these are very expensive antennas, more suited towards specialized/portable operations, and cannot be permanently installed. They’re also painful to tune and not amenable to frequency changes because of their trap design.

Hey there! Thank you for clear explanation of this aspect of ham radio. Im grab this vid to learn some terms in english Thanks a bunch Have nice day! Bye for now

A very thorough video. Thank you.

❓❓❓Great info***BUT***why, when describing a "dipole," did the video first show what appeared to be three (3} "wires?"Was there a reason to initially show it this way? Very confusing🤔Thanx & 73😃🇺🇸

Many thanks learning many things here

It all depends on propagation. You could have a 200ft tower and 2000w. If conditions stink, you're yelling in the dark. If conditions are good, you can use a coathanger and talk to the globe.

80 meter Rombeck at 80 meters up. The joy of wire antennas. So many different configurations with wire antenna design. 80 meter Rombeck or simple hook feed lines to a barbed wire fence and give her a try. Send a feed line wire up 500 feet with a Helion ballon and ground it. Hopefully not in the summer, TOO much static. And see what yall get?

If your in the uk asda sell a washing line with a metal wire in it about 20m cost £2.50 . A couple of insulators and coax you have a good hf dipole . Best contact was central USA from Ayrshire Scotland on 20m with 80 Watts. We're having a bit of a contest at the moment one club member as done the ultimate England to Sydney using 90 Watts on a long wire ( 1 and 1/2 washing lines about 30m

There's some great antenna info here. I subbed. Thanks Jim de K9DWB

I’m going to be getting a home base station for my first in the next 30 days I’ve been researching ham for a year now and I still want to get involved so that tells me to pull the plug

Awesome video! Appreciate the breakdown on such a broad subject! 73s KI5IBD

End Fed non resonant wire requires a 9:1 Unun, not a Balun. Unless Fed with ladder line, both the coax AND the end-fed wire are unbalanced components of the system. Unbalanced-Unbalanced… Unun, correct?

Thank you

Strange a fan antenna was not mentioned. Take a look at my multiband DX-antenna on my channel. A very cheap building project. A NanoVNA would be very useful, though.

Protect your eq. Nobody talks about LIGHTHNING ARRESTORS. 73 k5AAF

What about a Windom? Gives you 80 meters fairly easily and does very good on other bands.

Your 3rd option, the hamstick antenna looked like a CB antenna I can find at any truck stop. Is that what it is or is it something different?

Still have a very high tv antenae along side my house. Could this be useful?

Do you recommend the mfj 1979? I have hoa restrictions and only want 1 antenna

Looks like Jim Gaffigan's older brother.

Great video, thank you. Question, will the internal antenna turner of the Yaesu FT-991 or Kenwood TS-450S work in combination with an Chameleon CHA EMCOMM 2 wire antenna? Still at HAM radio.

My First HF Ant Is a Hustler 6BTV/Now a 5BTV & Soon To Be A 7 BTV & It Hears Really Really Good ! I have ben into Radios for 35+ Years But Just got my First Ticket in April o 2023 Then Upgraded Soon After ! My HF Ant Is Ground Mounted to btw I Also Have a Random Wire Up just as a RX Only Ant That Hears Pretty Good as well ! I Do Want To Get On 160M so bad i Cant See Straight & I am Going To go With a Dipole for 160m and 80m ! !

Great presentation, thank you! I have one question. I see a lot of information on the 80-6 meter end fed, but I have the room, and the height, and want to go with a 160-6 meter end fed. I can't seem to find the wire length for that particular band. I'm wondering if it just isn't something that works well, or is just not as popular. Basically I want to mount the feed end outside my shack at whatever height I can get by with, maybe installing a phone pole. The long wire will go out to a tree out back that is over 60' high and about 300' away. About 100' away from the shack inline with that tall tree is a shorter tree that I will be going through just as a resting place to keep the weight of the wire down a little.

I get confused. Isnt a Balun . Balanced to unbalanced. So a 49: 1 is a Un Un as coax is Unbalanced and output to a single long wire is also Unbalanced. But they are marked Balun. ? Cheers from old George still learning.

Emergency HAM radio noob here. Just getting into the hobby. Question....What's the best (for the money) ALL BAND, ALL MODE, MOBILE radio transceiver I can buy?. I want a radio that can be used... both, in the house, and on the road. I assume all mobile radios can also be used indoors

Why suggest buying a dipole the cheapest antenna to build

KN6UNC here, not really looking talk, just want to listen

G5RV

Please, use also meters, tnx :-)

My problem is the mast. How do I get my G5RV Jr 33 ft in the air?

Question. I had 140 ef hooked to ic 718 with AH4 tuner. The wire went from the ah4 at 15ft above ground, to a tree 90ft. In the tree I had a pulley with 110 ft of 3/4 line/rope with a 50lb counterweight 4ft from the ground to allow wind movement of the tree. Now, after 3 years, the line/rope broke and down came the antenna ef. Due to the time of years, I was not going to climb the tree so the ef is now 20ft not 90. Will this work for now?

Hello, great video for beginners. I'm interested in making my own antenna and was wondering where to get the 3d design for the center element and insulators. Would you mind providing me a link? Thank you!

Sounds like good content overall, but I'm not convinced that "for beginners" is the right label.

You disappointed me. You started off with a non-resonent end fed wire and did not discuss the end fed half wave anywhere until the last hurrah. The EFHW is by far the easiest, quickest antenna for any newbie to get on the air with no fiddly-diddly and NO TUNER NEEDED. The feed point is next to the shack at the end of the wire, simplifying setup. Build a 49:1 transformer with a FT240-43 toroid and some 18ga wire for the transformer and the capacitor [for under $20, the transformer] and whatever cost is for a half wavelength of wire for the lowest band of operation. Total cost can be less than $50 tops for a 80-10 efhw that covers 80-40-20-15-10 meters with good swr. Buy a MFJ efhw in the 80-120 buck range.

I'm not even going to try and watch this guy's videos. The only thing beginner about them is the title.

If you're using an EFHW you will need to tune it. The counterpoise is the shield on the coax as you said...so how can an unun correct that for all installations ? You will not need a fancy tuner, but some kind of adjustable capacitor will be needed. A "pole" is not a wire and it doesn't refer to a physical pole like a telephone pole. A pole is a polarity. The polar caps on the Earth are on the extreme North and South. A magnet has two poles we call positive and negative. A electric field can have a single positive or negative pole which we call a monopole. This is critical, understand what "balanced" means. The dipole is balanced when each pole of the antenna has the same RF energy. A coax is "unbalanced", b/c the inner conductor will typically have a different amount of energy as the sleeve conductor. Your use of the term "trap" is incorrect. A trap is a filter that rejects frequencies. A long antenna can have traps to electrically shorten it when an operator applies a higher frequency. A loading coil with TAPS is what you are referring to.

Those side views suck. Just keep the front view.

What's this about cost? Make one! Balun $30. Make one! Nothing wrong with making dipoles. I use dipoles in the attic, 5 bands, 20m to 10m. Single band dipole $60. Make one! Mine didn't cost that. OCEF $60. Make one! G5RV. too big for me. Dollars again Make one! Mag. loop. Make one! End fed half wave. $90 - $200. Make one! 80m dipole $60. Make one! Ham Stick. $100. Make one! 33' vertical $250. Make one ! G5RV $100. Make one! I thought this hobby is about learning. No I don't like this video. Buy everything and learn nothing. We did a radio exam to get a licence so use that knowledge. G4GHB.

What the hell is "feet" , come on peps it's not all about the USA and you have an international audience when on You tube , while of cause I can crunch the numbers, It demonstrates a level of arrogance to the rest of the modern world out there that use metric . Just saying ZL1KJT

100% buddipole. No way you will get 1 under 300.

Thank you.