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Best Vertical Antenna For Portable Operation...DIY POTA ANTENNA

The efficiency of a 1/4 wave vertical antenna can be greatly improved by getting it up off of the ground. This "do it yourself" antenna covers 20M thru 6M. The lower frequency bands can be covered by adding a loading coil at the base. This antenna is easy to set up and does not require wires or tripods on the ground. A parts list is included in the video.

Пікірлер: 27

  • @craigmaxey4334
    @craigmaxey433410 ай бұрын

    Jim, your wisdom is very valuable…I now will strive for a 35 ohm match with similar vehicle setup.

  • @Jimscoolstuff

    @Jimscoolstuff

    10 ай бұрын

    Thanks for your nice comment. 73,de KQ8E

  • @traveller-nl
    @traveller-nl Жыл бұрын

    Finally!! Jim, thanks for talking some sense into... oops, I mean about vertical POTA antennas. I love your coupling solution. Myself, I just braid-bonded it to the truck. Thanks for pointing out the 3/4 wave option and its higher radiation angles. Forgot all about it when operating the long skip on 20m. KX4UI

  • @Jimscoolstuff

    @Jimscoolstuff

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for your comment.

  • @DentonBramwellM
    @DentonBramwellM9 ай бұрын

    Just figuring out my own POTA setup... found some good ideas in your video. Thanks for posting.

  • @Jimscoolstuff

    @Jimscoolstuff

    9 ай бұрын

    Thanks for your comment. 73

  • @randallstone2444
    @randallstone2444 Жыл бұрын

    …and key ‘til you feel better! Love it, thanks Jim. -Randall, K6RCS

  • @Jimscoolstuff

    @Jimscoolstuff

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for your comment.

  • @dandypoint
    @dandypoint10 ай бұрын

    Excellent. Everyone seems to think they want minimum SWR with a quarter wave vertical! My trick on 160 meters is to make my inverted L (top loaded vertical) longer than 1/4 wave to get the R up higher then cancel the resulting inductive reactance with a Capacitor. That also gets the current peak higher on the vertical. Have you thought about how you could top or center load your system? I am using Hustler resonators. I also use the Hustler quick disconnect so I don’t have to screw the mast on each time. 73, de N4DJ

  • @KC3UVF
    @KC3UVF9 ай бұрын

    I love the idea of this mount! I've got a 10m rig in the vehicle and I've been thinking of swapping it out for one of my DX70's. I've been trying to figure out a mounting system for stationary operation that doesn't require me carrying around my pota antenna all the time. I've got a spare 17ft whip and a sunroof. Jackpot!

  • @Jimscoolstuff

    @Jimscoolstuff

    9 ай бұрын

    Thanks for your comment.

  • @mikeramsey9747
    @mikeramsey974727 күн бұрын

    Very informative

  • @Jimscoolstuff

    @Jimscoolstuff

    27 күн бұрын

    Thanks for your comment.

  • @DK5ONV
    @DK5ONV Жыл бұрын

    💯Nice Video. 👍 Southwest Germany is waving a Hand. 🙋‍♂ 73 de Uncle Günter 👌

  • @Jimscoolstuff

    @Jimscoolstuff

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for your nice comment.

  • @johndavidson1010
    @johndavidson10109 ай бұрын

    Thanks Jim. I was thinking of using your idea in this way…. Make the foil patch and magnet to roof of my car but attach the wire to the SO259 to my antenna base mounted on a tripod. This will stop the need for wire counter poises and utilize the car body. ( no roof rack available) What do you think?

  • @off-trailseeking3965
    @off-trailseeking39653 ай бұрын

    Thanks for a great explanation on an elevated 1/4 wave for POTA!

  • @Jimscoolstuff

    @Jimscoolstuff

    3 ай бұрын

    Thanks for your comments.

  • @johnpeterson7264
    @johnpeterson726411 ай бұрын

    Great video !

  • @dandypoint
    @dandypoint23 күн бұрын

    Did you calculate or measure what the capacitance value was on your foil/ rooftop capacitor? The reactance in ohms that you ended up with is really what I am wondering about. I am thinking if it was 15 ohms you would get the 1:1 SWR and as it goes down the SWR rises to the theoretical 1.42 at Xc =zero. If I did my math right Xc of 15 ohms is about 750 pf. So you would need about 1100 pf to get Xc down to 1 ohm. My numbers indicate if you had 12 inch square plate with dielectric K=2 and a spacing of 0.05 inches you would have about 1290 pf. I have no idea of the K value of car paint, but a K value of 2 seems to be conservative. I also think my 0.05 inch thickness is ultra conservative for car paint, but there may be a slight air gap below your plate so it could go either way. Your plate looks to be larger than 12 inches by 12 inches. So I am guessing your C is larger than 1200 pf.

  • @Jimscoolstuff

    @Jimscoolstuff

    23 күн бұрын

    I used a 2 foot long by 18 inch wide piece of aluminum foil. That is an area of 432 square inches. I did not calculate or measure the capacitance.

  • @dandypoint

    @dandypoint

    23 күн бұрын

    @@Jimscoolstuff thanks. That would give a very low reactance at 14 MHz for sure. I may try making some measurements on some of my mag mounts..

  • @evertwenderpirt6328
    @evertwenderpirt632810 ай бұрын

    10 out of 10, Jim. 73 de ZS6AQW

  • @Jimscoolstuff

    @Jimscoolstuff

    10 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the nice comment.

  • @JohnHill-qo3hb
    @JohnHill-qo3hb6 ай бұрын

    Very clever Jim, thanks for sharing de ve7kkq

  • @Jimscoolstuff

    @Jimscoolstuff

    6 ай бұрын

    Thanks for your comment. 73