Many hams can put up the big tower system and put a 5-element monobander on every band at 120 feet in height to have a really big signal. Okay, a few hams can build that dream station; most of us have to settle for a more modest antenna array.

Horizontally polarized antennas such as inverted vees, horizontal dipoles and longwires can give good DX performance if they are located high above the earth, but some hams can't get the needed height and hams with small lots don't have the real estate for a full-size horizontal antenna. Fortunately, antennas can also be configured vertically and in the process can show a significant improvement in the low-angle radiation needed for DX as compared to a low horizontally configured antenna.

This page contains a number of articles about single-band and multi-band HF vertical antennas. Most can be built in a day and can let you call "CQ DX" effectively on HF.

• The "C Pole"— A Ground Independent Vertical Antenna
  QST April 2004, pp. 37-39
  KF2YN takes the vertical to new heights with this folded design that doesn’t require a counterpoise.
• Shunt-Fed Towers: Some Practical Aspects 
  QST October 1982, pp. 21-23
  The mechanical basics of using a tower as a vertical antenna raise many questions. This article illustrates and describes some of the simple methods amateurs use.
• A Ground-Coupled Portable Antenna 
  QST January 2001, pp. 28-32
  A 10 foot vertical antenna that works from 40- to 6 meters.
• Some Plain Facts about Multiband Vertical Antennas
  QST September 1972, pp. 14-16, 28
  During discussions with newcomers, and old timers for that matter, it becomes apparent that there is considerable confusion as to what exactly a multiband vertical antenna is.
• The Ground-Image Vertical Antenna
  QST July 1971, pp. 16-19, 22
  Theoretical considerations and experimental results on a vertical antennas.
• Build This Novice Four-Band Vertical
  QST June 1978, pp. 16-18
  An 80-, 40-, 15- and 10-meter vertical
• A Four-band "Tree" Vertical 
  QST November 1995, pp. 69-70
  If the thought of a high-visibility HF antenna leaves you cold, it's time to branch out and get to the root of the problem...
• A Low-Profile 10-Meter Antenna 
  QST July 1995, p.65
  Put this simple whip antenna on your roof and have fun!
• A Modest 45-Foot DX Vertical for 160, 80, 40, and 30 Meters 
  QST September 1981, pp. 27-31. Feedback QST November 1981, p. 50
• The Offset Multiband Trapless Antenna (OMTA)
  QST October 1995, pp. 30-32.
  Feedback QST December 1995, p. 79
  Simple, easy to build, low cost, compact, multiband ... interested?
• Designing a Vertical Antenna 
  QST September 1978, pp. 19-21
  Graphs cut through the mathematical headaches of antenna design.
• Efficient Ground System for Vertical Antennas 
  QST February 1983, pp. 20-25
  Elevated ground systems for vertical antennas have been a bit of a mystery for the past 60 years. This report of an extensive study reveals some startling results.
• A Two-Element Vertical Parasitic Array for 75 Meters 
  QST December 1995, pp. 38-41
  What do a city lot, $50, about half the wire in a dipole, old coax and 6 db of gain have in common?
• Build a Lightweight 20-Meter Vertical 
  QST December 1995, pp. 64-67
  Could this be the lightest HF vertical in the world?
• Simple 5/8-Wave Vertical for 12 and 17 Meters 
  QST April 1989, pp. 19-20
  Here's how to turn a 30-meter quarter-wave vertical into a 5/8-wave radiator for the 12-meter band. And there’s a bonus: you can use the same approach to use your quarter-wave 40-meter vertical as a 5/8-wave antenna on 17 meters!
• An Efficient Multiband Vertical for 160 through 20 Meters 
  QST October 1998, pp. 45-49
• A Disguised Flagpole Antenna 
  QST May 1993, p. 65
• The Flagpole Deluxe 
  QST March 1978, pp. 29-32
  If you've got to hide your antenna, make this flagpole do double duty as an efficient four-band vertical.
• Four Bands on a Pole 
  QST September 1972, pp. 26-28
  A 40-, 20-, 15-, 10-meter trapped vertical made from TV mast.
• A Simple and Portable HF Vertical Travel Antenna 
  QST July 2002, pp. 28-31
  How to build a portable, efficient 40 through 10-meter vertical antenna on the cheap.
  Feedback: QST August 2002, p. 58 (included in PDF file above)
• A Simple Nondirectional Antenna for Ten Meters
  QST February 1950, pp. 16-17, 88
  Easy to build J-Pole antenna for restricted space.
• Flagpole J for 10 Meters 
  QST March 1989
  Hide your antenna in plain sight.

• Design Your Own Antennas
  Enter the formula for the antenna calculation
• St. Louis Vertical
  The St. Louis Vertical (SLV) offers portable enthusiasts an easy-to-build, easy-to-use antenna.

• Rudy Severns N6LF has written a series of articles in QEX on measurements he has done on ground systems for vertical antennas.  You can download the articles from his blog, Antennas By N6LF