The Vertical Antenna
Introduction
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; some of the rest 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 article, "Some Plain Facts about Multiband Vertical Antennas" explains how verticals work. Other articles show you how to build simple multi-band vertical antennas. See the list of articles about HF vertical antenna projects.
Additional resources
The ARRL Antenna Book
Antenna Compendium Vol's 1 through 6
Vertical Antenna Classics
QST Magazine
The ARRL has an extensive catalog of books and materials related to Amateur Radio.
Articles
Note: Some of the following articles are in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files. To view and print these files, you'll need a copy of Adobe's Acrobat Reader program. (Version 3.0 or later required). More information here.
- The "C Pole"— A Ground Independent Vertical Antenna (125,098 bytes, PDF file)
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 (1,384,327 bytes, PDF file)
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 (394,517 bytes, PDF file)
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 (3,071,625 bytes, PDF file)
QST July 1971, pp. 16-19, 22
Theoretical considerations and experimental results on a vertical antennas.
- Build This Novice Four-Band Vertical (1,568,118 bytes, PDF file)
QST June 1978, pp. 16-18
An 80-, 40-, 15- and 10-meter vertical
- A Four-band "Tree" Vertical (26,580 bytes, PDF file)
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 (682,827 bytes, PDF file)
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 (1,646,318 bytes, PDF file)
QST September 1981, pp. 27-31. Feedback QST November 1981, p. 50
- The Offset Multiband Trapless Antenna (OMTA) (188,982 bytes, PDF file)
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 (924,005 bytes, PDF file)
QST September 1978, pp. 19-21
Graphs cut through the mathematical headaches of antenna design.
- Efficient Ground System for Vertical Antennas (1,348,053 bytes, PDF file)
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 (852,839 bytes, PDF file)
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 (310,692 bytes, PDF file)
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 (228,750 bytes, PDF file)
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 (241,737 bytes, PDF file)
QST October 1998, pp. 45-49
- A Disguised Flagpole Antenna (730,189 bytes, PDF file)
QST May 1993, p. 65
- The Flagpole Deluxe (2,394,199 bytes, PDF file)
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 (1,382,518 bytes, PDF file)
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 (395,832 bytes, PDF file)
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)
Note:
Contact information for suppliers mentioned in the above articles should first be confirmed using TIS Address Database Search.
Bibliography (Members Only)
ARRL Periodicals Index Search - This database contains the QST index from 1915 to the present and the QEX index from 1981 to the present. For QST issues from 1970 to the present, and some selected articles back to 1922 (when construction articles featuring tubes began in earnest), identifying keywords have been added to the technical articles. By entering keywords (ANTENNA) or combinations of keywords (CONSTRUCTION ANTENNA VERTICAL HF) into the Title words: field, you may create dynamic bibliographies.
Technical article KEYWORD list. Hints for more successful searching
Suggested keywords for more articles like the ones on this page are:
CONSTRUCTION HF VERTICAL ANTENNA
Web Links:
Article Reprints:
You can get a photocopy of any ARRL published article for $3
($5 for nonmembers) for each article requested. Contact the ARRL Technical
Department (reprints@arrl.org ),
1-860-594-0390) if you wish to get photocopies.
This information was prepared as a membership service by the American Radio Relay League, Inc., Technical Information Service, 225 Main St., Newington, CT 06111 (860) 594-0214. Email: tis@arrl.org (Internet). ARRL HQ is glad to provide this information on the Web free of charge as a service to League members and affiliated clubs.
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Page last modified: 02:36 PM, 27 Nov 2006 ET
Page author: tis@arrl.org
Copyright © 2006, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
