Archive | Antennas

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Will my J-Pole antenna work for sideband or SSB operation

The most common use of my J-Pole and Slim Jim antennas is for FM operation on the VHF and UHF amateur radio bands. Typically FM simplex and repeaters use antennas that are vertically polarized. J-Poles, being vertically oriented are also vertically polarized, which makes them well suited for this purpose. But there are many different [...]

Lightning protection for antennas

I originally wrote this article on March of 2012, but over the past year this topic has been one of the most searched blog posts on my site. Lightning safety is an important topic, so I revisited the information, updated it and present it again at the top of my blog. When you look at [...]

Stealth antennas: Hiding your VHF antenna from curious eyes

At one time there weren’t restrictions or rules on antennas. If you wanted to get on the air, you went outside and strung up a bunch of wire. Maybe you were lucky enough to install a tower in your backyard for a vertical or beam. Before the days of cable television, TV towers were commonplace, [...]

Increase the range of your NOAA Weather Radio

Severe weather can strike at any time, day or night. You may not be listening to broadcast radio or watching television when a weather alert is issued. But you can keep informed of changing weather conditions by keeping a NOAA all hazards weather radio in your house. “An external antenna can increase your reception of [...]