[Elecraft] Advice on First HF Antenna

[Edward R Cole]

Simplest first HF antenna is a half-wave dipole.

My first antenna was a 40m dipole hung from trees with lead in run in 
thru an upstairs window to my radio.

Actually this was in 1958 and I was 14 years old so had no 
money.  Back in those years there was something called twin-lead 
which was used as feedline for TV antennas and was cheap.  I made a 
folded-dipole and used another piece of twin lead as feedline which I 
soldered into a PL-259 which I connected to my three tube receiver 
(which I also built from a kit).

Yeah that was connected wrong and it had high SWR but it received 
just fine.  Later it worked well connected to my Heath DX-35 which 
could load anything.  I would not know anything about SWR for a 
couple years but had just a lot of fun with that wire antenna.  It 
was probably 15 to 25 foot off the ground and put up with something 
called "clothesline".  Back in those years people hung their clothes 
outside in the sun to dry attached to clothesline with something 
called clothes pins.

OH well, that is how I, a pretty ignorant 8th grader, started out in 
ham radio on 40m (and it would also work on 15m).  It received all 
bands pretty well.  10m AM in 1958 was something to have 
experienced.  No one will every see conditions like that sunspot 
maximum again (well for a couple hundred years, anyway).

How long is a half-wave dipole?
L = 468/F, where L is in inches and F is in MHz
40m band F=7.2 MHz, L = 65 inches

This is on page 580 in my 1972 ARRL Handbook (yes I still have it).
to see what I have today, check out my website (link below)

73, Ed - KL7UW
http://www.kl7uw.com
     "Kits made by KL7UW"
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