[FARC] The best antenna for a new ham

[Joseph M. Durnal]

Short answer: A 40 meter dipole

Short why: Because it works great on 15 meters too

When I ordered my Elecraft K1 2 band Transceiver kit, I had to decide
which two bands I wanted it to come with.  After a lot of thought, I
decided on 40 & 15 meters, for two reasons.  First, 21 MHz is the
third harmonic of 7 MHz, making a 1/2 wave dipole for 40 meters a 1
1/2 wave dipole on 15 meters, a 50 ohm match that will even have a
little bit of gain.  Second, the propagation properties of 40 & 15
meters complement each other.  While 40 is great for local and
regional communications, 15 is a great DX band, but that doesn't mean
that you can't work DX on 40, or work state side contacts on 15.  I
also thought about the 11 year sunspot cycle, and sadly, right now,
there are few sunspots, which isn't so good for 15 meters, but it is
rare for the maximum usable frequency not to get up above 7 MHz.

I've been asked by a few hams new to HF about what they should do for
their first antenna.  I often answered generically, "it depends on
what you want to do".  But often new hams don't have a predefined idea
of what they want to do, but want to try different things.  After the
long hours of deciding the bands I wanted in the K1, I figure I could
apply the same logic to a first antenna recommendation for a new ham.

Building a 40 meter dipole (on the cheap):

68 feet of wire (14 ga +/- is fine, copper is best, no insulation required)
3 insulators
length of light rope
length of coax

1.  Locate two supports at least 70 feet apart
2.  Cut wire in two equal lengths
3.  Attach one end of each leg to the center insulator
4.  Solder the coax center conductor to one leg of the dipole and the
shield to the other. It is also advisable to provide some strain
relief which can be accomplished by wrapping the feedline once around
the center insulator and securing with a cable tie-wrap.
5.  The connection can be weather proofed with silicone sealant
6.  Attach the other end of each leg to an end insulator, each leg
should be about 33 feet, the excess wire can be folded back and
wrapped around the leg and/or trimmed.
7.  Attach a length of light rope to each end insulator and tie to
supports located in step one.

Some notes:
- Dipole legs don't need to be perfectly straight or horizontal.
- Do not put any part of the antenna system over, across or near
electric lines.
- Keep the ends of the antenna at least 8 feet above ground to prevent
it from being a hazard to those walking by.
- Insulators can be made out of just about anything that doesn't
conduct electricity.
- A commercially made 40 meter dipole can be bought for $35 or so,
most will require a little trimming to make them resonate.

Please save this note and pass it on to anyone seeking advice on a
good first antenna, feel free to improve it in any way you wish.

73 de Joe NE3R