11meter wire antennas

I’ve often thought about a wire based DX antenna, what works best? Is there somebody offering this commercially? Please let me know your experiences using wire antennas

You can buy various types of ready-made wire (Co-ax) antennas here for various frequencies, including Ham / CB / Freeband.

https://wireantennas.co.uk/index.php?route=common/home

Dipoles are simple and work well. Setting it up as an inverted V will make it more omnidirectional. if you want to make a beam then a Moxon rectangle is one you can make from wire and plastic piping.

I’ve found a brilliant solution to a DX antenna from Hawkins Radio on Facebook and Ebay. Their Thunderbolt SSD 58+ appears to do exactly what I want, simple lightweight, easy to erect and ultra wide band. Take a look for yourselves. I will post how I get on with it when it arrives and conditions improves from the Zero activity that I presently have.

Regards all 73’s

Get a 10m fibreglass fishing rod pole and you can experiment with just about anything. A T2LT is the easiest place to start. I started off with one, and then I made up a 5/8 with ground planes and a matching coil, and then a copy of the Sirio Gainmaster (which is what the Hawkins antenna is).

For less than 50 quid you can get one of those Nano antenna analysers, play around with wires and coils, and get a really good understanding of how things actually work (and also debunk a lot of the utter garbage the manufacturers talk in their specs).

I've been looking at that Hawkins and the bazooka.... Anyone know , is the bazooka swr'd by loosing those metal brackets and altering the length ?

Pagan wrote:

You can buy various types of ready-made wire (Co-ax) antennas here for various frequencies, including CB / Freeband.

https://wireantennas.co.uk/index.php?route=common/home

Do You know them?

No address, no terms and conditions, just a mobile number, domain hosted by fastnet with withheld registrant...

I say they stink unless you know better

He is on Ebay also ,,, he told me this about the bazooka You CAN tune the antenna. To go up the frequency you make both sides shorter by one inch at a time. To go down the frequency you make both sides one inch at a time.
However it will be tuned for you before it leaves here.

I notice he plagiarises the description word for word from IW5EDI
http://www.iw5edi.com/ham-radio/3837/double-bazooka-coaxial-dipole-antenna?double-bazooka-coaxial-dipole-antenna,158

The double bazooka is a pretty good antenna, best used as inverted V if for 11m

Also try eXtreme antenna systems on eBay and Facebook. Scott Cooksey. 

P.S. Don’t mention Hawkins to him, lol.

I have just ordered a ZS6BKW from wire antennas, I noticed they had a selection of wire antennas for 11m/CB which appear to be better quality than some on EBay for around the same sort of price.
I think somebody had left a link but just in case here it is:
http://www.wireantennas.co.uk/11M

I'm  in a flat and thinking about throwing something out the window on to the tree..  ..I know its a compromise . Looks like your well into the hobby Alan !

leno51 wrote:

I'm  in a flat and thinking about throwing something out the window on to the tree..  ..I know its a compromise . Looks like your well into the hobby Alan !

I only returned to it quite recently, it had been something I had done a fair bit of in the '80s, early 90's, initially with the UK FM C.B. quickly getting into SSB and DXing.

Some people I was chatting with online were getting emergency communications, generally in the form of the Baofeng UV5R which I did too, maybe a year ago if that.  Doing so, brought back memories of my previous venture into radio and around November last year I decided to get another multimode rig which I persevered with as there were very few people on in my area but I stuck with it and soon connected with them (I got the impression they were glad to have somebody new in the area).

With my focus being on DX-ing at some point I knew I'd need a call sign, I used to be in a group at my previous QTH and the P.O. box was in a town called Broadbottom which I can assure you raised a smile or two when spelling it out for QSL's.  Anyway, I looked around online finding this very site which has been no end of help and encouragement to me and when lockdown came the opportunity arose to do the foundation licence online which I gained very recently with the help of the Essex ham course and foundation handbook.  I have just ordered the Intermediate handbook this very morning to get started on that as they announced that you can do it online too just a week or two ago.

I had forgotten how much I had enjoyed chatting on the radio and am really grateful that somebody brought up the little Beofeng handhelds leading me to continue my radio journey.

73's 

Alan

Why not build your own. I did. If done correctly you can achieve an SWR of 1:1. On any band.
All measurements are here.

https://radioaficion.com/cms/build-a-double-bazooka-antenna/

Paul.

Nice one Paul, I was wondering when someone would suggest the DIY approach

Do people really pay those prices for someone to cut those wires to length?!

Hi Victor. I believe homebrew antennae give's the user a better sense of achievement. Knowing that i made the antenna and it's getting me " OUT THERE " is a good feeling.
And yes people do pay those prices for a simple bit of wire.

Paul.

Don't waste your time and money on a bazooka. I built one several years ago, it performed a bit poorer than a dipole but cost more money to build as coax is more expensive than wire.

If you want a really good DX antenna to build then build a moxon rectangle which is a 2 ele beam. Can be made with PVC tubing and wire.

I have been looking at a Delta loop antenna that can be made from wire and TV coax which interestingly enough is used to help match it.
I found some pretty comprehensive plans which make it look really quite simple to construct from iems we will more than likely have around the shack. I have left a link below.

http://dl5dbm.darc.de/d11m_e.pdf

Wire antennas aren't complicated to build. The main problem is when you're building something like a Moxon, Hexbeam or Delta Loop in constructing the arms and centre hub to support the wire but you can do wonders using PVC piping and bends due to the fact that wire antennas for the 11m band aren't that big when compared to building something for the 20m or 40m ham bands.

Northern Crusader wrote:

Wire antennas aren't complicated to build. The main problem is when you're building something like a Moxon, Hexbeam or Delta Loop in constructing the arms and centre hub to support the wire but you can do wonders using PVC piping and bends due to the fact that wire antennas for the 11m band aren't that big when compared to building something for the 20m or 40m ham bands

I quite fancy giving that Delta Loop a go, I can use parts from the half-size G5RV I have and was just thinking about doing it stealth in the loft again to see how it gets out I won't need to support it with anything rigid I will make up plastic insulators again but I have spent quite enough time in the loft for this week at least and the next few days I am going to enjoy the fruits of my labours before getting started on the next project.

I've been using a couple of home made antenna recently;

Firstly the horizontal folded dipole



and also the loop




Both work, the horizontal was too heavy to remain up without guys or a lightweight rebuild, the loop has been recycled to make a homebrew gainmaster, though I've stalled as the co-ax I have has a different VF to the original and I need to get the maths out.

Soundmod wrote:

I’ve found a brilliant solution to a DX antenna from Hawkins Radio on Facebook and Ebay. Their Thunderbolt SSD 58+ appears to do exactly what I want, simple lightweight, easy to erect and ultra wide band. Take a look for yourselves. I will post how I get on with it when it arrives and conditions improves from the Zero activity that I presently have.

Regards all 73’s

Have you got it yet?
I have a friend who has done a youtube testing one, you can see it working well,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC3KWx6wumY&list=LL2hXCIkjhE69WoGmrxWy80A&index=2&t=0s

I'm going to buy a 10 meter pole a car stand and try out the hawkins that way.. But I'm getting ahead of myself here ,,, Still waiting for the radio     https://www.sotabeams.co.uk/antenna-supports-and-hardware/     , https://www.sotabeams.co.uk/telescopic-masts-sotapoles-7m-and-10m/ already got the Bazooka ... from https://www.wireantennas.co.uk/11M/double-bazooka-antenna-27-Mhz-cb-dxer

I see the Hawkins comes with the usual marketing claims. 

It looks extremely suspiciously exactly the same design as a Sirio Gainmaster without the fibreglass tube.

IT IS A BLOODY GAINMASTER RIP OFF. I've just watched a Dutch unboxing video. It is a Gainmaster without the fibreglass tubes.

Not sure how Hawkins can make the claims about a 2 year development when they've literally ripped off the Gainmaster. It's claims of 1-2 S point gain over a TL2T antenna is again, pure rubbish. It has no extra gain over a 1/2 wave vertical dipole, especially at low angles,  because it's effectively the same antenna. If it has any gain it's of the order of fractions of a dB, immeasurable on a S meter. The DX claims in the Ebay advert are worthless as it depends entirely on conditions. I've done Brazil, Indonesia, hell even Australia with a Sirio 5000 plonked on my car when the conditions were good.

If you've got some wire, some coax, a bit of heatshrink tube, a bit of plastic tubing and a couple of hours time roll your own for under a tenner. Despite the claims of a 2 year development he makes all the plans to roll your own "gainmaster" are on the internet. All he's done is make it look a little bit less homebrew by using things like posh looking insulated wire and rubber boots on the PL259s/SO239 and maybe using heatshrink on the balun instead of insulation tape.

Well ,,, Got all my gear ,, the 9900 , swr meter & matcher ,,psu ,, but the bazooka antenna isn't really doing the trick ... Gonna have to get the collapsable pole and stick a wire antenna on it and stick it out the window best I can ...    Got the Hawkins up and I'm blown away with it ..