Any antenna is better than no antenna?

Hi All,

I hope you are keeping well and most of all enjoying your radio.


I've always said that any antenna is better than no antenna often back-lashed with protest to such notions.
Indeed even "scholarly" gentlemen have said that such ideas are "dumbing down Amateur radio".

So it might be worth a look at the following video :-




Not bad going is it?

Check out his other videos to find out more about such antennas and other awesome stuff.



Even my very own 44 foot long 'doublet' made from a piece of electric lawnmower lead ( Link here ) has been doing me OK and bagged me a 4U1A United Nations contact this morning amongst many others with FT8. But then there's also some that will state that this isn't "proper" radio either.

Always worth questioning 'conventional' wisdom and often just simply getting on with things in the pursuit of radio happiness.


Have fun.

All the best,
Victor

Reminds me of my very early days in 1980, going to supermarket for silly amount of tinfoil for the loft to help my MG boot lid get a good ground with the firestick.

Ha! Ha! Often utilised as 'groundplane' material Glenn.

I like the sticky-backed aluminium tape and used some as an RF reflective material for a UHF bi-quad reflector beam I made.
(Thought I'd posted it? Maybe not, perhaps I should? Good for 70cm's and PMR! )


"Tinfoil", from an aid to cooking stuff up to wrapping it around your head so that the "garving-ment ain't listening to ma thoughts nor aliens gitting me" as well as antenna uses.....wonderful stuff indeed.

Haha, you've reminded me of my childhood back in the 70's.
The TV Aerial had a problem (probably weather damage) and until repair was possible the thought of no TV from all 3 stations was unbearable.
My father connected coax to the metal swish curtain rails under the pelmet and voilá


Younger readers will probably wonder what the hell I'm on about

Hi Nige,

Three channel UK TV, takes you back a bit doesn't it?

Mind you now we have a plethora of TV channels and there still isn't anything worth watching or a flipping repeat!

I think everything from metal wire coat hangers to tinfoil, curtain rails to metal guttering has been used as an antenna at one time or another which always works on receive but awesome if you can transmit on it too!

Do you remember switching from 405 line VHF to 625 line UHF TV?
Our old TV had both and a proper round tuning knob you 'twiddled' until the picture was clear!


Four Yorkshire men comes to mind - "Try and tell the young people of today that....they won't believe you!"


Mind you, some probably won't believe the guy in the posted video but I think it's a genius demonstration.

Victor wrote:

Hi Nige,

Three channel UK TV, takes you back a bit doesn't it?

Mind you now we have a plethora of TV channels and there still isn't anything worth watching or a flipping repeat!

I think everything from metal wire coat hangers to tinfoil, curtain rails to metal guttering has been used as an antenna at one time or another which always works on receive but awesome if you can transmit on it too!

Do you remember switching from 405 line VHF to 625 line UHF TV?
Our old TV had both and a proper round tuning knob you 'twiddled' until the picture was clear!


Four Yorkshire men comes to mind - "Try and tell the young people of today that....they won't believe you!"


Mind you, some probably won't believe the guy in the posted video but I think it's a genius demonstration.

Your right, I only said the other day to one of my kids. So many channels on TV today with so so little carp content.
I hardly bother watching anymore.
The 5 days I've just been away i watched the news once or twice in the morning. But thats mainly bullcarp.
And a film on film 4 at 9pm .

I vaguely remember the UHF/VHF.
I remember my little black and white portable in the bedroom with a loop aerial and tuning knob for channels

Also the test cards and the end of night. "Goodnight and don't forget to switch off your sets", national anthem then a white dot and high pitch tone.