Forward ... phase two
The amateur radio antenna is the most important piece of hardware in the radio station. Wherever a radio frequency signal is transmitted or received an antenna is necessary. No antenna, no signal. The quality of the antenna does affect the quality of the signal received, and in amateur radio that is more important than many of us believe. Whether we are into a Disaster and Emergency Operation, or into a fun day, trying to contact someone on the other side of the planet, the antenna we use is critical. There are many software programs that are used by commercial radio frequency managers who usually want to get the best consistent signal level between two or more points at particular times of the day.
However, amateur radio designed software is available to those of us who wish to invest and experiment. Many of us save the funds and just invest in the best antenna that we can. There is a lot of tabulated historical data available and we are smart enough to use it. Most times we only have to consider small frequency bandwidths, and in the worst case scenario, our transmissions will be limited to times of sunrise or sunset. VHF signals are line-of-sight, so they say, but hams in South America can still make contact with hams in Europe. HF 1.6 MHz to 30 MHz is used by the rest of us. For more information
https://www.iaru.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/R2-Band-Plan-2016.pdf
and any questions arising, contact the local amateur radio society, SKNAARS,
https://www.facebook.com/ST-KITTS-NEVIS-ANGUILLA-AMATEUR-RADIO-SOCIETY-146131718557/
Going forward in amateur radio is now different as we have greater difficulty in procuring amateur radio goods that we need. We need greater collaboration and consolidating between amateur radio operators. We need to go past this "unfriendliness" we perpetrate, and know that "all of us are in this thing together", we need to look out for each other. Some of us were looking at antennas from the other side of the planet, but covid may have changed that, but we still look, and dream. One of these days our dream could become reality. Below links are just a sample.
https://zerofive-antennas.com/
http://www.cd-corp.com/english/a1_eng.html
Irrespective of the application or service for the antenna, it is always better to have a rigid aluminum antenna. Wire antennas have their place but has never been #1. Most amateur radio operators go on the cheap, and use the smallest wire available. I never understand why hams invest 2K or more on a radio then skimp on a 1.99 roll of antenna wire. It is like buying a BMW X7 then changing to 4 remolded tires. Antenna wire should always be #12 or larger, but given the times now, one can get away with #14 wire. Feel free to knock yourself out with the link below.
Most of us in V4 would wish to build wire antennas, and there are many compilations available, here is the link for one of them.
Building the antenna is one thing, but what gain and direction does it have? These we have to seriously consider if we want to be heard, not just into the region, but on the other side of the world.
[To be continued]
Comments