Ham Radio 40/80 Meter Inverted V Dipole Antenna

[VO1XH]

Very well done and good construction technique.That antenna is very robust and should hold up well for many years in all weather condx. One tip for the end insulators I use are the split bolt wire connectors that are made by Burndy,they are used by the electric utility crews to splice power line wires. This way,if you have to trim the wire from the end,it is easy to adjust the length and check the tuning.Great video,73Don,VO1XH

[kaiforice]

Great video i travel with my work and i need to come up with coil loaded 20 meter inverted V that i can use in rv parks 73's Dale KC7VGT

[zerozedzed]

For use at 3.920 to 4.000 MHz remove 7 turns from the coils (71 turns). Make 80m wire length 68-1/2". Mark wire at 10" (attach to coil) and 16" (attach to insulator). Wrap at least 10 turns of wire where attached to insulator and don't trim off the excess. Should be resonate at about 3.980. Tune by unwrapping wire on insulator end letting it hang at a 90 degree angle. Form about a 1" loop in end of wire. Maximum length hanging down is about 3-1/2" from bottom of loop to wire (3.920 MHz).

[N6WK]

@zerozedzed Ok, finally got back to work on the Inverted Vee. I would like to know the purpose of the 1" loop at the end of the drop wire? Is it for capacitance? Still can't seem to get the numbers I want at 3.845.

[zerozedzed]

@N6WK Here is a link to another version tuned for 3.875: qsl(dot)net/ash_ares/new_page_­7(dot)htm and more info on the ASH ARES page.

[N6WK]

@zerozedzed That link does not work  and yes, I converted the )dot) to .

[N6WK]

@zerozedzed Can't seem to find that Website even whenconverting the (dot) to dot

[N6WK]

@zerozedzed Bad LINK. Sorry !

[zerozedzed]

@N6WK Add w w w to the beginning of it. YouTube will not let me post the actual link. I've also added a link to it on the 40/80 antenna project page on my web site. The other page is mostly pictures but you can probably email the original author, too. The link to my web site is posted on my YouTube Channel.

[zerozedzed]

@N6WK The 1" loop is for additional capacitance and will lower the SWR by .1

[N6WK]

@zerozedzed I took it down today and inspected everything. I checked all the hardware on the coils and ohmed the coils for continuity. I then brought them into the shack and measured their inductance. Each one shows 129uh. Great readings on 40 but when I try to shorten the 80 wire to get it into the phone band, Things go crazy. I am shortening only ONE inch at a time to be careful. The MFJ shows the frequency moving up but unfortunately, the SWR is rising and the X is rising.

[zerozedzed]

@N6WK This coil is really designed to be used lower in frequency. Try taking one turn off the coil then check the antenna again. It might take removing a couple of turns to get it resonate. I should do a another video for an antenna that works higher in frequency on 80. I'll probably call it the "Breakfast Club Special," hi hi. YouTube is a world wide audience and so this antenna would appeal to many as it is. I also work lower in frequency and my phone limit is no lower than 3.600.

[N6WK]

@zerozedzed, I inspected the coils and the Magnet wire looks fine. No breaks. Both coils have exactly 78 turns. As I mentioned, it was perfect yesterday, but not today. I don't understand "Check for polyurethane inside the hardware stacks " What do you mean? I will unwind the coils tomorrow and check the PVC pipe. I have seen PVC arc before, so I suspect it is the problem. Will let you know. I also tried changing the angle, but still the same. It has to be in the coils since 40 is still good.

[zerozedzed]

@N6WK In the video I coat the coils with clear polyurethane to help protect the coils. Sometimes the polyurethane will leak past the masking tape and may cause a short or a poor connection. Also, remove the nuts and flat washers from the coils to inspect the magnet wire as a break may be hidden under a flat washer.

[N6WK]

Dave, I built this Inverted Vee yesterday. Had it resonant on 40 at 7.175 SWR 1:1 X=2 on 80 I was resonant at 3.845 , SWR 1:1 and X=2 ... However, today, 40 is still at the same spot, SWR and X are the same for 40, but 80 now is sort of resonant at 3.900 SWR is 2:1 and the X=18. I have triple checked the coils but don't see any problem. How much power should these coils handle? I guess I need to unwind and rewind them because something changed over night. Any ideas?

[zerozedzed]

@N6WK Check the magnet wire to make sure it did not break when tightening the hardware. Try changing the angle of the antenna elements before taking it down. Check for polyurethane inside the hardware stacks as it may cause a problem and make sure both coils have the same number of turns. It's likely a problem in only one coil. Hope this helps. If you spot the problem then please post it here. 73 :)

[zerozedzed]

@N6WK BTW, I'm running 800 watts and have not yet had a problem.

[G0YAP]

Well put together video..just like your antenna..Thanks..very interesting. Ian .G0YAP Diss. England.

[davidddogman]

How tall is your Antenna tower?

[HamRadio2008]

I found that taking a digital picture and then blowing it up on the computer is useful for counting turns, I do this for 37-43 ferrite toroids.

[ON4AEM]

Very interesting Dave.Educational indeed.Enjoyed watching this video.Even in metrical sizes ;-) TNX

Regards,

Wim.

[userfixit]

Dave,

As with all your Video's, this one is Spot-On.

You attention to detail illustrates exactly how to do it... almost in real time.

I think anyone can follow your steps to a perfect success.

The antenna looks great on 40 but I was surprised to see how broad-banded it is on 80. Nice job!

Thanks for taking the time and for the grand effort !

Time for me to shop around for some magnet wire.

73,

-Bob KQ2Q

[JorahLavin]

You have a lot more patience than I do. I'd have that thing on a turning jig pretty quickly. You probably could adapt an old apple peeler for the job in a few minutes.

[JorahLavin]

If you have a web site where you could list parts and measurements, you'd make this even more excellent. (I found your site from your profile, but I can't find such lists. Perhaps I just need some direction?)

[zerozedzed]

@JorahLavin I now have this antenna project added to my web site. I also included a diagram of the coil form for drilling holes. Go to amateurradio.bz then click on "Zed Zed's Antenna Projects." Scroll down and right now it's the second link from the bottom of the page. The stainless steel hardware used to make the coils is as described in the video. See also my "Dipole and Inverted V Antenna Basics" and the "40 Meter Inverted V Antenna - Build, Tune and Test!" videos for more information.

[JorahLavin]

@zerozedzed thanks for the reply. I hope to have my tech ticket later this year, and you can count on my return visit to your site and to see your videos. I've already shared this one with my "hams" circle on Google Plus.

[yinglyca]

excellent video.

good stuff.

de ve7tyb

now if we can only find some videos on antenna grounding .....

[dkaplan2005]

Dave,

Great video! Really great instruction.

I Love to make antennas .. just finishing a 6M portable Yagi myself .

73

David, KJ6GLX

[GeoN0JRJ]

Very, very good. I always enjoy your videos and I ALWAYS learn a lot. 73! George, N0JRJ