Waterproof Ham Radios (2021)

[mtnbkr]

I just recently snagged an Icom 718 for HF. I’m getting closer to trying out HF, but still need an antenna tuner and some type of HOA proof discreet antenna.

You don't "need" a tuner. There are many resonant antennas you could go with.

What's your house and yard like? What sort of rules do you have?

For example, I live in a typical NoVA townhouse, 3 stories tall. I have a 25x25 backyard. There doesn't appear to be much restriction on what I can put in the backyard as long as it isn't visible from the street. For a while, I had a Hustler 4BTV vertical (40/20/15/10), but removed it because I wasn't doing much from home. Fast forward 10 years and I'm now putting up a new antenna. It consists of a mast attached to my deck and running up to the gutter of my house. At the top I have my 2m FM vertical antenna and will have a small box for a 1:64 autotransformer I built. I'm using a portion of the coax as counterpoise (choked about 6' down from the transformer). The 35' radiator will be a wire leaving the box and attaching to the opposite corner of my privacy fence and give me 20m and maybe 15 or 10 (depends on how it tunes up as I trim the wire). When not in use, I'll drop the wire and let it hang straight down to the ground so it doesn't look like a hot mess over the yard. The mast is painted to match my house, so it doesn't stand out. I've already tested this with the 2m antenna, but haven't yet completed the HF antenna.

Chris

[JR1572]

You don't "need" a tuner. There are many resonant antennas you could go with.

What's your house and yard like? What sort of rules do you have?

For example, I live in a typical NoVA townhouse, 3 stories tall. I have a 25x25 backyard. There doesn't appear to be much restriction on what I can put in the backyard as long as it isn't visible from the street. For a while, I had a Hustler 4BTV vertical (40/20/15/10), but removed it because I wasn't doing much from home. Fast forward 10 years and I'm now putting up a new antenna. It consists of a mast attached to my deck and running up to the gutter of my house. At the top I have my 2m FM vertical antenna and will have a small box for a 1:64 autotransformer I built. I'm using a portion of the coax as counterpoise (choked about 6' down from the transformer). The 35' radiator will be a wire leaving the box and attaching to the opposite corner of my privacy fence and give me 20m and maybe 15 or 10 (depends on how it tunes up as I trim the wire). When not in use, I'll drop the wire and let it hang straight down to the ground so it doesn't look like a hot mess over the yard. The mast is painted to match my house, so it doesn't stand out. I've already tested this with the 2m antenna, but haven't yet completed the HF antenna.

Chris

I live in a one story house and my backyard is 50 feet wide and maybe 30 feet deep from the back of the house. My roof is about 25-30 feet tall and the house sits up 3-4 feet higher than the street. Almost all of the attic has radiant barrier foil backed insulation, with the exception of the area above the garage. Behind the house I have a bunch of tall pine trees in a protected conservation area.

The HOA restrictions are very simple, the only antennas allowed on the property are for satellite television, anything else requires approval. I’m the only HAM in the entire subdivision so I would be the first person to challenge the antenna rule.

If possible, I would like an end fed antenna or maybe something under the eaves of the house, but I don’t know how well that would work.

I may have to end up with a portable antenna like the ones people use for POTA and just set it up each time I want to play radio.

JR1572

[mtnbkr]

I live in a one story house and my backyard is 50 feet wide and maybe 30 feet deep from the back of the house. My roof is about 25-30 feet tall and the house sits up 3-4 feet higher than the street. Almost all of the attic has radiant barrier foil backed insulation, with the exception of the area above the garage. Behind the house I have a bunch of tall pine trees in a protected conservation area.

The HOA restrictions are very simple, the only antennas allowed on the property are for satellite television, anything else requires approval. I’m the only HAM in the entire subdivision so I would be the first person to challenge the antenna rule.

If possible, I would like an end fed antenna or maybe something under the eaves of the house, but I don’t know how well that would work.

I may have to end up with a portable antenna like the ones people use for POTA and just set it up each time I want to play radio.

JR1572

I've not used antennas up under eaves and such, but they can work. You might even put a wire antenna laying on the roof. Some folks put dipoles or other wire antennas on the roof that way.

Can you erect a mast of some sort and leave it in place? You could set it up with a pulley up time and pull your antenna up there when you want to operate Hang your EFHW from that, do your thing, then drop the antenna when you're done. The mast would be the only permanent evidence.

Or, go the trapped vertical route, but bring it down when you're not using it.

Now, you said you haven't approached the HOA. Do you think they would approve a 25' tall antenna for "satellite radio"? It wouldn't be visible from the front of the house based on the height of the house.

Chris