Antenna

[Keith Rowland]

The half-square is a piece of wire a full wavelength long.  Cut it 3/4
wavelength from either end and connect a coax feedline, with the shield
connected to the 1/4 wavelength piece of wire.  Slip an insulator up 1/4
wavelength from the far end of the 3/4 wavelength piece and secure it so the
wire won't slip thru it.  Hoist the whole thing at least a
quarter-wavelength in the air so the dangling ends don't touch the ground.
Bring the feedline off at right angles to the rest of the antenna.

I'd suggest cutting it for the low end of the band, and tune it to either
the middle of whatever band or sub-band you use most, by putting insulators
or some other non-conducting material at the end of each dangling 1/4-wave
piece of wire, so you can coil each end up an inch at a time until you
obtain the lowest SWR at the operating frequency.  If you coil up one end,
be sure to coil up the other dangling end the same amount, to maintain
symmetry in the antenna.

I have one cut for 20 meters, and have to say that I was disappointed with
it.  My half-size G5RV, over a period of 9 years, has consistently
outperformed it, both on receiving and transmitting.  And the G5RV has the
added advantage of being a multi-band antenna rather than a single bander
like the half-square. Yes, it IS quiet.  So quiet that received signals are
consistently 1 to 3 S-units less than the G5RV receiving the same signal.
Similar results occur on transmit.

Hope this is of use to you.

Keith

Lloyd Tippin wrote:

> Anybody have the formula for the half square antenna? Thanks Guy's
> Martin L Tippin  W0AKG
> 140 Monarch Lane
> Branson, Mo 65616
>
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