End-Fed Half-Wave Antenna for HF
It's been a few months since I last posted anything here on the blog but I've kept busy. The COVID virus has me working from home every other week. Since everyone has settled into the 'battle rhythm' of remote work, I stay surprisingly engaged. I have focused on VHF+ operation since around April 2020 and have produced several projects in pursuit of improving my stations--both mobile and home. When my 20-meter half-square and 40-meter Double Bazooka antennas came down during a summer storm, I left them down for quite a while. The CQWW DX-CW contest was coming up and I have set a goal to get my Mixed DXCC done. At 64 countries confirmed, I decided to get back on the air. A few years ago, I built a small 4:1 BALUN to use with my QRP rigs. This antenna accepted a half-wave section of wire and would work only on the band for which the wire was cut. It worked very well but it was only meant for temporary installation and had l...