T&T: SSB Whip Antenna Lengths

[KevinR]

> -----Original Message-----
> SSB  whip antennas come lengths from 16' to 24'. 

When it comes to High Frequency radio antennas, there is no substitute for
antenna length. The ideal antenna length is 1/4 of a wave length, and at 4
MHZ, 1/4 wave is 58' - obviously far too long to be used on boats our size.
The radio/antenna manufacturers solve this by using an antenna tuner to
allow the radio and antenna to work together, although at a lower efficiency
level.

As the antenna get shorter, the tuner can still match it to the radio
transceiver, but you lose transmit and receive efficiency each time you
shorten it up. Theoretically, you could build a tuner to tune your radio
into a small rubber duck antenna, but while the radio will still work, don't
expect to receive a station more than a few miles away.

With HF SSB antennas, longer is always better.

Regards,
Kevin
www.BoatMoves.com
W2WOR