My First Outdoor Antenna
Are you thinking about putting up an antenna outside? I share this an anectdote for how simple and straightforward your first antenna can be. You don’t need to do exactly what I did but this can serve as a jumping off point for your idea!
My journey as an amateur radio operator had a really slow start. Putting up an antenna outside really started to crescendo my participation in Ham Radio. Before having an outside antenna, I used my handheld inside. I’m sure plenty of Hams can relate with me that this stinks. You don’t get good signal reports, and so it’s too easy to get discouraged.
I finally decided to put an antenna outside, but at the time I was renting a basement apartment. There is nothing quite like wanting to do something but feeling like there’s nothing you can do. It finally clicked with me one day that as long as I had a non-invasive setup, I would most likely be in the clear.
The First Antenna
I got my thinking cap on and came up with a portable antenna idea that I used for quite a few months with great success! So my first outdoor antenna (which I don’t have a picture anymore) was a JPole antenna mounted to the top of a 10ft. piece of metal conduit. I would then use self gripping (Velcro®) ties to fasten it to the fence post. Now, this fence post was only 4ft’ high, so it was perfect for a temporary installation. If inclement weather came through, I would take it down and lay it on the ground until I next used it. This antenna worked great!
Now… one important part of putting an antenna outdoors is the feed line! I used a piece of pipe insulation that I wedged around the window. This piece of pipe foam nicely wrapped around the window preventing the air from coming in the window, while providing a space where I could put the coax through the open window. This prevented the need for me to put a hole in the wall and making my landlord angry.
Parts List
This parts list is full of examples what you need. Ultimatly your circumstances may dictate needing other materials, or you can modify it as you see fit.
- 10’ 1/2” conduit
- JPole
- This one is made by a local Ham, but there are plenty of antenna options out there.
- U-Bolts for attaching antenna to the conduit mast
- When I was looking at the store, I got my conduit and then found the right sized U Bolt for the pipe.
- Self Gripping Ties
- Coax Feedline
- This is for RG-8X coax, but there are other coax options depending on what you would like. This is a good compromise for beginners on a tight budget, but has higher loss than some other coax cables.
Version 2
At the time, I was doing a lot of simplex work, so I found that I needed to get my antenna a little higher…. So I took a risk. Hoping my landlord wouldn’t notice (mind did not, your mileage may vary). I purchased a flag pole stand that could be held to the ground with some hefty bricks, and then some 1-3/8in. top rail. Top rail is commonly used for fencing, but has the amazing property that you can stack one on top of the other! I drilled a hold between the two pieces of conduit and stuck a bolt through it to keep them together, and then stood that on end for a 20ft. antenna!
Now, once you start to get higher, you need to consider wind load, guy wires, and grounding. I’m not an expert when it comes to grounding, but you should follow local electric code. I recommend finding a fellow Ham who can help you determine how to ground your antenna. In my case, I built a fancy feature into this antenna: I built it to be easy to take up and down. The main driver of this was, I still don’t own the property where this antenna is, so I can’t do anything “permanent”, but I went with semi-permantent. I used a grinder from a neighbor to cut a slice into the flag pole stand so that I could lay the antenna down without having to move the flag pole stand. That made the flag stand my fulcrum for putting up and down the antenna.
One recommendation, as someone who has spent a lot of time putting their antenna up and down, you want to make it so that you can leave it up as much as possible…. It gets old real quick to move your antenna up and down. I used parachord to guy my antenna using 2 eye bolts and carribeaners and that worked out very well for a budget friendly antenna.
Parts List
This parts list is full of examples what you need. Ultimately your circumstances may dictate needing other materials, or you can modify it as you see fit.
- Top Rail
- Flag Pole Stand
- Stepping Stones
- Really, anything heavy works. So go to the hardware store, walk around, and get inspired by something cheap and heavy!
- Eye Bolts
Photos
Version 2 Antenna 
Close ups of the Flag Pole Stand Cutout. I used a PVC pipe to act as a sort-of locking mechanism (but the antenna is also guyed in place)
