Multi-Tap Whip Antenna

This antenna is my version of the commercially available antenna of this type manufactured by several companies.

It works quite well on 40m upward, although this type of shortened antenna is always going to be a compromise. However the convenience of portability and getting you on the bands was worth the effort. I had hoped that it would tune up on 80m  but unfortunately this was not possible. The thickness of the wire I used proved to not give me sufficient turns. No calculations were made when winding the coils but rather an approximation made according  to one I had seen. This was a "Lets try it and see what happens" type of project. (Suck it an see)

In the slides shown here, it can be seen that the former for the coil was made from a fibreglass tent pole. The ends were strengthened with short pieces of aluminium tube secured with Aroldite glue.  Veroboard terminal pins were placed at intervals along the pole to affix the coil taping points. As mentioned, this was done purely by guess work on what I had seen in similar constructions.

As it turned out, this antenna has proved to work better than I could have hoped for. I have had some very nice QSOs while out in the caravan without be to conspicuous erecting larger antennas.

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