Amateur Radio: Antenna Design

Let's Build an Antenna

Long before antenna books were common on every ham’s shelf, a newly licensed operator once strung up his very first dipole with more enthusiasm than knowledge. Armed with a few formulas and a length of TV twin‑lead, he built a 132‑foot 80‑meter antenna and hung it barely ten feet off the ground. Predictably, it didn’t work—and the mystery of why became his first real lesson in antenna design.

Stories like that are familiar to many hams, and they’re exactly what this page aims to help newcomers avoid. The resources collected here are chosen with beginners in mind: clear explanations of basic antenna theory, practical guidance, and straightforward projects that actually perform. Whether you’re putting up your first wire or refining your tenth design, these materials offer a solid foundation for building antennas that work the way they should.

To make your search for reliable information even easier, the links below point directly to specific ARRL and DX Zone pages—handy shortcuts that are often quicker to navigate here than on the original sites.

Antenna Analysis and Designers on DX Zone
You’ll find a wide variety of antenna calculators and related tools here—use them at your own discretion—and, together with ARRL resources, explore the helpful links from this site.

HF Wire
Use the trees nearby to run a great HF wire dipole on the cheap.

HF Vertical
No trees nearby?  Stick up a tall pole and some radials like the ones in this website.

HF Beams
Save a lot of money by building your own beam antenna.

HF Loop Antennas
Live in an area when you can't put up a big antenna?  Here are some options that won't make your apartment neighbors too upset.

HF Mobile
Build your own mobile antenna and here are 5 options to get you started.

HF Trap Antennas
You can learn how to build your own multi-band antenna and save a bundle over commercially made models.

NEC2 Antenna Modeler and Optimizer
4nec2 is a free Windows‑based NEC2/NEC4 antenna‑modeling program that lets users design, view, optimize, and analyze 2D/3D antenna structures and their radiation patterns.

EZNEC Antenna Modeling Software
Here's another modeling program designed for Windows.  There are free versions and a Pro version.

N6ACH Quad Calculator
Instead of a traditional Yagi or dipole antenna, consider a quad antenna for your next project.

VHF Omni
From dual band J-Poles to home brewed multi band antennas.

VHF / UHF Yagi (beam)
K7MEM's quick calculator on designing Yagi Antennas.  It's suggested that you read this page first.

VHF Beams
Here's another one on VHF beams that you can build out of supplies found at a hardware store.

UHF Beams
Easy projects to construct your own UHF beam.

J-Pole Antenna Calculator
A J-Pole calculator that will let you design an easy-to-build antenna for nearly any ham frequency.

VHF Mobile
Popular antennas that you can make yourself.

VHF--More Projects
A few more ideas on different types of antennas.

MF/HF Receiving Wire Antennas
These articles cover beverage, EWE, K9AY Loop, and flagpole antennas.  Interesting and informative.