Is a vertical antenna better for DX?

DX chasers should consider the vertical. They don’t take up much space, many are less than 30 feet high, and most don’t require supports other than a few guy lines. Vertical antennas naturally have a low angle of radiation, meaning you’ll have a good chance of making worldwide contacts.

How much gain does a vertical antenna have?

When used as a vertical radiator against a ground plane this translates to a length of 5/8 wavelength. It is found that a five eighths wavelength vertical antenna has a gain of close to 4 dBd, i.e. 4 dB gain over a dipole.

What is the impedance of a vertical antenna?

Basic quarter wavelength vertical antenna Then at the base of the antenna at the feed point, the voltage is at a minimum and the current is at its maximum. This gives the antenna a low feed impedance. Typically this is around 20Ω. The ground is obviously an important part of the RF antenna.

What is the most effective HF antenna?

Antenna Efficiency The most efficient and largest antenna is the HexTenna antenna. This antenna requires you shorten or lengthen the Telescopic Elements with Tuning from one band to another.

How does a G5RV antenna work?

7 MHz, 40 metres: On 40 metres the G5RV antenna operates using the top section plus nearly 5 metres of the matching section and it operates as a partially folded collinear array with two half waves in phase. Again the antenna presents a reactive load to any transmitter at its input.

What is vertical antenna?

Vertical antenna definition: a vertical antenna is one where the main element or elements of the antenna are vertically orientated and the polarisation of the transmitted radio wave is also vertically polarised. Whilst vertical antennas are all vertically orientated, there are many different variants.

What is the gain of a 1/4 wave vertical?

Gain over 1/4 wave is 2.85db assuming NO matching system losses. The same infinite-ground plane antenna, with a matching coil Q of 100, the 5/8th wave has 2.6dB gain over the reference 1/4 wave. This is over an infinite size perfect ground extending to infinity.

What is the impedance of a 5’8 wave vertical?

The impedance of a 5/8 monopole is around (75−425j)Ω, although it’s sensitive to the diameter of the element(s), size of the ground plane, etc.

Do I need a balun on my vertical antenna?

No you shouldn’t need a balun. A balun is to match a balanced antenna to an unbalanced feedline. Your vertical is probablu an unbalanced antenna, so no need. A balanced antenna would be something like a centre fed dipole, so you’d use a balun for it.