This week I will have a look at my take on “wire” antennas below.
As mentioned I will no longer be publishing a comprehensive list of DX, Contests or Special Events. However I will list below the sites where you can find the information I use weekly to bring you the info.
1 – DX World.Net: https://www.dx-world.net/?s=bulletin Click on “Read More” then “Download the Latest Bulletin”. My favourite site for information!
2 – 425 DX News: https://www.425dxn.org/ Under “News & Updates” click on the latest update or any of the links along the top to find what is of interest to you.
3 – Ham Radio World: https://www.hamradioworld.org/ Click on whatever interest you.
4 – DX News.Com: https://dxnews.com/ Click on whatever interest you.
5 – DXing with VA3RJ: https://www.qsl.net/va3rj/dx.html Dave has a lot of info on his site.
Take note of Solar Flares, they are a huge part of successful DXing and Contesting on HF!
To see the daily conditions go to: https://solar.w5mmw.net/
WA7BNM Contest Calendar to Wednesday Feb 12, 2026. Information for the next 8 Days of Contest go to: https://www.contestcalendar.com/weeklycont.php
Contests to look forward to this weekend:
Nova Scotia Amateur Radio Association Contest: 1200Z-1600Z, Mar 1 and 1800Z-2200Z, Mar 1
Find the NSARA rules under “Contests” at: http://nsara.ca
CQ 160-Meter Contest, SSB: 2200Z, Feb 27 to 2200Z, Mar 1 Rules: https://cq160.com/rules/index.htm
Let’s talk antennas….
The following is only my take away on antennas…others may have had totally different experiences than what I may have had and you will find a lot of pros and cons on this subject.
Over the years I have worked 236 countries, many contests and many, many special award stations on most every band and I have used a lot of different antennas!
Like most I started with wire antennas i.e. dipoles, delta loops Sterba curtain, 160M Windom and even wires verticals. The best wire antennas I found were the delta loops I had built, mainly because there was less noise than dipoles and a bit of gain over the dipole.
Delta Loops – Easy to construct, here is a good site on “how to” build s Delta Loop antenna: https://brokensignal.tv/pages/How-to-Build-a-Delta-Loop-Antenna.html
Full-wavelength loop results in strong radiation with minimal loss.
Low Noise Reception: Ideal for high-interference environments.
Flexible Installation and can be installed in various shapes and heights.
Low Angle Radiation: Excellent for long-distance HF communication if installed in a vertical configuration and more like a NVIS antenna when installed horizontal.
Ground radials not required.
One of the easiest to build, not overly expensive and a reasonable performer in my estimation for TX and RX! You can sometimes acquire left over wire form a construction site or an electrician for free.
Dipoles – There is a lot of info on the internet regarding dipoles and how to build them. There is nothing wrong with dipoles what so ever! The following site has a list of dipole and other antenna types and measurements: https://ham-ant.com/antenna/#121 . I have always had a G5RV as a backup antenna ready to put up in case my other antennas would not work due to a storm or electrical problem. Here is a great site to check out the G5RV and several other versions such as the ZS6BKW Antenna: https://ham-ant.com/antenna/ZS6BKW_G5RV_G5RV-junior_G5RV-mini_antenna
NVIS Antenna – Now if you only want to communicate over a short distant maybe up to 500Km then the NVIS or Near Vertical Incident Skywave Antenna is for you. DX Engineering has a good design with measurements for 40M and 80M at: https://static.dxengineering.com/global/images/instructions/wp-nvis-rev3.pdf
Sterba Curtain – I found the Sterba Curtain is a high-gain, highly directional wire antenna array but a lot of work and it requires a fair amount of space although it works really well. You can check this article out on the Sterba Curtain: https://ham-ant.com/antenna/Sterba_Curtain_Antenna . Check out this interesting older article on the Sterba Curtain by George VE1TG: http://electronicsandbooks.com/edt/manual/Articles/Antennas%20Homemade/A_Sturba_Curtain_for_the_low_bands_1962.pdf
Beverage – A “receive only” antenna would be the Beverage. These antennas excel in offering improved reception capabilities, allowing enthusiasts to detect weak signals even in challenging conditions especially on the low bands. They can be easily built using inexpensive materials and once installed Beverage antennas require minimal adjustments. Remember they are for receiving only and not for transmitting. I have used both the bi-directional and single direction, both worked very well. Here are some designs from Phil KW2P: https://kw2p.shuttersparks.net/kw2p-beverage-antenna-designs/
Carolina 160M Windom: The antenna shown below is the 160M Windom I used for many years on PEI and Sable Island (CY0TP). You can find many versions of the Windom antenna on the internet. If you should decide to build a Windom, for that matter any wire antenna make sure you can lower it before a wind or ice storm…it will save a lot of headaches!
Next week: vertical antennas.
73 de Ken VY2RU