QST Publication This project was published as an article in the June 2009 issue of QST. It won the Cover Plaque Award that year.	Other Installations Over the years, since the article was published in 2009, several ham operators around the world have built the antenna with good results. Some have shared their experiences with me. To read their stories and see their installations click HERE or on the thumbnail above.
Construction Details To download a detailed construction "manual", click HERE. To see some of the construction pics, click on the photos below. To download the presentation from the PVRC-NCCC joint webinar (October 14, 2009), click HERE (File size = 51 MB.)

This antenna is designed for stations having a difficult time putting a decent signal on 160M from small or CC&R'd lots.  It is a 24.5 ft. vertical antenna, made from three 10 ft. PVC sections bolted together, and ½ wavelength of antenna wire helically wound around the PVC sections.  A capacitance hat is on top, and the antenna is fed with a 50-ohm feedline.

Total cost for all parts is less than $100 and assembly is pretty simple.  Construction time is about 10 hours. To see some of the construction pics, click on the photos below.

1. Rust-Oleum "Forest Green" Paint Can	2. PVC Before Painting: Impromptu "Paint Shed"	3. PVC After: Section Spray Painted
4. PVC Sections Painted: Environmentally Friendly	5. Taped & Ready To Telescope	6. Antenna Top: Aantenna Post
7. Antenna Bottom: Red Antenna Post	8. Antenna Bottom: SO-239 Wiring + Ground Posts	9. Capacitance. Hat Top View
10. Capacitance Hat Bottom View	11. Capacitance Hat Inside of the Top Cap	12. Bottom Cap on plywood
13. Bottom Cap + Threaded Rod	14. Threaded Rod in Place	15. All 3 PVC Sections Assembled
16. Close-up of Bottom Posts	17. Close-up of Antenna Wiring	19. Assembled With Capacitance Hat