Today I had a very short contact with Ted K2GAV. Conditions where to bad to have I long talk, so I appreciated that I got this nice QSL card

My first self build 20 meter HF antenna.

Because I was always planning to build an HF antenna I recently purchased an analyser.

With this device you will be standing to tune antennas on the right frequency.
It is also possible to make impedance measurements in order to get the correct matching between antenna and transceiver.

I have examined which antenna the best for me is to build  that I can use during the PACC contest.
The antenna must meet a low radiation angle. This is needed for good DX purposes.

The above example are from a 21 Mhz VDA

Most HF antennas are large and therefore a problem to post them in the backyard.
After some searching on the Net, I discovered one of  PA3FYM (Remco den Besten) videos on YouTube. In one of his videos I saw a VDA (vertical dipole array) and is easy to build.
Also, the dimensions are limited in order to build a 20 meter antenna.

Fortunately I had most of the stuff already in the house and I immediately started building the antenna. The entire construction diagram of this antenna is described in the DKARS magazine of March 2015. After some saws, drills and screws I put the antenna in the backyard and performed the first measurements. An exciting moment, because you know, finally, never whether it is in practice, as described in theory.

The antenna is as expected a little too low in frequency. A little cut on the bottom two wire solves the problem.

first setup in the garden.

So, I am almost ready to participate the PACC contest.

Good DX. 73, Gerard