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How to Make a Monster Antenna

A "monster" antenna is efficient, easy to build and capable of operating over a wide range of wavelength bands and radio frequencies. Amateur radio operators are often limited by space, economics and materials in the antennas they construct. A 574-foot long loop sky-wire antenna is certainly monstrous in size, with a diameter of 183 feet. But it also features an ability to bring in distant signals while efficiently transmitting all of its RF power into the ionosphere. You can build a monstrous full-wave loop sky-wire antenna for your ham radio operation and be amazed by its simplicity, versatility, and performance.

Things You'll Need

575 feet No. 14 copper stranded wire
Ceramic or plastic center insulator
1/2-inch PVC pipe tees (4 to 6)
600 feet of nylon rope (150-ft. lengths)
100 feet 600 ohm open wire ladder line
Trans-match antenna tuner
Soldering iron and solder
Fishing pole, line and sinker

Instructions

- 1
  Attach the two ends of the 575 foot No. 14 copper wire to a ceramic or plastic center insulator. Overlap each side by 6 inches to leave a net antenna length of 574 feet. Before making the final connection, slide four to six 1/2-inch PVC pipe tees onto the wire to serve as rope support connectors and insulators when erecting the antenna.
- 2
  Attach each of the two sides of the 100 foot 600-ohm ladder line to each of the two sides of the loop antenna at the center insulator. Use a soldering iron to solder each side of the ladder line to each side of the antenna.
- 3
  Tie a piece of nylon rope to the center insulator and feed point of the antenna. Use a fishing pole and sinker to cast a fishing line up over a tall tree, which will serve as the feed point support of the finished antenna. Retrieve and remove the sinker from the fishing line and tie on the other end of the nylon rope. Pull the fishing line through the tree until the end of the rope is reachable. Disconnect the fishing line and continue pulling the nylon rope until the center insulator is up as high as possible in the tree. Leave enough rope coiled near the base of the tree to raise and lower the antenna as needed in the future.
- 4
  Secure the excess support rope by coiling and tying to the tree.
- 5
  Raise the remainder of the loop antenna section by section, using the fishing line and rope method as above. Slide the nylon rope sections through the PVC tees and tie in place. The tees should slide freely back and forth on the copper antenna wire. Raise the antenna into the trees so that a large horizontal open circle, loop, square, or polygonal conformation results.
- 6
  Attach the lower end of the 600 ohm ladder line to the balanced input terminals of a trans-match antenna tuner. Look for resonant sweet spots for your antenna near 1.750 MHz, 3.5 MHz, 7.00 MHz, 14.0 MHz and 28.0 MHz.. Tune for lowest SWR on each of your desired frequencies, and record your tuner settings for your new antenna on a chart for future use.

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