Ham Radio Blog | HF Vertical Antennas & HOA Flagpole Antennas, 160-6M

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KE6TT works Africa with his 24' HOA Flagpole Antenna & 100W on FT8
by Greyline Performance
KE6TT/4 using his 24' HOA Flagpole Antenna works Africa DX with 100W on FT8. Tunes up FB from 160-10M with great SWR. See his antenna pictured, here. Ham Radio is fun again, pass it on.

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HOA-Friendly Ham Radio Antenna Options, XYL approved
by Greyline Performance
Did you know HOAs are approving Flagpole Antennas in the front yard, nationwide? Some also offer approval for verticals in the backyard as well. Learn more about HOA & XYL-approved ham radio antennas, and pass It on.

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List of Free Weekly Amateur Radio Operation Zoom Classes #hamradio
by Greyline Performance
List of Free Online Ham Radio Operating Courses via Zoom. Help, Tips, and How To DIY, etc. Refresh your operating techniques with a Free Amateur Radio class with K3RA. Pass it on...

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Here's Why the 6M-10M Bands Are Coming to Life on Ham Radio
by Greyline Performance

Anyone paying attention to 6 meters recently has noticed unusually frequent 6-meter DX for this time of year. Here's some research & data. Have fun!

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How to Enjoy this weekend's Battle of the Titans + Little Pistols Too
by Greyline Performance
Ham Radio is a Spectator Sport. Tune in this weekend for the latest, Clash of the Titans (and little pistols too). It's going to be a lot of fun on the air. Join us.

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Step by Step Guide Tips to Working DXpedition 3Y0J #hamradio
by Greyline Performance
Greyline Performance Flagpole's are working into 3Y0J , plus fresh tips by Radio Guru W3LPL on how to "Increase your chances of working 3Y0J." Have fun...

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How to Choose an HF Antenna in a HOA, that's perfect for you
by Greyline Performance
Radio operators ask, "How do I pick the best HF antenna for me?" Selecting the right HF antenna for a Home Owners Association (HOA) environme...

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Greyline Vertical Antenna owners report building to 40 feet! #experimental
by Greyline Performance
Brave W7-Mike adds 20-feet of antenna extensions to his 20' Greyline HF Vertical Antenna in his HOA. See the Pictures here too.

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HR 9670 Bill to Eliminate HOA Restrictions on Amateur Radio Antennas
by Greyline Performance

Bill to Eliminate HOA Restrictions on Amateur Radio Antennas. H.R. 9670 -- the Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act is being prepared for Congress. Wish them luck and be ready to show your support. More soon.

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Adventure: Max & Lilly Find a Ham Radio & HOA Flagpole Antenna in the Attic
by Greyline Performance
Once there was a brother and sister named Max and Lily. They were always looking for new adventures and one day, they found an old ham radio in the attic of their house. "Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me?" the voice said. Read more

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How to Work 160M DX by K3WA + 24' HOA Flagpole Antenna
by Greyline Performance
Bill, K3WA is back on the radar working 160M with his 24' Flagpole Antenna. He shared with us how to feed the Greyline HOA Vertical antenna for best results on 160M on his ham radio antenna. Read his response...

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Welcome Back 28 MHz! USA to Europe is now a Daily Occurrence #hamradio
by Greyline Performance
28 MHz (10 meters) is WIDE OPEN from the entire USA to Europe - Get on the air! Image from DXMAPS.COM Ham Radio is fun again! Cycle 25 is roarin...

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24' Flagpole does the job.

I purchase a 20’ Flagpole antenna that also included the 4’ extension. I installed the flagpole the end of January here at my home in central Florida. The install was easy with only a couple of small issues that were easily resolved by just thinking things through. I installed the antenna in the back yard in the HOA and have not had any complaints.

The performance of the antenna has been very good. The SWR on most band has been =< 1.5 except the 12 meter band. The SWR is just under 2.0. The DX into Europe and Africa has been good. Have done a lot of FT4 and FT8 with good reports. SSB has been good with good signal reports depending on propagation. All of my contacts have been made on 70 – 100 watts. I am using a SGC 230 tuner mounted at the base of the antenna

Most of my contacts have been 10 MHz – 28 MHZ. I have done some work on 40 meters but not much. Not much of an night owl so I don’t get very much of a change to use the antenna on 40 – 160 meters. The SWR is on these bands is 1.0 – 1.3, so I would expect good performance if I had more power.

At this point in time the only negative I have to report is the flag. It has been flying on most days in 5 to 15 MPH winds. I have taken it down when we had higher winds had exceed the 15 MHP. I noticed this morning the flag was torn and shredded. I took the flag down and noticed the flag was made by Anley and it was manufactured in China. I wouldn’t expect a flag to be in this condition after 3 months. I had USA made flags last over a year flying in much stronger winds that this one.

I'm only giving a 4 because of the flag issue. I will reach out to Greyline to see what they have to say.

We are so glad to hear that your Antenna has FB SWRs from 160-10M and congrats on the great DX! Fun... We buy our flags from several USA companies one of which is Anley, Inc., which is also a US company based in California. We are happy to replace the flag.

US GOV reports 90-days is the expected Flag lifespan. 'The U.S. Government generally expects a nylon or cotton flag to last 90 days based on being flown daily from sunrise to sunset - but not during periods of inclement weather. Tests have shown that, in some cases, a flag flown 24 hours a day will last only one-fourth as long as one flown only during the daylight hours.' - again, happy to help and we will contact you directly for a replacement.

Remember, Ham Radio is fun again, Please pass it on to your friends and family. - 73m Greyline Performance

Thank you so much!!!

It has taken me a while to get it put together and up, but with the help and patience of two of my sons, my beautiful flag pole antenna is up and operational. I am still learning how to use my radio, just found out my microphone has an on/off switch for example. The install is complete but it is working already. I will send some pictures. I am thinking about a 4' extension for my 16' flagpole antenna. Does the extension go on the bottom? If it does, i may do that.

IMPRESSIVE IMPROVEMENT

This is an antenna I wish I would have purchased sooner. We live in an HOA with a small lot and some restrictions on antenna placement and height. We had a small vertical antenna mounted to our fence, but had limited places to install grounds and could only put two in place along the fence line. We could only receive 40M, sometimes 20M, and both had to be tuned and adjusted at the antenna. This year, those bands began generating high SWR. I was able to determine the wiring and connections were all good but the antenna was failing and we would miss out on the new solar cycle. We ordered a 20' Greyline, without the flag mount options, along with an LDG 100W external tuner. Due to a backlog in supplies, it took many months to process my order, and when I paid with a credit card it was cancelled the following month because they could not ship it within 30 days to process my credit card. I called and they no longer had any 20' antenna packages to ship at that time, but they agreed to ship me a 24' for the same price without further delay. That was still not going to be visible from the street above my home which is an HOA requirement, so I agreed. After receiving the equipment and installing it, I was amazed. 40M, 20M, 12M, and 10M bands were all below 1.5 SWR. 30M was an impressive 1.1 SWR. Unfortunately, I could not tune 80M, 17M, or 15M due to high SWR. Quite possibly this is an issue with the LDG tuner. We have reached far away with this antenna, and my wife began using FT8 and collected QSOs with 29 countries on multiple bands within a week. I was able to reach Australia, which showed a distance of 10,000 miles. The antenna is in my back yard, close to my house and neighbors say they don't notice it. While I could have installed it in the front as a flagpole, I would have to re-rout all of my wiring to the front of the house. This is an impressive antenna. If I were to do this again, I would like to have purchased an already assembled ladder-line to PL-259 adaptor as assembling the provided kit proved somewhat challenging without a drill press which I no longer have after downsizing a few years ago, and having to modify the clamshell case so that it would fit over the PL-259 component. The RF-choke required weather proofing so I ended up purchasing 1-1/2" waterproofed shrink tube that seemed expensive for the length needed. In the end, it all worked well when connected. I fully recommend this antenna.

Wow! So great to hear that you and the XYL both are enjoying the bands together. Let's get those other bands working. Likely a ground issue we can resolve. *We've already called him for a few testing exercises to get things dialed in. Ham Radio is fun again! Pass it on... 73 Greyline Performance

Proudly displaying "Old Glory" and working the world!

At the age of 79 was able to install the 20ft flagpole antenna without help, which surprised me. I installed solar lights above and below the flag and it's a beautiful sight at night. I attached the ladder line directly to the ground and long wire terminals on the MFJ tuner and it works perfectly. Very low SWR on all bands. In spite of poor band conditions I have been having a blast. Frankly, it tickles me to have my antenna sticking up in my front yard in plain site. My neighbors love it and the HOA is clueless. 73's, Kelly K4SLE

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Band conditions have been tough running barefoot, but I have been working DX on 20 meters! DL, SM, YU, RU, ZS, TI all in a single morning with only 70 watts. In fact i have had so much fun being back on the air i have made the decision to replace my aging 30+ year old Kenwood with a new radio. I been pleased with the antenna and my neighbors have been pleased with the look of the flagpole.

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