Build a 43¢ 5-Band Antenna in Minutes - No Tuner Required RAS #17
HamJazz
25,915 views
Can you really build a 5-band ham radio antenna for just 43 cents?
In this episode of the Rubbish Antenna Series, we’re putting that idea to the test using nothing more than a length of Ethernet cable, a few taps, and some good old-fashioned experimentation.
The maths:
• 50 feet of Ethernet cable cost me $5 CAD
• Ethernet cable contains 8 individual wires
• One wire works out to approximately 12.5% of the cable
• $5 × 12.5% = 62.5 cents
• I only used about 34 feet of the 50-foot wire
• Final cost = approximately 43 cents 😄
So yes… this antenna cost about 43 cents to build.
Now before the comments explode 🤣…
You may also need:
• A telescopic fishing pole, painter’s pole, or support
• Electrical tape or painter’s tape
• A Sharpie for marking tap locations
• A feedpoint connection method
• A radio
• A park bench and a coffee (optional but highly recommended)
As always, this is an experiment. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s seeing what’s possible with simple materials, a bit of curiosity, and a willingness to try something ridiculous.
WOOOHOOOO!
73,
Simon - HamJazz
#hamradio #amateurradio #antenna #diyantenna #hamjazz #pota #sota #fieldradio #portablehamradio #rubbishantennaseries
20 Comments
I think it's better than a chained dipole
I must checkout your diagram to understand it better. I was getting confused with all these taps as to what you created. 😂🍻🤠👍🇦🇺
Build a 43¢ 5-Band Antenna in Minutes - No Tuner Required RAS #17
HamJazz
25,915 views
Can you really build a 5-band ham radio antenna for just 43 cents?
In this episode of the Rubbish Antenna Series, we’re putting that idea to the test using nothing more than a length of Ethernet cable, a few taps, and some good old-fashioned experimentation.
The maths:
• 50 feet of Ethernet cable cost me $5 CAD
• Ethernet cable contains 8 individual wires
• One wire works out to approximately 12.5% of the cable
• $5 × 12.5% = 62.5 cents
• I only used about 34 feet of the 50-foot wire
• Final cost = approximately 43 cents 😄
So yes… this antenna cost about 43 cents to build.
Now before the comments explode 🤣…
You may also need:
• A telescopic fishing pole, painter’s pole, or support
• Electrical tape or painter’s tape
• A Sharpie for marking tap locations
• A feedpoint connection method
• A radio
• A park bench and a coffee (optional but highly recommended)
As always, this is an experiment. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s seeing what’s possible with simple materials, a bit of curiosity, and a willingness to try something ridiculous.
WOOOHOOOO!
73,
Simon - HamJazz
#hamradio #amateurradio #antenna #diyantenna #hamjazz #pota #sota #fieldradio #portablehamradio #rubbishantennaseries
✅ 20m Band: 16 ft 6 in = 5.03 m
✅ 17m Band (1st tap): 13 ft 6 in = 4.11 m
✅ 15m Band (3rd tap): 11 ft 6 in = 3.51 m
(Skipped the previous 1 ft tap)
✅ 12m Band (4th tap): 10 ft 6 in = 3.20 m
✅ 10m Band (5th tap): 9 ft 6 in = 2.90 m
These are the lengths that got me very close to resonance during the experiment. As always guys, your mileage may vary depending on height, surroundings, feedline, counterpoise, and whether the Ham Radio Gods are smiling on you today 😄📻
WOOOHOOOO! Thanks for watching. Cheers!
Here's a bad diagram I drew up and posted in the community post. Would love to hear back from you about your builds. Cheers mates.
http://youtube.com/post/UgkxFVdVieiekogpixk9Msy-F4D0spc-yMWT?si=TLSPMACF6KDr3jg8