ANTENTOP- 01- 2017 # 021

Stealth Antennas for Amateur Radio

Stealth Antennas for Amateur Radio

By: Charles W Bushell, KC8VWM

This list of Ultra Stealth antenna has been created here in hopes of assisting the radio amateur community who may be otherwise restricted or limited in terms of antenna installation possibilities so they can remain active while serving to address any required need for those individuals who may be seeking just such a solution.

Station antenna limitations or restrictions are no reason for becoming discouraged or not becoming active in ham radio. It's still possible to enjoy the hobby without the need of installing underperforming or inadequate antennas. Nor is there any need to install big towers with multiple Yagi arrays on them in order to achieve worthwhile results.

For many years now, hams have tried to hide or disguise antennas for a multitude of reasons and you might be surprised to find out that some of these reasons are not necessarily limited in scope to antenna restricted communities.

KC8VWM

(Credit Line: www.qrz.com)

Other reasons for installing stealth antennas are for landscape - aesthetics reasons, for purposes intended to avoid detection by inquisitive neighbors or city ordinance officials who like to question and personally investigate everything out of the ordinary or unusual and for many other similar reasons.

In the past, flagpole antenna designs have been popular and viewed by hams as one possible solution to the problem, but recently there have been restrictions involving the installation and display of flags in some restricted communities. Similarly, some hams have attempted to install very thin gauge wire in hopes it won't be seen. However, this approach has limited success as such antennas are not particularly effective because these designs are not mechanically strong enough and break very easily when subjected under stress.

Additionally, such thin wire antennas often remain detectable despite their best efforts to "hide" them from view because they are often revealed and easily detected by sunlight reflections. Some hams have attempted to paint such wires using non reflective colors but these often remain visible to people who are curious with an eye for detecting even the slightest details.

Real Flag Pole Antenna made by KX9DK

Credit Line for the Figure:

http://www.hamuniverse.com/kx9dk4btvflagpole.html

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