ANTENTOP- 01- 2017 # 021

Stealth Antennas for Amateur Radio

4. Disguised Portable AM/FM Radio Dipole:

The fake and non functional "patio radio" should be purchased at a yard sale for 2 bucks and is hopefully not working at all. The design chosen should have detachable speakers which will actually function as the dipole antenna when the speakers are stretched out from the radio and "mounted" in a location such as below an awning or on the railing of an outdoor patio deck at a condo community, or even outside on the apartment balcony etc.

The extending detachable speakers and are just empty plastic shells with no speakers actually installed inside them. The "power cord" leading to the radio prop is removed and replaced with coaxial feed line. Now the coaxial cable feed line serves to resemble an ordinary power cord. This power cord is used to connect your rig to the dipole antenna.

The so called speaker wires are attached to the coaxial feed line on the inside of the radio. Feel free to become creative and gut the inside of the radio and install a remote antenna tuner or matching network inside the radio instead. Some of the knobs on the outside of this radio could be redesigned to function with variable capacitors installed inside and serve to function as an antenna tuner. Just remember that the controls labeled on the AM/FM radio as "tone" now means "tune" instead.

Mount the speakers, and "plug in" the stereo "power cord" with the PL259 connector attached on the end into the back of your rig. You are now on the air in full dipole stereo but this portable AM/FM radio will never bother any of your neighbors with any loud music.

Figure 4

Disguised Portable AM/FM Radio Dipole

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