Dr. Bob Heil, an expert in the field of ham radio antennas, is often asked which one is the best. Although a complex answer, he recently provided insight on this during an hour-long Zoom discussion. For those who don't have time to watch it in its entirety, sections describing Dr. Heil's favorite antenna have been highlighted and transcribed—see below for the video and transcript.

Best Antenna - Evening With Bob Heil

From the video here is a summary transcript of what Bob says.

For a great simple antenna, nothing beats a resonant dipole. With some modifications such as traps, it can be utilized for bands like 40 and 75 meters too. MIT's design of a coaxial dipole is a popular choice to cover the entire 75 meter phone band without tuning. Many radio amateurs avoid using tuners and lean towards resonant antennas instead.

In 1938, at the invitation of our government, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology created the Coaxial Dipole. It was designed to be perfect for radar and cover a wide range of frequencies without any tuning adjustments. If you're interested in building your own Coaxial Dipole, you can find all the information on my website.

Tip: Never ever ever use a pulley on antennas. It can load up with ice and snow and you're locked up. You use carabiners locking stainless steel six-inch carabiners it will never lock up that's what I do for my coaxial dipole.

Recommendation: The Seven Strand Steel Copper wire from MFJ is my top choice for wiring projects. It's strong, reliable, and produces great transmission performance. Unfortunately, I don't have enough room in my studio for this type of wire, but my neighbor across the street let me borrow her 70- foot tree for a project with excellent results. My other neighbor also lent me his 70-foot tree and it played like a charm!

Video

Jump to 57:12 Here's a rough transcript of the entire video.

My Take on Dipole Antennas

Bob's recommendation of a resonant dipole antenna is spot-on, and I'm inclined to agree. From experience, I can say that it always proves to be an excellent choice. Having tried various antennas while traveling, at my home QTH I have implemented a few permanent antennas; the most preferred being a dipole mounted at about 45'. For traveling purposes, I usually opt for the dipole option and mount it as an inverted vee with the assistance of either the Best Dog Gone Antenna Launcher or arborist throw line. The height isn't exactly specific due to certain limitations, but they're typically installed between 30' and 50'.

Ham Nation Video Bob Describes the Coaxial Dipole

Jump to 32:50

Thank you

What's your take on dipoles? Please comment below.

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