Ham Radio - A 40 meter folded dipole using window line.

The hols in the window line reduce wind load. Interesting and informative video.

Thanks for sharing all this information. I must say I am very impressed with your quiet efficient 40 meter folded dipole.

Great video Kevin. I've built several folded dipoles with similar, great, results. I recall a few years ago when I researched the noise immunity it was due to how the antenna responds to the E and H fields versus a conventional single wire dipole. The folded dipole, being a loop, responds more to the magnetic (H) fields of radio waves. Most man-made noise is electrostatic (E) in nature and less prone to be picked up by magnetic antennas. The use of the current balun, as you mentioned, chokes off common mode currents on the coaxial feedline, so that the feedline isn't as prone to receiving noise as much either. Seems to me some authors called the sensitivity to electrostatic voltages and currents the "antenna effect". Sorry I don't have any citations to back this up, but that's what I recall as an explanation and it seems plausible to me. 73, Sparks.

Wow! Quite a noise level difference. Thanks for another great video, Kevin.

Great video thanks - I already have a bought antenna for 40 m - but this looks much more fun so I will just have to build one! Very informative piece of work. 73s from England.

Great to see Ladder Line being used, I know my late father explained that a lot of the radio operators when they were deployed in the Angolan conflict waaay back when used Ladder Line Antennas.

I am a real beginner with ham radio or radio overall. Last month i made my first crystal radio, and now i am in the process of putting up my first inverted V dipole antenna in my backyard, so i can get on the 20 and/or 40 meter band. I just wanted to say that Kevins videos has been the most helpful in order to wrap my head around it all. Next will be to install a long Beverage antenna in the fields around here, so your videos are a tresure for a student

I thought it was Called Ladder Line because it looks a bit like a Ladder.. Great to see it working so well for you Kevin.👍👍..Very well presented and explained... Take care in the Sun, you are looking very Healthy but a wee bit like a Strawberry hi hi.😊.

You are very knowable I’m very happy you are sharing it! I learn a lot and your videos are very enjoyable. :) thank you

Nice video, I might try to build this antenna.

Wow. Thanks for review. We use that ladder line in our QSO Party field operations as the feed line for a large loop antenna with 1,000 feet or more wire. I found the same thing with the QRN. It was extremely quiet even compared to a regular dipole. We always twist the ladder line to keep it from flapping around so much in the wind.  Very good job, Kevin. Thank you and 73 de K7RMJ  Frank

I have been using a off center fed dipole for many years. When I started out, I did not know so much, but I thought I did. Once I got the full understanding of the off center fed dipole. One of the benefits is the multiple bands it can tune with no tuner. The tuner in your radio can increase bandwidth of some of the wider bands. I have 1.2:1 across 12m, and that is a rather short band, but it also works very well on 20 m, 40 m, and many more. The things I learned in the years leading up to now, are that the feed point impedance is governed by the height of the feed point.. The other thing is the BALUN, it is a 4:1, and I made my first 4:1, and it worked, but not so well. I called Bob at BALUN designs and spoke to him about what I was doing, and he spoke to me for a while, I eventually bought his BALUN that was made for OCFD's. It does handle a lot of power, but I only run 100 watts. There was a marked improvement if the dipole, but still not perfect. The next improvement came when I put ground radials just under the grass line under it. This was a very good step in the right direction. The last improvement came years later, and it was after I had my crank-up fold-over tower crash to the ground. The tower only put my feed point at 28 feet. I then installed a Rohn 25 tower, I did this all by myself, and once I was done, my feed point was at 40 feet. This is when my OCFD took a sharp turn for the better, it was now the antenna that many love, and the one that drives hams toward it. Even if they don't get what I have, many give up and try something else, but the Ham friends in the area who had my input on it, all got the same great antenna, and still use it. The low noise of your folded dipole, might be great for low noise, but when there is no noise, nothing beats my OCFD, unless it is one of the wire antennas that take a football field to assemble and use. i have very small property in Florida, and the antenna is 90on one side, and 45 on the other. one side runs out to the road, right next to a stop sign,. So it is all I can do. I've been using it as my only HF antenna for over 10 years.

Very nice video, excellent and thanks for the content. I'm going to build a HF dipole soon, but using traps as I have space restrictions too. 73 Hayden VK7HH

Thanks for this. I never use dipoles because they're too damn big. But this one is much smaller, and apparently works pretty well. Saved to my "Antennas" playlist.

I recently met Kevin on the air and he was using the folded dipole. His signal was between 10 to 20 db over 59 the entire time. .. .Kevin, we enjoyed having you check into the Earlybird Net.

That's a pretty dramatic difference, I'm going to have to give that a try.

After watching this video I found free 300 ohm TV twin lead. I made a 20 meter folded dipole and fed with the same into a tuner with balanced input. I strung it up in my living room full of noise sources. About the worst environment you can imagine in a big city. My living is pretty big but the antenna still hangs down the wall from the molding about 1.5 feet. I had pretty decent results at 5 watts for JS8. I had previously been using an EFHW for the same. The biggest issue I have with this antenna is that it doesn't pack up well. The twin lead is a pain since it doesn't go onto a wire wrapper.

Hey Kevin awesome video.

Ahh Heck I figured I would just finish watching it now. Nobody around anyways....LOL Good Job Kevin!!

Good video Kevin..I used a while back, a folded dipole cut for 40, and it did work very well on 15, and 6.. 6 will be picking up very soon, so keep a listen for the beacons, and the FT8 on 50313 is a good indicator as well of openings... 73 VE6PG