Five-band HF Linked Dipole [updated January 2025]

An improved build

This antenna was first described in the November-December 2023 Communicator. After a year of using it, I’ve developed some improvements. - Updated January 2025

I appreciate inexpensive but effective antenna design. Sure, you can spend hundreds of dollars to buy a multiband antenna for POTA or GOTA but they are so simple to build, why would you want to? You can enhance your skills and communication capabilities by constructing custom antennas.

One popular and versatile option is the multi-band HF dipole antenna often called a segmented or linked dipole. This antenna design allows for effective communication across multiple HF bands by connecting or disconnecting sections along its length making it an inexpensive asset for ham radio operators, particularly outdoors enthusiasts and those needing a light, packable wire antenna that can be erected almost anywhere, and with good results—better than an end-fed, because each segment of the antenna is pre-tuned during construction, and can be used safely even when no antenna tuner is available.

Ideally it is hung from a pole or tree branch at 20 feet (6m) as an Inverted V, with the center point high and the dipole legs spread at least 110-120 degrees. I have worked the globe with this set-up on sideband and 20 Watts.

 

Oly one side of the dipole is shown 

As before, each of the five sections is cut to the band so no tuner is required. It is a marvellous POTA antenna, far better than any vertical, Hamstick or commercial antenna that I have tried.

You can read/download the updated article at: https://bit.ly/LinkedDipole

~ John VE7TI