A BRIEF GUIDE TO THE BUDDIPOLE SYSTEM

WelcometotheBuddipoleantennasystem,aunique,capableandadaptableantenna systemforawiderangeofapplications.Thelightweightandmodulardesignmakesthe antennaparticularlysuitedforportableapplications,butitisalsowellsuitedforother fixedsituationswherespaceislimited. WhatmakestheBuddipoleexcitingformeisthattheBuddipoleissomuchmorethana simpleantenna;itisagreattoolforexploringantennatheory.Inadditiontobeingan excellentportableantenna,itistheonlyantennalabthatIknowof. ThemodulardesignoftheBuddipolesystemmeansthattheantennacanbeeasily transportedandquicklyassembledanddisassembled.Modularitybringsacoupleof differentbenefits. First,itmeansthewhentheantennaisdisassembledtheindividualpartsarelessbulky andeasytocarry.Second,partsoftheantennaareinterchangeableprovidingthe opportunitytobuildmanydifferenttypesofantennas. WhydidIspendmyhardearnedsparetimewritingthis?Well,whileChris(W6HFP)and Budd(W3FF)arespendingtheirtimedesigningandbuildingthiseverexpandinglineof antennaproducts,aswellasprovidinglegendarycustomersupport,theyhavelittletime todevotetowritingnewmaterials.Iwanttokeepthembusycomingupwithnew productsforustoplaywith,soIbelievemyinvestmentintimeiswellspent. MyintentionistoshowthattheBuddipoleismorethanasimplewellmadeantenna,it isasystemthatishighlyadaptableandcangrowasyourneedsandinterestschange. Thereareotherwellmadesinglepurposeantennasonthemarket,butnoothersthatI knowofwiththeflexibilityoftheBuddipole.Ihopethatyouhaveasmuchfunwithitas Ihave. 73, David,KI6AWR

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ABRIEFGUIDETOTHEBUDDIPOLESYSTEM................................................................................................. 1 1. THEBUDDIPOLETREASURECHEST ...................................................................................................... 3 1.1 1.2 1.2.1 1.2.2 1.3 1.3.1 1.3.2 1.3.3 1.4 1.4.1 1.5 1.5.1 1.5.2 1.6 1.6.1 1.6.2 1.6.3 1.6.4 1.6.5 1.6.6 1.6.7 1.6.8 2 VERSATEE .................................................................................................................................... 3 ANTENNAMOUNTS ..................................................................................................................... 4 MAST....................................................................................................................................... 4 BUDDIPOLETRIPOD ................................................................................................................ 4 HORIZONTALELEMENTS.............................................................................................................. 5 ANTENNAARM ....................................................................................................................... 5 TELESCOPICWHIPS ................................................................................................................. 6 SHOCKCORDWHIPS ............................................................................................................... 7 VERTICALELEMENTS ................................................................................................................... 8 VERSATEEVERTICAL................................................................................................................ 8 LOADINGCOILS............................................................................................................................ 9 STANDARDCOILS .................................................................................................................... 9 LOWBANDCOIL...................................................................................................................... 9 BEYONDTHEBASICS .................................................................................................................. 10 ROTATINGARMKIT(RAK)..................................................................................................... 10 TRIPLERATIOSWITCHBALUN(TRSB) ................................................................................... 11 WIREASSEMBLY ................................................................................................................... 12 COUNTERPOISEWIREADAPTER(CWA) ................................................................................ 12 ITADAPTER(ITA)................................................................................................................... 13 ITCOLLAR(ITC) ..................................................................................................................... 13 YAGIMASTADAPTER(YMA) ................................................................................................. 14 CAPACITYHAT....................................................................................................................... 15

COMBINATIONS.................................................................................................................................. 16 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 THEBUDDIPOLE......................................................................................................................... 16 THEBUDDIPOLEDELUXE............................................................................................................ 16 THEMINIBUDDIPOLE ................................................................................................................ 16 THEBUDDISTICK ........................................................................................................................ 16 THEBUDDISTICKDELUXEPACKAGE........................................................................................... 17 PACKAGECOMPARISON ............................................................................................................ 17

PUTTINGITALLTOGETHER ................................................................................................................ 18 3.1 3.1.1 3.1.2 3.2 3.3 3.4 BUDDIPOLEHORIZONTALDIPOLE.............................................................................................. 18 HORIZONTALDIPOLETUNING(40mto10m) ....................................................................... 18 HORIZONTALDIPOLETUNING(6mand2m)......................................................................... 19 BUDDIPOLEVERSATEEVERTICAL............................................................................................... 20 BUDDIPOLE2ELEMENTHORIZONTALYAGI............................................................................... 22 OTHERCONFIGURATIONS ......................................................................................................... 23

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1. THE BUDDIPOLE TREASURE CHEST

TheBuddipoleandBuddipoleDeluxeareacollectionofitemsfromtheBuddipole systemofpartsthatcomepackagedinahandycarryingcase.Theyincludethemajor partsneededtobuildanumberofbasictypesofantennasincludingtheclassic horizontaldipoleandtheverysimpleandusefulBuddipoleVersateevertical.Itiseasy toassumethattheBuddipolesystemissimplyahorizontaldipole,butinrealitythatis justastartingpoint.ThepiecesthatconstitutethebasicBuddipolesystemcanbeused tobuildseveraltypesofantennas,andwithafewadditionalitemsmanymorecanbe assembled.ThissectionintroducesyoutotheitemsintheBuddipoleaccessorylist, whichcanbeusedtocreatedifferentconfigurationsofantennas.

1.1 VERSATEE
TheVersateeistheheartoftheBuddipolesystem.Itisboththemechanicalsupport systemfortheantennaelementsaswellastheconnectionpointforthefeedline.

Thered,blackandblueterminalsareconnectionpointsfortheleft,rightandvertical elementswhichwewillreviewindetaillater.TheVersateeisthekeytothemodularity oftheBuddipoleantennasystem.Thereareseveraltypesofelementsandmaststhat canbeusedwiththisonecentralpiece.

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1.2 ANTENNA MOUNTS

1.2.1 MAST
Therearefourtypesofmaststhatcanbeattacheddirectlyto theVersatee. TheCenterTeeAdapter,orCTA,allowsapainterspole purchasedfromahardwarestoretobeadaptedtotheVersatee threadsize(1/2NPT). CTA The10ftand18fttelescopicmastscanbeconvenientlyused withtheBuddipoletripodtomakeaselfsupportingstructure. Therearevariousadaptersusedtothreadintothebottomof theVersatee(seeillustration).Thelatestversionsofthese adaptersaresecuredtothemastusingasidesetscrew(instead oftheoldermethodwhichusedepoxyandwhichwerenon removable). Theseneweradaptersalsohaveaninternal3/8x24threadon topwhichwillallowanITadapter(ITA)tobeconnecteddirectly tothemastwithoutusingtheYagiMastAdapter(YMA).Thisis reallyusefulifyouareconstructingaYagi.Moreonthislater. Theshockcordmasts(SCM)arealightweightalternativetothe telescopicmasts.Thesemastsareavailablein2lengths:8and 13(whenextended).TheSCMsrelyonguylinestokeepthe antennasupported. Finally,youcanevenuseUboltsthroughtheholesinthe 18ft Versateetosecureittoothertypesofmasts.Thedistance telescopic betweentheholesis1.25centertocenter.

10ft telescopic

Shock Corded mast

1.2.2 BUDDIPOLE TRIPOD

TheBuddipoletripodworkswiththeBuddipolemasts.Thelegs aretelescopicimprovingthestabilityofthetripodandadding additionalheighttothemastwhenfullyextended. Themastcanbeguyedorthetripodstabilizedbyusinganauger orweights.Ignorethisimportantpointanditwilltakeonlyone shortgusttotopplethewholeantenna,automaticallyentering youintotheBrokenWhipClub. Ver.1.1p BriefGuidetotheBuddipole AllRightsReserved2010 Page4

1.3 HORIZONTAL ELEMENTS

1.3.1 ANTENNA ARM

TheVersateeprovidestheabilitytoconstructa horizontalorverticallypolarizedantenna.Themost familiarofthoseisthehorizontaldipole. Thehorizontaldipoleiscreatedbyattachinganantenna armtoeachsideoftheVersatee.ThestandardBuddipole comeswithapairof22inchlightweightaluminumarms andapairofthestandardtelescopicwhips(66inches (1.68m)longwhenextended,12incheswhencollapsed). Theantennaarmshavethestrengthtosupportthe weightoftheloadingcoilsandthetelescopicorshock cordedwhips(includingthecapacityhats). Thesmaller11incharmsaresometimesmoreconvenient tocarryandcanbecoupledtogethertomakethe equivalentofthelonger22incharm.Thesmallerarms comestandardwiththeBuddistick(2perantenna)or MiniBuddipoleantennas(4perantenna). Bothsizesoftheantennaarmshaveamale3/8inchx24 TPIthreadedendandafemalethreadedendatthe oppositeendofthearm.

22inches

11inches

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1.3.2 TELESCOPIC WHIPS

Inadditiontothestandardlengthwhips,therearethe longtelescopicwhips,featherweighttelescopicwhips andshockcordwhips. Whysomanychoicesofwhips? Thestandardwhipsextendto66inches(1.7m)andare veryusefulonallbandsfrom40mto2m. Thelongerwhipsextendto114inches(2.9m)and becausetheyincreasethephysicalsizeoftheantennaso muchtheyreducetheamountofinductanceneededfor anygivenband.Thisincreasesbandwidthandimproves efficiency,particularlyonthelowerbands.Theyarelong enoughtomakeafullsizehorizontaldipoleforthe10m band. Theshockcordwhipsaremorerobustandquickto deploy,althoughitinvolvesaslightlydifferentapproach totuning.Theycanalsobeusedwiththecapacityhats, offeringsomeimprovementsinperformance(see1.6.8 formoredetails).Moreabouttheshockcordwhipscan befoundinsection1.3.3. Thestandardandlongtelescopicwhipsandtheshock cordwhipsareallequippedwith3/8thinch24TPI threadedbaseswhichwillattachdirectlytotheVersatee oranycoil. Thefeatherweightwhipextendsto72inches(1.8m)and hasainchx20TPIthreadedend.Thisisintendedfor homebrewapplications,andisperfectforthe HomebrewBuddipolemadefromPVCparts(see www.qsl.net/w3ffformoredetails).

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1.3.3 SHOCK CORD WHIPS

Unliketelescopicwhips,theshockcordedwhipsarenot adjustableinlength.Theyareavailable,however,in severaldifferentlengthsasshowninthetablebelow. Numberof Extendedlength Application sections 3 64inches(1.63m) HorV 4 85inches(2.16m) HorV 5 106inches(2.69m) HorV 6 127inches(3.23m) Vonly 7 148inches(3.76m) Vonly Eachsectionofthewhipisarigidhollowtube,andthe sectionsareconnectedtogetherbyaruggedelasticcord runningthroughthecenter.Eachsectiondropsintoa brassconnectoroftheadjacentsectionandlocks securelyintoplaceunderthetensionprovidedbythe internalcord.Allsizesofshockcordedwhipsare equippedwitha3/8thinchx24TPIthreadedbase. Theshockcordwhipsaremorerobustthanthetelescopic whips,andcanbeusedwiththecapacityhats,offering someimprovementsinperformance(see1.6.8capacity hats). Thesmallestshockcordwhipisthethreesectionwhip andtheextendedlengthisabout64inches.Thisisshown intheextendedformandcollapsedforminthe illustrationtotheright. Becausetheshockcordwhipsarefixedinlength,tuning mustbeaccomplishedbyusingtheloadingcoiltap positionsonly.Aseparatemanualisavailablewhich showsthecoilsettingsforthevarioushambandsbased onthenumberofsectionsoftheshockcordwhips.

Folded

Fullyextended

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1.4 VERTICAL ELEMENTS

1.4.1 VERSATEE VERTICAL

TheVersateecansupporthorizontalelements,orasingle verticalelementscreweddirectlyintothetopofthe Versatee.Thethreadonthetopinsertisthesameasall theothersontheVersateeandwillaccepttheantenna arms,whipsorloadingcoils. Attachingaquarterwavelengthofwiretotheside connectionoftheVersateeandslopingthattojustabove groundlevelcreatesatypeofverticallypolarizeddipole providinganeffectiveverticalantennawithouttheneed foramoreextensiveradialgroundsystem.Formore detailssee3.2(Versateevertical)laterinthisdocument. Anothermethodtocreateaverticalelementistousethe RotatingArmKit(RAK)inconjunctionwiththeVersatee. Thisisillustratedinthefiguretotheright. TheRAKadaptercanberotatedandlockedintofixed positionsonbothsidesoftheVersateesupportingnot onlyverticalconfigurationsbutVorsloping configurations.Formoredetailssee1.6.1laterinthis document. Anotherinterestingverticalarrangementcanbecreated forthehigherfrequencybands.ByusingaRotatingArm AdapteroneachsideoftheVersatee,twocloselyspaced verticalelementscanbesupportedformingatypeof JPole.Asanexamplethisprovidesasimpleand convenientwaytomakeanomnidirectionalantennafor 6m.

VersateewithRAK

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1.5 LOADING COILS

1.5.1 STANDARD COILS

TheBuddipoleistypicallysetupasashortenedantenna whichsimplymeansthatitsphysicallengthisshorter thanitseffectiveelectricallength.Loadingcoilsarean essentialpartofreducingthesizeofanantenna. Afullsizehorizontalhalfwavedipoleon40metersis closeto20m(65ft)wide.Theloadingcoilsenablethe antennatobealotsmallerthanthefullsizeversion makingitmorepracticaltocarryandsetup. Thestandardsetofloadingcoilsprovidedwiththe Buddipoleisdesignedtoprovideoperationonallbands from40mto10m.Bothcoilsarerequiredforahorizontal dipole,butonlyonecoilisrequiredforavertical. Adifferentamountofinductanceisrequiredforeach bandwhichrequiresadifferenttapsettingoneachcoil. Thetapsettingsdifferfrombandtobandasindicatedin theBuddipoledocumentation(see3.1.1fordetails). Thecoilsareprovidedwithcoilclipterminalswhichare securedontothecoilwindings.Thejumperwirehasa miniaturebananaplugwhichinsertsdirectlyintothecoil clipterminal.Tosimplifychangingbandsyoucanplace coilclipsondifferentplacesonthecoilandchangebands merelybymovingtheplugfromonecliptoanother.

1.5.2 LOW BAND COIL

Operatingonthelowerfrequencybandsrequiresacoil withmoreinductance.Thelowbandcoilisphysically largerthanthestandardcoilsandprovidesaboutthree timestheinductance.Ithasthesamethreadtypesoitis completelycompatiblewiththeotherBuddipole components. Thiscoilisidealforuseinmakinglowfrequencyband antennassuchasthecompact80mvertical. Ver.1.1p BriefGuidetotheBuddipole AllRightsReserved2010 Page9

1.6 BEYOND THE BASICS

1.6.1 ROTATING ARM KIT (RAK)

Elementsdonothavetobeeitherverticalorhorizontal. Therearemanyconfigurationsthathaveoffsetsor slopingelementsandthesearereadilyaccomplishedby usingtheRotatingArmKitinconjunctionwiththe Versatee.AtopviewoftheRAKadapterisshowninthe adjacentfigure. Theleft,top,andrightendsoftheVersateeadapterare designedtoworkwiththeRAK.Holesarrangedaround thecenterfixingpointallowtheRAKtobesetatanyof sixteendifferentangles. TheRAKhasa3/8thinchx24TPIthreadedfemaleend thatwillacceptanantennaarmorwhip. Thesideview(adjacent)showsthetwolockingpinsthat engagewiththematchingholesateachendofthe Versatee.TheRAKisheldinplacebythelockingknob.

TopView

SideView

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1.6.2 TRIPLE RATIO SWITCH BALUN (TRSB)

AusefuladditiontotheBuddipolesystemisavariable ratiobalun.Thistypeofbalunincreasesthelow feedpointimpedanceofanantennasothatitisabetter matchtothetransceiver.TheTRSBshouldbeconnected directlytotheVersateeusingtheadaptercablesupplied withtheTRSB. AlthoughtheTRSBisnotanessentialitem,ithasacouple ofveryimportantbenefits.Itoperatesasabalun,and alsooperatesasafeedpointimpedancetransformer. ThetruebalunactionoftheTRSBsignificantlyreduces theinteractionbetweenthecoaxandantennamaking thetuningmorepredictable. TheabilityfortheTRSBtotransformalowfeedpoint impedanceuptothe50ohmisveryimportantand particularlyusefulforasmallHFbandantennalikethe Buddipole. TheTRSBhasathreepositionswitchallowingforquick selectionbetweenimpedancetransformingof1:1,2:1or 4:1.Forexampleiftheantennaimpedanceisaround25 ohms,thiscanbeefficientlytransformedto50ohmsby usingthe2:1setting.Whenthefeedpointimpedanceis closeto50ohms,settheswitchto1:1andyouwillget thebenefitsofthebalunwithoutspoilingyouralready acceptablefeedpointimpedance. WhentheBuddipoleisusedwithoutaTRSB,theantenna issetupasanOffCenterFed(OCF)Dipolewhichraises thefeedpointimpedancetocloseto50ohms.Thisis accomplishedbyhavingdifferentcoilsettingsandwhip lengthsoneachsideoftheantenna.Whenusinga BuddipolewiththeTRSB,thisasymmetricsetupisno longerrequiredsotheleftandrighthalvesofthe antennacanbesetupidentically. TheTRSBisrequiredfortheLowBandVerticalantenna on60and80m.Informationonthissetupisavailableina separatemanualavailableontheBuddipolewebsite. Ver.1.1p BriefGuidetotheBuddipole AllRightsReserved2010

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1.6.3 WIRE ASSEMBLY

Thewireassemblyconsistsofaglassfillednylonwinder filledwith32ftofthininsulatedwireforuseasa counterpoise(seeVersateevertical3.2). ForlowbandusethereisalongwireversionoftheWA thathas66ftofwire. Inuse,oneendofthewireisattachedtotheVersatee usingtheCounterpoiseWireAdapter(seebelow).Wire isthenunwoundfromthewinderuntiltherequired lengthofwirehasbeenspooledoff.Thewireshould thenbetuckedunderoneofthewirehooks.Because wireremainingonthewinderdoesnotaffectantenna tuning,finetuningcanbeaccomplishedbypayingout additionalwireorwindingitbackontothewinder.

1.6.4 COUNTERPOISE WIRE ADAPTER (CWA)

TheCounterpoiseWireAdapterisprovidedwiththeWire Assembly.ItisscrewedintoeitherendoftheVersatee andsecurelytightenedusingthebarsectionthatis pinnedthroughthecentralthreadedpiece.The counterpoisewire(seeabove)canthenbeconnected underneaththeterminal. Thecounterpoiseisusedwhentheantennaisconfigured asaVersateevertical(seesection3.2).

Topview

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1.6.5 IT ADAPTER (ITA)

Higherperformanceantennascanbebuiltbyadding elementstoabasicdipole.TheITadapterisauseful componenttocreateaboomoraparasiticelement. TheITadapterhasa3/8thinchx24TPIfemalethreadat eachendthatwillacceptanantennaarmorwhip. TheITadaptercanbeattacheddirectlytothemast(using amastadapter),aspartofaboom,ortotheendofthe boomaspartofaparasiticelement.Takealookatthe examplelaterinthisdocument(section3.3).

TopView

SideView

1.6.6 IT COLLAR (ITC)

Anantennaarmmakesanexcellentboomforasmall Yagi.TheITcollarisusedtoclampthearminpositionso thatanelementofaYagicanberetainedataspecific anglewithoutrotatinginthewind. ThefixedpinsinthecollarlocateintotheVersateeorIT adapterandthesetscrewinthecollarclampsthecollar inplaceontheantennaarm.Thispreventstheantenna armfromunscrewingandmisaligningtheelements(the windmilleffect). TheillustrationtotherightshowstheITcollarusedto locktheboomofaYagitotheVersatee(whichisusedto supportthedrivenelements).Seesection3.3foran exampleofhowtheITcollarcanalsobeusedwiththeIT adaptertoformareflectorordirector.
ITA

ITC

Boom

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1.6.7 YAGI MAST ADAPTER (YMA)

Classicsingleelementantennassuchasthehorizontaldipole orverticalcanbeconstructedbyattachingtheVersatee directlytothetopofthemast.Theelementsarethen attachedtotheVersateecreatingahorizontalorvertically polarizedantenna. Whenconstructinganantennasuchasa2elementYagithe boomneedstobeconnectedtothemastandtheVersatee connectedattheendoftheboomtocreatethecenterofthe drivenelement.AsimplewaytoachievethisisusetheIT adapter.ThelatestmastsallowtheITconnectortoscrew directlyintothecentralholeinthetopofthemast.Earlier versionsofthemastrequiretheuseoftheYagiMastAdapter whichconvertsfromthemalethreadatthetopofthemast toafemalethreadsuitablefortheITadapter(ITA).The illustrationtotherightshowshowtheITAattachestothe YMA. IT Adapter

YagiMastAdapter

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1.6.8 CAPACITY HAT

Aloadingcoilprovidescompensationtoashortened antennasothatitcanbemadetoresonate. Anotherwaytocompensatefortheshortenedlengthofa smallantennaistoaddcapacitance. Thismeansthattheantennacanberesonatedusingcoil settingswithlessinductanceandthisprovidesafew additionalbenefits.Lowerinductancemeanslowercoil losses,anditalsoreducestheantennaQwhichincreases theusefulbandwidth.Bothofthesefactorsareespecially importantonthelowerfrequencybands. TheCapacityHatconsistsofacentralhubwhichis attachedtotheendofashockcordwhip.Fiveevenly spacedspokesfoldoutfromthecentralhubandlockin thefullyextendedposition.Aperimeterwireis permanentlyattachedprovidingadditionalcapacitance. Whenfoldeditoccupiesonly22inchesx1.5inchesandis verylightweight. Capacityhatscanbeattachedtotheendsoftheshock cordwhipsinthebothverticalandhorizontal configurations. Althoughthecapacityhatisverylightinweightitisnot advisabletouseitwithmorethanafoursectionshock cordedwhip.Togetmorelengthforaverticalantenna youshoulduseanantennaarmforthelowersectionof theantennaandaddtheshockcordedwhipabovethat.

CapacityHat TopView (Verticalantenna) EndView (HorizontalAntenna

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2 COMBINATIONS
Theindividualitemsareavailableascombinationsofitemsprovidingacomplete antennasystem.

2.1 THE BUDDIPOLE

ThebasicBuddipolekitprovidesallthecomponentsneededtoassemblealoaded horizontaldipoleoraloadedvertical(whenpurchasedwithwirecounterpoise)forall bandsfrom40mto2m.ItincludestheVersaTee,two22antennaarms,twostandard highQcoils,twostandardstainlesssteelwhips,onesetof3coilclips,anda25ftlength ofcoaxialfeedcablewithbuiltinchokebalundesignedtoplugstraightintothe Versatee.TheradioendofthecoaxisterminatedinaBNCconnectorandaBNC/PL 259adapterissuppliedsoyoucanuseeithertypeofconnector. Theantennacomesinablackpackclothbag,andisplacedwiththemanualsintoablack polypropylenecarryingcase.Totallengthofthecaseis28inches.Shippingweightisa littleover4pounds.Theonlyextrathingsthatyouwillneedareamastandawayto supportthemast.ThesecanbepurchasedseparatelyoraspartoftheBuddipoleDeluxe package(seebelow).

2.2 THE BUDDIPOLE DELUXE

TheBuddipoleDeluxePackageincludesthecontentsofthestandardBuddipoleplusthe 8ft.mast,largetripod,theRotatingArmKit(RAK),extracoilclips,andanextrastainless steelwhip.Theseareprovidedtogetherwitha24Corduradeluxebagwithcarrying strap,acopyoftheEffectiveUseofBuddipoleConfigurationsreport,andthemanual foroperation.Youcanswapouttheshortmastforthelongermast(18whenextended anditcollapsesto37)andthelongbag(40long)foranadditionalcharge(seethe dropdownboxontheBuddipoleDeluxePackagepage).

2.3 THE MINI BUDDIPOLE

Tooptimizeportabilityevenmore,theMiniBuddipoleisprovidedwithfour11antenna armsinsteadofthestandardtwo22arms.Thismakesitsmallertopack.Performance isidenticaltothestandarddipole.Thisoneispackagedinaportfoliobagwithslotsand pocketsforeachofthevariouscomponents.Youcancarryitinabriefcase.The standardtelescopicmastwillnotfitinthisbag,buttheshockcordmastwillfitin perfectly.Seehttp://www.youtube.com/buddipoleforashortvideoonthesetup.

2.4 THE BUDDISTICK

ThisisessentiallyonehalfoftheBuddipolemountedvertically.Itincludestwoblack 11antennaarms,astandardcoil,astandardstainlesssteeltelescopingwhip,twocoil clips,amountingkitwhichconsistsofamountingplate,anadapterthathas3/8by24 inchthreadsontopandaplaceforusersuppliedcoaxtothreadontoanSO239onthe Ver.1.1p BriefGuidetotheBuddipole AllRightsReserved2010 Page16

bottom.Aholeinthealuminummountingplateallowsyoutofittheplateoveraone quarterinchsizedstud(standardonallcameratripodsandaccessories).Alengthof31 feetpolycoatedwireisprovidedforasingleradialthatshouldbeelevatedfromthe feedpointandslopeddowntoaminimumoftwofeetofftheground.TheBuddistick comesinaveryclassyportfoliobagforcarrying.

2.5 THE BUDDISTICK DELUXE PACKAGE

ThesameitemsasprovidedwiththeBuddistick,butwiththreecoilclipsinsteadoftwo clips,theminitripodorportableverticalantennaclamp(yourchoice)fore.g.settingup onapicnictableorbalconyrailing,andanextratelescopicwhip.

2.6 PACKAGE COMPARISON

BecausetheitemsoftheBuddipolefamilyareinterchangeable,youcaneasilyupgrade yourBuddipolesystem.Thelistbelowshowstheitemsincludedineachofthe Buddipolepackages.
Buddistick 2 1 1 1 1 option 1 1 Buddistick Deluxe 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 Buddipole Deluxe 1 2 3 1 1 1 1 option 1 option 1 option 1 option 1 1 Buddipole Mini Buddipole 1 4 2 1 1 1 1 option 1

ITEM Versatee 11inchantennaarm 22inchantennaarm StandardWhips StandardRedCoil StandardBlackCoil Setof3coilclips+2extraknobs(BCC) Setof2coilclips 25ftportablecoaxassembly 50ftportablecoaxassembly 33ftradialwire(counterpoise) 66ftradialwire(longcounterpoise) Thermoplasticcase Carryingbag(23inch) Carryingbag(38inch) Portfoliobag 10ftMast 18ftMast BuddipoleTripod RotatingArmKit(RAK) Buddistickmountingplate Minitripodorverticalantennaclamp(choose one)

1 2 2 1 1 1 1 1

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3 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

ThequestionisoftenaskedwhattypeofantennaisaBuddipole?Thenextfew examplesillustratethatthereisnosimpleanswergivenallthedifferentpossible configurations.TheBuddipoleisasystemofpartsthatcanbeconnectedtogetherto makealargenumberofdifferentantennatypes,fromthebasicdipoletodirectional antennaswitheitherverticalorhorizontalpolarization,tootheruniquecombinations. Thethreelistedhererepresentonlyaglimpseofthemanydifferenttypesthatcanbe built.Anopportunityforanotherhowtoguideperhaps?Yes,itsintheworks!

3.1 BUDDIPOLE HORIZONTAL DIPOLE

ThisshouldperhapsbeknownastheBuddipoleClassic.Thisisthemostbasictypeof horizontalantenna,yetdespiteitssimplicityitcanbeveryeffective.

TheillustrationaboveshowsaBuddipolehorizontaldipoleforthehighfrequencybands. Thisisthestandardarrangement,althoughotherconfigurationsarealsopossible.This setupisconvenientandthecoiltapsettingsandwhiplengthsforthisstandard configurationarewelldocumentedforallbandsintheBuddipolemanual.

3.1.1 HORIZONTAL DIPOLE TUNING (40m to 10m)

Loadingcoilsareneededwheneverthephysicallengthofthedipoleislessthanonehalf ofawavelength.Changingbandsrequiresthepositionofthetapsonbothcoilstobe changedandthelengthofthewhipsmayalsoneedtobetrimmed.Settingsforthe 40mthrough10mbandsareshowninthefollowingtable.Thistableappliestothe configurationwith22incharmsconnectedtotheVersateeandthecoilsmountedtothe outerendofthearms.Thestandardwhipsareattachedtotheouterendofthecoilsas showninthefigureabove. REDCOILSIDE BLACKCOILSIDE
BAND 40m 30m 20m 17m 15m 12m 10m WHIPLENGTH TAPPOSITION (Numsections) (turnsfromwhipend) 5.56 NONE 6 23 4.5 10 5 10 6 4 6 2 5 2 WHIPLENGTH (Numsections) 55.5 55.3 6 5.3 6 6 6 TAPPOSITION (turnsfromwhipend) NONE 19 14 6 6 4 2

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OneofthecommonquestionsregardingsetupoftheBuddipoleHorizontalDipoleis whythecoilsarenotidenticalandwhythetappositionsaredifferentbetweenthetwo coils.Thisisbecauseanantennathatisphysicallysmallerthanahalfwavelengthhasa lowerfeedpointimpedancethanitsbiggerhalfwavecousin.Also,whentheheightof theantennaislessthanonequarterwavelength,theeffectsofthegroundunderthe antennamayfurtheraffectthefeedpointimpedance.Havingalowfeedpoint impedanceincreasestheSWR,butasimplewaytoresolvethisistomakethedipole asymmetrical.Thishastheeffectofelectricallymovingthefeedpointoftheantenna awayfromthecenterandsoincreasingthefeedpointimpedance.Adipolesetupthis wayisknownasanOffCenterFedDipole(OCFD). Havingmoreturnsonthecoilononesideoftheantennathantheothersidecreatesan OCFDandwhencorrectlysetgivesyouagoodSWR.Noticethatonthe40mband, neithercoilhasatapconnected,butthisdoesnotmeanthatthecoilshavethesame inductance.Whennotapsareconnectedtheinductanceoftheredcoilisabout28H andtheinductanceoftheblackcoilisabout26Hgivingustherequiredasymmetry.

3.1.2 HORIZONTAL DIPOLE TUNING (6m and 2m)

Thephysicallengthofthedipoleisthetiptotiplength,sowhenyouusethestandard whipsinconjunctionwiththe22inchantennaarmsthisisabout179inches(4.55 meters).Thisismorethanenoughtomakeafullsizehalfwavedipoleforthe6mor2m bands.Infactafullsizedipolecanbemadewithjustthewhips,notrequiringtheuseof coilsortheantennaarms.

BAND 6m 2m LEFTSIDE WHIPLENGTH (Numsections) 4.5 1section+2inches RIGHTSIDE WHIPLENGTH (Numsections) 4.5 1section+2inches

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3.2 BUDDIPOLE VERSATEE VERTICAL

TheVersateeVerticalisaverypracticalverticallypolarizedantenna.Althoughitlooksa littlelikeaquarterwavevertical,itisinfactaformofverticaldipoleindisguise.The confusingaspectoftheantennaisthattheupperandlowerpartsoftheantennadonot lookthesameandtheyarenotinline.Itisalsoconfusingbecausethelowerpartis sometimesmisrepresentedasaradial.Confusionhereisduetothefactthatsome verticalgroundplaneantennasuseradialwirestoprovideagroundsystemandthatis themorecommonuseofthewordradial. Theupperpartoftheantennalookslikethetophalfofacenterloadedhalfwave verticaldipole.Thisistheconventionalpartoftheantenna.Theuniquepartofthis configurationisthelowerpartwhichconsistsofaslopedwirewhichisonequarterofa wavelengthlong.Theslopingwire(counterpoise)canbeconvenientlyformedusingthe WireAssembly(see1.6.3). Theslopingwireisnotapartof thegroundsystem,butisa significantcontributortotheRF energyradiatedbytheantenna. Inthisconfigurationa22inch antennaarmismountedtothe topoftheVersateeandared loadingcoilmountedtotheend ofthearm.Afullyextended whipismountedtothetopof thecoil.Thecounterpoisewire (lowerradiator)isconnectedto onesideoftheVersateeusinga CounterpoiseWireAdapter (CWA).Thefeedcableis connectedtotheVersatee. Theantennaiseffectivelyahalf wavedipolewhichmeansthefeedpointimpedanceislow,andthissuitsthetransmitter well.Italsomeansthatthefarendoftheslopingwire(counterpoise)isahigh impedance.Becauseofthistheendisatahighvoltageandshouldnotbeconnectedto ground.Itisrecommendedthatitisattachedtoanonconductingpostwhichisabout2 ftinheight.Thisiscompletelycontrarytotheuseofradialswithaverticalgroundplane antenna.
B UD D IP O L E w w w . b u d dip o le . co m

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ThestandardVersateeVerticalisconfiguredasshowninthe previousfigurewitha22inchantennaarmmountedtothetop oftheVersateeandaredcoilmountedontopofthearm. Afullyextendedstandardwhipismountedtothetopofthecoil (notshowninillustration). Thecounterpoiseshouldbeapproximatelyonequarter wavelengthsoitshouldbeadjustedforeachband.Alsothe amountofinductancerequiredtotunetheupperportion changesforeachband.Approximatesettingsforbothofthese areshowninthetablebelow.
BAND 40m 30m 20m 17m 15m 12m 10m TAPPOSITION (turnsfromwhipend) 38 18 13 8 5 3 1 COUNTERPOISELENGTH (Feet/Inches) 31ft 28ft 13ft2in 10ft6in 10ft 7ft6in 7ft6in

Redcoil (counttap positionsfromthe whipend)

22inch antennaarm

Versatee

LikeanyoftheBuddipoleconfigurationsthereisroomfor experimentation.Forexamplethecoilcanbemounteddirectly totheVersateeorablackcoilcouldbeusedinplaceofthered coil.Thesealternativeswillworktoo,butthecoilsettingswillbe differentfromthoseinthetableabove. ThefiguretotherightshowsthetypicalsetupfortheVersatee Verticalusingthe25or50ftcableassemblyconnecteddirectly totheVersateeterminals(whipleftouttosimplifytheview).

Counterpoisewire attachedto Versateewith counterpoise adapter 25or50ftfeed cable (builtinchokeand minibananaplugs)

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3.3 BUDDIPOLE 2 ELEMENT HORIZONTAL YAGI

ThemodularityoftheBuddipolesystem providestheabilitytobuildmany differenttypesofantennas. Bycollectingafewmorepartsyoucan convertyourBuddipoleintoa2 elementyagi(a3elementversionis alsopossible). Threaded stu d Yagi collar IT adap ter Rigid arm Soft knob Rigid arm Thedrivenelementisahorizontalhalf wavedipole,andthereflectorisahalf waveparasiticelementcomprisedof Soft knob twotelescopicwhipsandanIT adapter. Feed cable (25 or 50ft) Theboomisformedbytwoantenna SIDE VI EW armsconnectedbyasecondIT Soft knob IT adap ter adaptertothemast.Ayagimast adapter(YMA)isrequiredtoadapt Mast adap ter Mast themasttotheITconnectorwiththe olderstylemasts,butisnotneededwith thenewversionofmast. Yagicollars(alsocalledITcollars)are Driven element Reflector usedtoclamptheelementstotheboomtopreventtheelementsfromswivelingoutof horizontalalignment. ThereisanaccessorykitavailableforthosewhoalreadyowntheBuddipoleDeluxe package.Thekitcontainsthefollowingitems: ITEM QUANTITY ITadapter(ITA) 2 ITcollar(ITC),alsoknownastheYagicollar 2 YagiMastadapter(YMA),notrequiredwithlatestmast 1 Threadedstud 1 Standard66inchTelescopicwhip(Deluxekitcontains3whips) 1 NOTE:OwnersoftheBuddipolepackagewillneedtoaddsoftknobs.TheBuddipole DeluxepackageincludestheRAKwhichcontainstwoSoftTouchknobs.
Teles copic Whip Versa Tee Teles copic Whip IT adap ter Yagi collar

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Teles copic Whip

Teles copic Whip

3.4 OTHER CONFIGURATIONS

Thethreepreviousexamplesarejustafewofthemanydifferentantennasthatcanbe madewiththeBuddipolefamilyofproducts.Buddipoleusershaveexperimentedwith manydifferenttypesofantennasrangingfromverticalarraystothreeelementYagis. ThispaperisintendedtogiveyouaviewofthedifferentBuddipoleaccessoriesthatwill allowyoutogowellbeyondthebasicdipoleorverticalconfiguration.Thereismuch moretofollow SUGGESTIONS?Pleaseemailusatinfo@buddipole.com. Pleaseseeourinstructionalvideosatwww.youtube.com/buddipole KI6AWRinananechoicchamber.Simulatestheoutdoorsbutwithouttheview! Oneofthefewplaceswhereyoucanreallyhearyourselfthink?

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