Read the Latest News from KJ6ER Antennas
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| The KJ6ER PERformer Antenna is now Published in the ARRL™ September QST Issue |
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| Dear Fellow Portable Antenna Geeks 😀
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| I am very proud to announce that the award-winning KJ6ER PERformer Antenna is now featured and published in the ARRL™ QST September 2025 issue! If you have a subscription, take a moment to read it in either the digital or hard copy edition. As I shared previously, QST announced in their June issue that the PERformer antenna won second place in their 2024 Antenna Design Competition in the 80 through 10 meters category. Quite frankly, I was both pleasantly surprised and honored to have won an award in this prestigious worldwide competition. Beginning on page 30, the QST article spans 5 full pages of written descriptions, colorful illustrations and build instructions for the PERformer antenna. It also features a photo on the first page of the antenna deployed in my antenna proving ground - my humble backyard in Northern California! There is also supplemental technical content that can be found in the QST-In-Depth page online featuring computer model data, radiation patterns and SWR measurements taken in the field during POTA. |
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| Incidentally, if you are an ARRL™ member and would like to encourage QST to publish more how-to content like the PERformer antenna, cast your positive support for the article by voting in their QST Cover Plaque Award. Every month, QST asks its subscribers to vote for their favorite article in the issue which helps their authors, but also guides their editorial directions. Thanks so much! |
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| What's Coming - As the 11-year solar cycle winds down over the next few years, be prepared to combat it with more radiated power in the field. In September, I will be sharing a new free PDF with detailed plans for a 2-element Parasitic PERformerArray! This array will require two PERformer antennas spaced a quarter wavelength apart, both with elevated radials at 180 degrees. Only one PERformer antenna will be fed by coax, while the other longer PERformer will act as a parasitic reflector behind it. The Parasitic PERformerArray features a unidirectional cardioid radiation pattern (shown at right) that generates +2.9 dB gain over a single PERformer with 8.2 dB front-to-back! I have already used this array at several POTA activations recently and was amazed by its performance! From California, I was receiving S8-S9 signal reports from hunters on the eastern seaboard!
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| Very soon after I release that PDF, I will be sharing another free PDF for the 2-element Phased PERformerArray that will also require two PERformer antennas but as a phased array, where both identical antennas will be fed by coax and will include a specific phasing delay line to one of the antennas. By delaying the RF energy to one of the antennas, you will be able to control the unidirectional or bidirectional radiation pattern of the array to focus and increase your signal. The Phased PERformerArray will feature even more gain and front-to-back than the parasitic! Stay tuned for the plans and even more geeky antenna fun coming soon! |
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| By the way, if you do not have the time or energy to build a second (or first) PERformer antenna, you can buy one already assembled from J-Systems on Etsy for only $199 with coupon code SUMMER20. This PERformer is crafted with high quality components that have been carefully selected and assembled by hand in the United States. Bob Johanson W9LDN, the owner of the technology manufacturing firm, J-Systems based near Chicago, has already sold over a dozen of these assembled PERformer antennas and his initial reviews have come in with perfect 5-star ratings from buyers! By popular demand, he is also selling separate PERformer 3-band and 6-band assembled radial sets featuring a unique quick connector design that is much stronger than typical spade or bullet connectors. He sent me a sample and I was very impressed with their excellent quality! |
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| Until next time, keep having fun out there! Building ham radio antennas is our last homebrewing frontier in our amazing hobby and I am dedicated to helping encourage hams do more of this. My mission is to design efficient and effective portable antennas for the every-ham emphasizing high performance, design elegance and easy convenience. See all my free antenna design plans at the cloud links below. If someone forwarded this email to you and want to be added to my antenna geeks email list, send me a message and you will be the first to receive new KJ6ER antenna updates as they are developed! As always, feel free to reach out to me if you ever have any questions, I'd be happy to help! 🙂 73 KJ6ER, Silicon Valley |
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| Copyright © 2025 by Greg Mihran, KJ6ER |
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