POTA® Operating Insights: Building an Inexpensive & Effective Dipole to Activate a Park

DX Engineering has an easy-to-build kit that fits the bill for all operators and makes a great project for your club.

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My original premise for this article was simple—build an inexpensive dipole antenna suitable for a first-time activator. But as I started writing, I found more advantages for this antenna that can benefit any ham:

Besides being inexpensive to build, the antenna is lightweight enough that you can toss it into a go-bag or backpack. This makes it a solid choice for those times when you want to get on the air quickly from some out-of-the-way location (i.e., POTA, SOTA, camping, etc.).
You can build and tune this antenna in a single afternoon using simple tools. I used a soldering iron and a pair of wire cutters. While it’s not required, an SWR analyzer does speed up the tuning process.
You can easily deploy it by tossing a line over a convenient tree branch. It can also be hoisted up a telescopic mast.

When I think of an easy antenna for portable ops, the 1/2-wave dipole is usually the first one that comes to mind. For this project, we’ll use the Single-Band Low-Power Dipole Kit (DXE-DWK) from DX Engineering. It’s priced very affordably—all you add is the wire, some rope, and your feedline.

DX Engineering Wire Antenna Kit Components — The DX Engineering Single-Band Low-Power Dipole Kit can be purchased as a single or in packs of 10 or 25. (Image/DX Engineering)

The kit includes a center insulator which doubles as a winder. There’s also a pair of end insulators. The parts are made from PC board material. There’s lots of useful information silkscreened on them to help you build and tune your antenna.

man overseeing wire antenna kit assembly — This dipole makes a great club project. (Image/WG8X)

I cut my wire according to the chart printed on the center insulator, adding about six inches to allow for tuning. Any extra wire can be doubled back on itself and secured with a zip tie or tape.

The center insulator has connection points that will accommodate any wire up to 14 gauge. I tried both 14-gauge high-visibility and 18-gauge silicone wire. I much prefer the 18 gauge as it’s easier to work with, winds up well for storage, and doesn’t tangle as easily as other types of wire I’ve used.

This antenna is a pretty easy build. In fact, the hardest part (if you could call it that) of this kit is soldering the BNC connector onto the center insulator board.

ham radio operators soldering wire antenna kits together — This dipole kit is simple to build, making it a perfect first antenna for a POTA activator. (Image/WG8X)

In keeping with the portable and low-power premise of this antenna, I fed it using a 50-foot length of Hi-Viz RG-174 Coaxial Cable from DX Engineering (DXE-174VDB050) with BNC connectors attached. It winds well and stows easily. Plus, the increased loss over my usual RG-8X was not noticeable.

orange hi-vis coax with BNC connectors — The 50-foot RG-174 cable worked well in field tests. (Image/DX Engineering)

Remember that this is a low-power antenna. I’ve no doubt that this antenna would work well up to 100 watts CW. I cannot recommend going much above that, though. My experience has been that 30 watts is more than sufficient in the field.

Here in Ohio, most park personnel do not get upset if we hang the center of our antennas over a convenient branch. An arborist weight tied to a piece of paracord and a few moments of practice are usually all you need to get your support line over a limb.

portable ham radio station on snow covered park activation — Here is a simple POTA station setup for testing the simple dipole. (Image/WG8X)

small wire antenna mount on workbench — The center insulator ready for field testing. (Image/WG8X)

The dipole ends can be secured to a pair of trees. If that isn’t practical, try a four-foot step-in fence post. These are commonly used on farms to secure electric fences. They’re really affordable too; you can pick them up at your local farm supply store.