Ham Radio Attic Antenna Safety

The mfj 931 could potentially be used a tuned counterpoise for your attic shortwave antenna.

Ham radio attic antenna safety.

The kb9vbr 2 meter j pole antenna is 69 inches tall overall. Years ago back in high school i had a slinky dipole in my parents attic. Attic antennas can work better than you might think some of mine work as well as their outside counterparts no i m not comparing to a 150ft tower big yagis. The only concern with attic mounted antennas is the space available to you for mounting.

Slinkys are made from spring steel very far from being a good antenna material. Once all the yagis were bolted in place on the mast i used my antenna analyzer to adjust their driven elements to provide the best match in the weak signal portions of each band. The rf losses are fairly low in wood and most roofing at hf vhf most of problem comes from interaction with electrical wiring and ductwork. Other pertinate information and articles from using diodes and resistors to control current and useable information about antennas are listed there.

Attic antennas can be significantly affected by attic wiring and hvac ducting. Also the height of attic antennas is usually lower than. It is theoretically possible to create a fire in the attic from your ham radio antenna but the conditions required for that to work require purpose and luck making this not a realistic concern for the typical attic farmer. Even if it is mostly used by ham radio operators to solve problems while transmitting the mfj 931 should also work for a receive only purpose.

You will need a peak in your attic that is tall enough for the antenna to fit. Before i take the leap particularly into hf i need to learn more about antennas in the house. Consult any ham radio operator about h f. Other than the safety rfi issues discussed here the other important point to remember is that an attic antenna particularly for hf is not in the clear like an outside antenna.

If the top of the antenna touches the walls or roof the performance may be affected slightly. You would have to do something stupid to set the attic on fire with a ham radio antenna. Safety of indoor antennas. First is safety with less than 100 watts what do i need to know about health and fire hazard.

Falling through the roof is a much more likely scenario. Have 2 story home with ample attic above for antenna or can put antenna against house and not extending above roof. Consult any arrl handbook for faqs about antennas. Remote rf switch control box in the shack chooses which antenna is operational in the attic.