BAY AREA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

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THE ST. LOUIS VERTICAL
By Dave Gauding, NF0R




The St. Louis Vertical (SLV) offers portable enthusiasts an easy-to-build,

MATERIALS

20' Collapsible Fiberglass fishing Pole
SouthBend Model SD-20

12" of 1/25" Hardwood Dowel

10" Heavy duty Gutter Spike

Vinyl Plastic Electrical Tape

5 Small Alligator Clips

1 Small Solder Lug

1 Small Hollow rubber Ball

1 Medium Fishing Swivel

12" Light Monofilament Fishing Line

10" #8 Bare Copper Wire

300 ohm In-line Plug and Socket Set
(RS15-1198)

130' of 300 Ohm Twinlead (RS 15-004)

The St. Louis Vertical (SLV) offers portable enthusiasts an easy-to-build, easy-to-use antenna which:

  • Covers 10-40M via a balanced line tuner
    (Lots of Bands for the Bucks)

  • Installs independently of external supports
    (Trees are not required)

  • Is inexpensive
    (About $40)

  • Is lightweight
    (45 oz. for antenna, mount and radials)

  • Is really portable
    (Car, canoe, backpack, bike, etc.)

  • Installs pronto

How It Works

About 51' of twinlead is coiled on the 4' bottom section of a 20" collapsible fiberglass fishing pole. An additional 16' of twinlead in the clear serves as a vertical radiator. See Figure 1.

The pole is socketed on a wooden hardwood dowel tipped with a pointed spike. It can be pressed into firm ground by hand in practically any location. Due to the light weight construction and minimal sail area the installed antenna is very stable.

Shortened twinlead radials are used in this design. The smaller footprint can be helpful at some locations. Three radials work okay for casual operations. The number of radials can be increased or otherwise modified to meet builder preferences. See Figure 2.   SEE  PAGE 5