Welcome to the W3FF Home Page

This site is for those hams who are seeking a high performance homebrew antenna for hf portable use.   Because I wanted to take my radio with me and communicate on HF, I designed a portable dipole antenna out of easily-found and low-cost materials. The Buddipole is the result of those efforts.   This is a lightweight, modular, and rotatable dipole (a great benefit, by the way) and is very efficient on the higher bands.  See the links below for information on how to build this popular antenna.

The original antenna design is still solid. But there were problems with the PVC plastic pipe.  It sags. The connectors become loose. The Radio Shack whips are flimsy, and they bend easily.   So, the homebrew Buddipole project took on another level of sophistication.  The result is a commercial antenna with the same name.  You can find it here:   www.buddipole.com. 

New materials were chosen:  Polypropylene,  6061 aircraft aluminum, and Delrin.   One set of higher-Q coils to work all the bands of the original version, plus 30m and 40m.  Parts are custom-machined and we had new custom stainless steel whips manufactured to our specifications. We use stretch Velcro as a strain relief for the new coax rf bead assembly, and the assembly is encased in an adhesive shrinkwrap.  Even the brass studs are drilled out to lighten them without sacrificing durability.  We have a Delrin adaptor that takes painter’s pole threads (Acme) to pipe threads that fit right into the new  T’s on the commercial product.

And now, we have the B.U.G. -- A Buddipole User’s Group.  You can sign up for this Yahoo Group on this page.  A truly great resource to share many of the ideas, experiences, and suggestions for both the homebrew and commercial Buddipole.

Build the homebrew version on this site.  Modify it.  Tell us what you have worked with it on the air.   We are always thrilled to hear from folks who build the antenna and who are active on the air with it!  And consider upgrading to the commercial version, with the Rotatable Arms, that gives you a choice of six different configurations to play with.

Have fun and 73,

W3FF - Budd