VK2CBD

My HF setup is very basic. I have an IC706MkIIG with a 500Hz CW filter fitted as the only option. I don't use an amplifier. I have been making an effort to improve my CW.

I have two HF antennas. The first is a 20m 2 element yagi. I designed this yagi (used Eznec+ V5) and used loading coils in both the reflector and driven elements to make it small enough to fit in our yard. This means it is a bit of a compromise, but from what I've read no overly so. It certainly works well and has the expected F/B performance. The 20m yagi is on a simple wind up mast, which can be extended from 6m to 10m.

The second antenna is a trapped dipole for 80m and 40m. The traps were made from 90mm PVC pipe and RG58 coax. This antenna works as expected though the bandwidth is quite narrow on both bands and a tuner is needed to deal with the rising VSWR away from the design frequency. The antenna is setup as an inverted V, about 6m AGL in the centre and 3m at the ends.