Q I live on the top floor of an apartment building. We have a small balcony, but I can’t hang wire antennas for HF because they’ll droop onto the balconies below. I also need an antenna that I can remove quickly. Can you help?
A You actually have more options available than you think. You could try a compact tuned loop antenna such as those sold by MFJ. Other extremely compact antennas such as the Bilal Isotrons (http://www.rayfield.net/isotron) may help. You might also try using a lightweight mobile antenna such as a Hamstick. You could mount the Hamstick on the balcony railing, for example, and attach a counterpoise wire to the ground side of the antenna mount. (The counterpoise wire should be 1/4 wavelength for the desired band.) Just route the counterpoise wire along the floor of the balcony. Be sure to stay away from the ends of these counterpoise radials, where high RF voltages can exist even at modest transmitter power levels.
All of these antenna options are, of course, compromises. They sacrifice efficiency to save space. Don’t expect any of them to outperform even a full-sized dipole mounted high in the clear, but they will get you on the air and provide many enjoyable contacts.
From QST November 2000
