Getting on HF: The Fiddle Factor

Posted on by — 9 Comments ↓

We’ve had a steady stream of new licensees come into our radio club driven mostly by our highly-successful Technician license class. Many of these licensees have gone on to get their General license so they can have fun on the HF bands. I’ve given advice and aid to a variety of people as they get their HF station set up and I’ve come to appreciate that for Average Joe Ham this is a big step. I’ve also noted some recurring problems that get in the way of success on the HF bands, which I’d like to explore here. Recently, I asked my twitter followers for input and got some great ideas from them, too. Thanks!

A basic wire antenna for the high frequency (HF) bands.

Here’s what I came up with as the four main barriers to success on HF.

Antenna restrictions

The first barrier that pops up are antenna restrictions which can come in the form of zoning regulations, protective covenants (homeowners associations), spouse’s opinion, potential objections from neighbors and your own sense of aesthetics.  Any of these can limit the type and size of antennas you can or will install. More to the point, this can be a showstopper for some folks. They may decide that they simply can’t have an HF antenna on their property.

Of course, HF antennas tend to be large due to the longer wavelengths used (compared to simple VHF antennas). But there are some compact antenna designs that use magnetic loops, loading coils, etc.

RFI

The second issue that often pops up is radio frequency interference (RFI) from sources such as power lines and consumer devices. These issues can be very frustrating because you have to do two things: identify the source of the noise and eliminate it. If the problem is power line noise, your local utility is supposed to be capable of finding and correcting the problem. Some are better than others. Consumer devices are a huge problem due to the common use of high-speed digital circuits. If the interfering device is in your home, that makes it a bit easier to deal with…if it’s somewhere in the neighborhood, then its harder to diagnose and fix.

My twitter followers mentioned that solar electric systems often radiate RF energy (and they are a growing trend). Here in Colorado, we are seeing more problems with cannabis grow operations that use RF-ugly industrial grow lights.  But Part 15 consumer electronics are a big and growing problem…too often they are little RFI generators.

Cost

I hesitate to add cost to the list but I do think it’s a factor. A starter HF station costs something like this (your mileage may vary): $750 for a new transceiver (think Yaesu FT-450 class), $100 for a power supply, $100 for wire antenna (homebrew) and coax => ~$1000.  Yes, you can buy used gear and get this cost down…maybe to half ($500)?

Comparing this to a Baofeng HT purchase ($30), it is a lot more money. However, it is on the same level as other significant consumer electronics purchases such as a high end smartphone or mid-range notebook PC. As someone correctly pointed out to me, the utility of a notebook PC is very clear…you will get value out of it…but success with HF is still a gamble. What if you spend $1k on an HF station and never have any success with it?

Fiddle Factor

But I think there is another principle in play here, which I’ll call the Fiddle Factor. Actually this is the interaction of multiple issues.
Let’s start with a close to ideal situation for a first HF station: a simple antenna (perhaps a dipole) strung across a large lot (no space restrictions) with plenty of ways to hang the antenna (let’s assume there are plenty of trees). Oh, and no antenna restrictions.
This is an attractive antenna situation, but you’ll still have to mess around with getting the antenna hoisted, coaxial cable run, SWR checked and the antenna needs to be trimmed. This is one level of Fiddle Factor, call it F.
Now let’s say the lot is not that big and there are only a few supports available to hang the antenna. Now you need to fiddle with the antenna design to perhaps shorten it and compromise how it is being hung. So we have an additional fiddle factor which results in an F2 (or F squared) situation.
Now suppose we decide to use a more finicky antenna design…perhaps a magnetic loop or a multiband dipole. (A magnetic is inherently narrowband, so you have to tune it for the specific operating frequency. A multiband dipole will need to be tuned for each band of operation and they usually interact.) This adds another fiddle factor bring us to an F3 level challenge. Next we consult our homeowners association rules and find out that there are physical restrictions on how we can mount an antenna…and they might be vague and arbitrary. This gets us into F4 territory.
OK, you probably get the idea. My point is that these challenges multiply and interact as you try and figure out an antenna solution. Now you could argue that a VHF installation has similar challenges but I think simple VHF stations inherently have a lower Fiddle Factor. More specifically, a basic 2m/70cm vertical antenna can be small and easy to install without a lot of tuning required.
Now put yourself in the position of a radio ham getting on HF the first time. These issues, especially the fiddle factor, can really get in the way of successful radio operating. In my next post, I’ll look at some ways of dealing with these issues.
73 Bob K0NR

9 Replies to “Getting on HF: The Fiddle Factor”

  1. Bob, I was concerned and interested enough in this very topic that I wrote and published a book on the subject called “Get on the Air…Now!” I did informal research for several years, talking with folks who either got a license and never got on the air, got a ticket and bought an HT or other 2-meter radio but never advanced to HF, or who did get a General license, did get on HF, but still dropped out soon and became inactive. Of course, not everybody is going to take to the hobby as you and I have, but I found five primary perceived obstacles kept popping up most often among those who did not dive deeper into ham radio.

    Antenna worries, how to build a station (including cost), what to talk about on the air without being chastised, what all could they actually do with a simple station and no experience, and the jargon were the things that kept popping up. Antenna worries were probably most often mentioned.

    We assume soldering together a dipole is a natural and easy thing to do. Not to many folks who have no idea what a “dipole” is, how to solder, how to choose a feed line, how to run it, how to keep RF out of the shack, or if the darn thing will even work. I deal with that subject at length in my book, including reproducing an article I wrote for eHam.net titled “N4KC’s Top Five Get-on-the-Air-Quick Antennas.” It remains quite popular. Go to http://www.eham.net, click on “Articles,” and search for N4KC and you’ll see the article listed. Or go to n4kc.com, click on “Articles,” and it is the last one listed…in an easily printable form.

    I firmly believe if we can get newcomers to try more of the hobby than just a Chinese HT on a repeater, we will convert far more of them to the path of righteousness. And allow them to enjoy this hobby as much as you and I (for more than 55 years!) have.

    73,

    Don N4KC
    http://www.n4kc.com
    http://www.donkeith.com

    Reply ↓

    • Don,
      Thanks for the comments and the pointer to your article. I will take a look at it.
      I do know a number of hams that are happy hanging out on FM VHF, as it meets their needs. Nothing wrong with that.
      Lately, I’ve been encountering folks that upgrade to General and want to try HF operating but get stuck somewhere along the way.
      It’s actually not that difficult to pass the General exam but actually using the privileges is another story.

      73 Bob

      Reply ↓

      • We can all write about this stuff until the cows come home, but the people that really need help getting on the air need personal assistance, not another article. Articles and books are all well and good, but some face to face mentoring to get newbies over the hump is worth more than a half dozen books. That’s why I’m always happy to help those that show a true interest in learning about this stuff (rather than having me just do stuff for them). Usually, it doesn’t take all that much to get these guys over the hump, to the point where they can really start doing stuff for themselves.

  2. Important points, tahnks for raising this, it is something I am trying to get club members to understand as we watch new hams drop out.

    Never thought of “antenna restrictions” as referring to spouse, but yes, you are spot on.

    Antennas – there are *way* more fiddle factors and you are right that they are exponential. “Trim the antenna” – whoa, “What exactly does that mean?” And throw in some more money for a meter, or the complications of borrowing, let alone the learning curve. Frankly I have yet to see a really clear explanation. And very, very few antenna books include velocity factor in sizing. And on. Mounting support points. Which coax? Which connectors? Need a balun? (Endless arguments on that one – another fiddle! Yikes, start with *which antenna* and all the arguments! Ha!

    Reply ↓

    • The whole antenna topic is good news and bad news. The good news is that there are so many different types of antennas to choose from, you can keep experimenting forever. The bad news is it can be difficult to get your first one on the air.

      Reply ↓

  3. You can get on hf for $500 give or take. Used Transceiver such as Kenwood 520 $300 range. Antenna with coax $50 if you build it your self. Antenna tuner $100. By new radio for $1000 to $1500 . Cheaper than golf.

    Reply ↓

  4. Hi
    I am a new Amateur Radio operator ,first licensed in March 2017 as a Technician. Having been a SWL for about 20 years and previously trying to get a Novice ticket back in the mid 90’s I was used to building antenna and things like that.
    I see a lot of people give up because it’s the work that takes a lot of energy and time to get a station up and running. It’s easier for them to get on VHF with a local repeater and talk on that all day than it is to string up wire for a hf rig and wonder if someone will answer. In the day of instant gratification,if a CQ isn’t answered within 2 minutes it’s time to shut the station down because that far off station didn’t hear me.
    I have progressed from Technician to Extra within the first year and it’s been a blast being on HF. I have found new modes beside just phone such at RTTY and FT8. My next step is to relearn my CW. At 85 countries worked and counting ,I’m not giving up.

    Reply ↓

  5. I think cost is significantly less of a barrier than it used to be.

    If you look at what radios cost in the 50’s, 60’s, or 70’s, and inflation adjust those figures forward to today, then the equipment today looks like a steal by comparison.

    One of my favorite amateur radio books is W1FB’s ‘Help for New Hams’. It can still be found in second hand form from various outlets.

    In the “olde days”, many entered the hobby via shortwave listening (self included), so we were somewhat familiar with HF propagation, and HF was our primary interest in entering the hobby.

    73
    Scott W5ESE

    Reply ↓

  6. Pingback: Getting On HF: Some Remedies - The KØNR Radio Site

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.