Okay you are a Ham Radio Operator and you want to put up a antenna that does not cost a fortune, but does an excellent job at getting the signal out. That can be one of the toughest things we Ham Radio Operators go through. I myself have been down this road many times. First I do not have tons of money to spend on a big monster ham antenna. Second I do not have large amount of space to put up a huge monster beam antenna on.

  Okay so what are we budget minded ham radio operators supposed to do ? If you happen to any tall trees in your yard, you could string up a good dipole ham radio antenna. If you don't have the tall trees to work with, then I would suggest a tall telescoping mast. This type of telescoping mast can be either made of metal or it can be made of fiberglass. The fiberglass types of telescoping mast can be easily put up and easily taken down.

  The next question is whether to go with a multiband diople antenna, off center fed wire antenna or maybe an end fed ham antenna. Mfj has quite a few awesome deals on various kinds of wire dipole antennas that can cover a very good amount of the ham radio bands. Generally they are not going to cost you thousands of dollars.

   The next choice you are going to need to make is should I buy the dipole antenna or should I make the ham radio antenna myself. If you are the outgoing type of ham radio operator, then you will build the ham radio antenna yourself. Many hams improvise on what items to use to build the dipole antenna. My best advise is to purchase the proper type of wire for the ham radio antenna. You can use items like pvc pipe and pulleys from stores like Lowes or Home Depot.

  Just remember the most important thing is to stay safe. Never put up an antenna close to a power line or you could be the next silent key.