I’ve purchased my first HF rig, a Yaesu FT-DX10. My current intentions are to try voice (SSB) and to learn CW. I’m in an HOA situation, so at the moment, an attic antenna seems reasonable. Are any of the Chameleon antennas a good choice? I already have 2m/70cm antennas in the attic and there are no metal issues other than typical HVAC ducting. It gets pretty hot up there in Florida, so something that would install easily would be a plus.
@Forrest_Joyner
Yes the chameleon antennas are an excellent choice. Note that while the Chameleon Antennas Hybrid Mini 30ft HF Wire Antenna is perfect for your needs, it is only recommended for 40 watts cw or digital modes, and 100 watts for ssb. The Chameleon Antennas CHA LEFS 8010 Endfed 8-Band Wire Antenna is rated at 250 watts for cw and 150 watts for digital, but is 63 feet long.
The Radiowavz Radiowavz DX 40 Meter OCF Antenna with 1:4 Current Balun Pro Line 66ft 1500w SSB, 200w CW is great but 66 feet long. The Palomar is an excellent antenna and on sale Palomar Engineers 40-6m 500w OCF Dipole Antenna - PAL-OCF4010-500…and is also 66 feet. Note that these are higher powered antennas, but necessary for long duty cycle work in cw and FT-8. A slightly inverted v style may work well in your attic for a little longer lengtnh.
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Thanks for the reply. I’ll look at the antennas you mentioned. It’s unlikely that I’ll ever exceed the 100W capability of the transceiver itself (SSB), so I should be fine with the lower power-rated antenna. I haven’t measured what kind of room I have in the attic, but 30’ should be easy while 63’ would require some measuring. I’m not up to building my own yet and have really no background in antenna theory/design, so sticking with a plug and play antenna makes sense for me as of now. Definitely leaning toward the Hybrid Mini and it’s looking better all the time.