Dipole Antenna Calculator

The measurements below are for building a simple Dipole Antenna. The Wire Size can range from 16 AWG to 12 AWG. The larger the wire, the wider the bandwidth. The antenna is designed to be fed with 50 or 75 Ohm Coax Cable of most any length with a Balun. Place a 1:1 Balun on the Antenna end of the Feedline. The Balun matches the Balanced Antenna into the Unbalanced Coax Cable. The balun will keep stray antenna currents off of the Feedline and help to keep stray RF out of the Radio Shack. If a Ferrite Balun is used, the balun needs to be rated at least twice the operating wattage to prevent the balun from overheating. This will help mitigate mismatches and stray RF due to using the antenna at frequencies other than what the antenna was specifically designed for.

Please note: The calculations are approximate, so some final length adjustment may be necessary. Dimensions will change slightly due to antenna height and ground conductivity variations...and Keep The Antenna Away From Power Lines. They are good at turning you into "The Squirrel in the Substation".

Antenna Diagram