Home Station Antennas

If you are able to mount an antenna on the roof of your home, that is the best solution. Mount it high enough that the antenna is above the rooftops of local buildings and any other nearby obstructions (especially metal ones). Caution: Never mount or work on a rooftop antenna by yourself; always have a “buddy” with you for safety. If you are not comfortable working on your roof, consider hiring a professional installer.

If you can mount a rooftop antenna above local rooftops, it doesn’t matter much what type of antenna you use. It should be omnidirectional, but even a zero-gain antenna will provide good coverage. One common option is the DBJ-1* from Ed’s Antennas, a local (Sunnyvale) ham. It is basically a J-pole antenna sealed in a PVC tube for rigidity.

Roof mount home antennas generally use the same feedlines as field stations. They need proper attention to grounding and lightning protection.

If you can’t mount an antenna on your home’s roof, but you can erect one in the yard, that is the next best option, because it can still let you get the antenna above local rooftops. You are basically mounting a field antenna in the yard, so follow the guidance on the Field Station Antenna page. But since this will be a quasi-permanent installation, take special care with safety issues including sufficient weight for wind resistance, cable routing to avoid trip hazards, etc. And since it will be an unattended installation, take special care with grounding and lightning protection.

If you’re in an apartment or condominium and can’t put an antenna on the roof or in the yard, you’ll have to put it in your unit. Your coverage will suffer, but more importantly, RF safety becomes a significant concern, not just for your family but for occupants of adjoining units. Make sure to do a thorough RF safety analysis. Mount the antenna as far as you can from where people usually go, and keep your power level low enough to avoid any harm.

An outside location is preferable, such as a magmount attached to a balcony railing or a roll-up J-pole taped to the wall outside a window. Failing that, a roll-up J-pole taped to the inside of an exterior wall is probably your best option. Since the building will absorb RF, prefer mounting the antenna on the side of the building closest to whatever repeater is most important for you.

* Manufacturer, product, and vendor names and images on this page are given as examples and are not endorsed by SCCo ARES/RACES.