CQ 270 CW SSB Gang! - Cool Kids Sip from the Hour Glass?

DL3TU · 4 April 2026 20:43

Today I participated in the DARC VHF Spring Contest from DM/BW-089, one of my local summits. Again I brought my hourglass antenna along but this time I wanted to try mounting it on a 10-meter squid pole instead of my usual 6-meter pole. Foolishly, I hadn’t bothered to try assembling it at home, so I didn’t realize that the holes didn’t line up until I was up the mountain. To make things worse, it was pretty windy, and the antenna kept twisting around immediately. I could only achieve a straight alignment using cable ties and a large amount of tape. The whole endeavor was somewhat pointless, because due to the strong wind, I couldn’t use the full 10 meters as planned, and had to settle for about 7–8 meters.

Conditions were average overall. There were plenty of contacts between 100 and 300 km, plus two QSOs over 300 km and two over 400 km.

Equipment was again the old FT-290R and a small PA with about 10 dB gain.
One highlight was a QSO I made using my Belcom LS-202E, which covers 144 SSB with PLL and VXO. Maximum output power is around 3 W. I honestly wasn’t sure if the transmit and receive frequencies were still properly aligned, but to my relief the Tx frequency was only slightly off.

Even though the weather wasn’t particularly warm, it was a lot of fun again
73, Roman

EI3LH · 4 April 2026 20:52

Like sands from the hourglass… these, are the VHF days of our lives!

There is a VHF/UHF Counties Contest on across all of EI on Easter Monday (GI and everywhere rlse is welcome to join in, check the IRTS.ie information pages). Absolutely gutted I can’t take part now. Doing a SOTA and POTA double tomorrow instead.

That being said, we have a VHF/UHF field day in EI in September so plenty of time to make that hourglass and hoover up those QSO’s!

That Belcom looks amazing. I love it. Looks a little like my FT-202R. It has a limited crystal set in it but I can slip it a little tickle from a linear to pep it up!

VK3ZPF · 5 April 2026 23:36

Sunday 5 April 20026 with Manuel @EA2DT we activated VK3/VN-016 Mt Alexander. While Manuel focused on HF, I tried out my repaired hourglass antenna.

Mt Alexander is 751 m ASL, located in Central Victoria. The line-of-site path to the capital city, Melbourne, is obstructed by the Macedon Ranges that peaks at 1005m ASL at VK3/VC-040 Camels Hump. This makes for trying conditions on VHF.
Using the hourglass antenna, on a 6m pole fastened to a tree stump, I was able to make four 2m SSB QSOs, ranging between 78 and 161 km, including one S2S with @VK3YY at VK3/VC-031 Arthurs Seat. I did resort to the 5 element Yagi for one QSO as it seems to have slightly more gain than the hourglass. This may be due to less feeder loss as the Yagi is fed with RG213, while the hourglass uses RG223.

After VK3/VN-016 we moved to VK3/VN-023 Mt Tarrengower. This hill, at 565m ASL is lower than Mt Alexander but is further west and suffers less from obstruction by the Macedon Ranges.
Again Manuel @EA2DT focused on HF, making more than 110 QSOs, while I again tried 2m SSB with the hourglass antenna on a 6m pole strapped to a log.
From Mt Tarrengower I was able to make 7 QSOs on 2m SSB between 66 and 258 km.

EI3LH · 6 April 2026 05:48

The ARRL article says “the antenna is
bidirectional. It can be made unidirec-
tional by adding a 5% longer second
loop behind it, as in a quad antenna,
or by placing it in front of a flat con-
ductive screen. Either option will add
about 3 dB more gain by eliminating
the signal off the back. It will also
narrow the beam off the front some-
what. The feed-point impedance will
change a bit, but this is not too
difficult to compensate for.”

Could be worth a shot?

I think you should build Manuel one as a present! Your hourglass is a lil ripper!

The IRTS news yesterday mentioned that VHF/UHF conditions may be quite good tomorrow (Tuesday) - I assume for the immediate EI area - but could be worth a look if prop in VK looks a bit juicy!?

VK3ZPF · 6 April 2026 20:30

This seems like a good idea but the physical requirements to do this and keep the antenna lightweight for carrying to the summit present another set of challenges.

One thing I like about the pattern of the antenna is when calling CQ is the replies can generally be heard regardless of the direction they come from. By narrowing the beamwidth, it narrows the capture area and QSOs can be missed if they come from a direction that is in a null.

WB6BYU · 6 April 2026 21:52

Yes, that is the traditional thinking.

In practice, quads (as well as yagis) are more complex.

I tried modeling that, and, with a spacing of 0.5m, the reflector had the same dimensions as the original driven element, and the minimum SWR shifted down to 143 MHz, which required shortening the original element, changing the ratio of height to width slightly to maintain the 50 ohm feedpoint impedance, depending on the spacing of the reflector and other factors. Your mileage may vary.

It can be made to work, but:

VK3ZPF:

This seems like a good idea but the physical requirements to do this and keep the antenna lightweight for carrying to the summit present another set of challenges.

A 5-element yagi on a 1.5m boom would have about the same gain and may be more practical, as it can be used with a shorter mast if needed, and can be aimed more easily by hand in the desired direction(s) to peak the signal from a particular station.

Mechanically it may be simpler to just add a dipole reflector behind each of the horizontal elements, (similar to the DK7YB “Quadlongs”) rather than another folded element.

(I certainly wouldn’t plan to haul a suitably-sized screen reflector for it up to a summit, but one could try the idea if there was a building or tower already there that could be pressed into service.)

And, in writing this, I remembered that I did actually try something like that once on a hilltop. On 15m. For Field Day, I built a “folded Bruce” (similar to the hourglass, but using square loops) with perhaps 6 horizontal elements, hanging off the side of a 25m fire lookout tower, using scrap telephone wire and string. It didn’t work. With the bands packed full of North American stations, the strongest signals I could hear were a French station talking to one in Kuwait. I don’t think we ever worked a US station on 15m with that antenna.

VK1AD · 9 April 2026 07:17

Earlier today, 2m and 70cm hourglass antennas at Mt Stromlo VK1/AC-043

Andrew VK1AD

EI3LH · 9 April 2026 07:23

No way. You built a 70cm as well? Nice! Look at them hoisted there like a couple of proud champions!

I bought a pack of 8mm x 400mm wooden sticks this week for my builds.

I might need to design some 3D printed parts to slip over the wooden stick and over the mast to hold it. Also received some banana to BNC adapter thingies to make life easier rather than soldering up coax.

Will be a few weeks away til I get around to it I reckon but a fun project I hope!

DL3TU · 9 April 2026 13:44

I spent the last few days up in the Alps (DL/AL region) and did a couple of activations there. As already said, the hourglass loop is a good candidate for long hikes and restricted space.
Activity on 2 metres SSB wasn’t that high but thanks to a few die-hard chasers and some random QSOs it was lots of fun again

Activation of DL/AL-163, Reuterwanne, 1542m asl

QSO-Map: ODX was a S2S with @HB9EAJ on FL/VO-017 across almost 250 km with 6 watts on Stephan’s end.

Activation of DL/AL-158, Breitenberg, 1838m asl

QSO-Map: ODX was DK5KMA across 320 km. The signals were strong enough for me to turn off the PA and complete the QSO with ~ 2.5 watts.

EI3LH · 9 April 2026 13:58

Your photo reminds me of:

Proof that 270 CW and SSB are top tier!

HB9EAJ · 9 April 2026 14:57

Hi Roman,

Thanks for one more S2S on VHF SSB with you!

Correct, I only used a telescopic antenna (Diamond RH-770) attached to my FT-818. So it seems you did the heavy lifting.

Last month, using the same equipment, I worked an Italian station 285 km away, but it was across the Alps!

I’ll also build a lightweight hour glass antenna and I’m waiting for some bits and pieces from a Chinese shop. I got inspired by you and @HB9CEV .

73 Stepan

EI3LH · 9 April 2026 15:16

Hourglass fever spreads!

VK3ZPF · 12 April 2026 00:53

Saturday 11 April saw Manuel VK3/@EA2DT/P, Peter @VK3TKK and I walk up two summits.
The first summit was VK3/VC-039 Mt Gisborne about 630 m ASL. The weather here was OK, but a slight breeze and the threat of rain made the activation a bit uncomfortable.
Here Manuel stuck to 40m and 20m working 31 QSOs while @VK3TKK and I looked for beacons and compared the hourglass and 4 element Yagi antenna. We also made five 2m SSB QSOs ranging 14 - 82 km from our summit.

As noted by David VK3KR supporting poles at VK3/VC-039 is challenging and I had to support the pole to keep it vertical when making QSOs.

The second summit for the day was VK3VC-040 Camel’s hump. Again, Manuel VK3/EA2DT/P focussed on 40m and 20m making 48 QSOs, with the final QSOs being made as the rain moved in, and the temperature dropped. As Camel’s Hump is 1011m ASL the weather change was certainly more noticeable.
Peter VK3TKK made 7 QSOs and I made 8 QSOs on 2m with the hourglass antenna. We also did some comparisons between the hourglass and a delta loop antenna.
The last QSOs for the day was all three of us contacting @VK3PF who took time out from a class he was instructing, just for our 2m SSB QSOs. Although we had packed up when Peter called us on the telephone, we quickly reestablished the 2m station with the hourglass antenna. This last QSO was about 180 km. Other 2m QSOs from here were 29 - 92 km away.

VK1AD · 12 April 2026 04:58

Earlier today at Snow Gum Mountain 1179m ASL VK2/SW-028, where the ambient temp was 5 degrees C and the feels like was zero or less with winds gusting to 45 km/h. I struggled to keep the pole vertical while the hourglass cross arms were acting as wind vanes and rotating with each wind gust

Notable mentions: Geoff VK3SQ 251 km, Greg VK2EXA 206 km and Chris VK2DO 148 km. I worked Geoff twice via aircraft scatter while Geoff was using his freshly minted 2m hourglass antenna at his QTH. Hourglass to Hourglass at 251 km

S2S contacts: Bill VK1RT at Mt Mundoonen 59 km and Andrew VK1DA & Tom VK1CAT both at Castle Hill VK1/AC-032 41 km.

SOTA Map

Andrew VK1AD

VK1AD · 13 April 2026 07:09

Geoff has given me permission to post this photo of his freshly minted homebrew 2m hourglass antenna.

Andrew VK1AD

EI3LH · 13 April 2026 07:26

Geoff is a member of the Brad Turner Hourglass Gang too? Nice one!

I need to get a wriggle on and build mine now!

VK3SQ · 13 April 2026 07:56

“get a wriggle on”

…yes Ian, you sure do mate.

Geoff vk3sq

EI3LH · 13 April 2026 08:34

I’m on the case. Have bnc connectors, 26 awg wire, 8mm x 400mm wooden sticks. Just need to make the centre plate and some mast mounts for the sticks then tune, hopefully.

I would like to make my BTHG (Brad Turner Hourglass) tuned for CW and SSB (more CW though).

Did you see that Brad Turner also does SOTA? Here he is foxhunting his comrades whose truck got snagged in a tree when they overshot throwing up a wire antenna for 160m CW…

EI3LH · 13 April 2026 16:03

I can’t let the side down so started work on my BTHG today. I’ve made up the 3D print designs and want to tweak them for a Sotabeams Carbon 6. So far i’ve managed to make a ‘no drill’ solution. Just trying to tune it now so going long and trimming down

Mr. Udigawa at Lassiters would be proud of me.