Reported in the December 1995 QST by AL7KK: Table 1, item 20, the length (of the tip of the

40-meter element) is shown as 9 3, it should be 6 0. In Figure 6, item 20 should also be 6 0.

October 1995 QST Volume 79, Number 10

The Offset Multiband Trapless Antenna (OMTA)

Simple, easy to build, low cost, compact, multiband...interested?
By Robert Wilson, AL7KK Box 110955 Anchorage, AK 99511-0955 Photos by the author Once in a while an idea turns out to be so good that it cant stay a secret. The offset multiband trapless antenna (OMTA) is so simple to build, so easy to employ and works so well, it fits that category. Its made of three lengths of aluminum tubing set in a trianglar shape. Only the driven element is grounded and shunt fed by 50- coax about 44% up the element. The other two elements are completely insulated and driven by mutual coupling. Remarkably, the OMTA has a natural 50- feed impedance on 15 (or 17), 20 and 40 meters. The antenna pattern and efficiency are excellent, too. Its just the compact antenna for your backyard!

Background
Over the years, Ive critically checked the design of thousands of antennas. When I worked as an advanced planning engineer for the Voice of America, I was always on the lookout for simple, reliable and broadband antennas. Multiband antennas, however, invariably turned out to be complex, unreliable, have unusual feedpoint impedances, were difficult to build and tune, or involved what must be charitably called magic. On the other hand, the OMTA antenna moved along properly right from its mathematical beginning. Its not a true wide-band antenna, but it is a true multiband antenna. MININEC proved the possibilities. Without a single hard-to-tune trap or matching device, its possible to use a single 50- feed on three ham bands and have a true 1/4- vertical on 40 meters, and genuine 1/2- verticals on two other bands. The theory behind this antenna is open to all and involves no trickery. The key to its operation is the offset feed of the driven element. Normally, the coaxial feed line is connected to a verticals bottom. At that point, the antennas feedpoint impedance is much less than 50 . By tapping up from the bottom of the element, its possible to find a point that provides a 50- match. Remember: The coax shield must be attached to the lower side of the element. By adjusting the element length a little, its possible to remove residual reactance and achieve a low SWR. I placed two 1/2- parasitic elements in an equilateral triangle configuration adjacent to the 40-meter driven element. These parasitic elements use traditional coupling techniques, exactly the same as those employed in a Yagi antenna (see Figure 1). With use of the correct element diameter and spacing, the feedpoint impedance is exactly 50 on all three bands, without any matching tricks or traps. Because the 40-meter element uses an offset feed (see Figure 2), its able to couple efficiently to adjacent 1/2- parasitic elements. I found that its possible to build a physically sturdy vertical for either 40, 20 and 15, or 40, 20 and 17 meters. Remarkably, there is very little required adjustment to any of the elements from the mathematically derived design. Absolutely no magic, just solid engineering.

Construction
The most difficult part of building the antenna is obtaining the correct size and length of aluminum tubing. The parts list, Table 1, does not demand specific components since few things about this antenna are critical. Still, element length, diameter and spacing are the only things that you should try not to changeat least, not first. One-inch OD aluminum tube is preferred, but other metals will probably work, too. I prefer to use 6061 and 6063 aluminum alloys because theyre readily available and are the best trade-offs between strength and corrosion resistance. Select your choice of a 40-20-15 or a 40-20-17-meter antenna. Then construct four tubes to the appropriate lengths shown. One approach to a

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October 1995 QST Volume 79, Number 10

or a 40-20-17-meter antenna. Then construct four tubes to the appropriate lengths shown. One approach to a good-looking system is to use six 12-foot tubes and join them with short, close-fitting internal tube sections secured with stainless-steel self-tapping screws. After that, the tube lengths can be cut precisely. The bottom ends of the two parasitic elements should not be grounded and must come to within only 4 inches of the ground (see Figure 3). The insulator pipes I used are 1-inch-diameter ID, schedule 40 PVC water pipe. If youre lucky, the aluminum tube and PVC pipe will fit together snugly. If youre not so lucky, some reaming and heating of the PVC pipe may be necessary. Heating can be done in boiling water. A bit of soap and the judicious use of a hammer often help in final persuasion. If such persuasion fails, youll just need to use a larger PVC pipe size. The Feedpoint Two tubes are joined by a PVC-pipe insulator to form the 50- coax feedpoint of the 40-meter element. Its necessary to provide electrical connections for the coax here. Make sure the screw holes are undersize so there will be a good electrical connection. Run the coax down the side of the leg and tape it tightly to the leg to prevent overcoupling to the other elements. Also, drill a 1/8-inch-diameter hole at the bottom of each leg to act as a drain hole. Place a cork or cap on the top of each element tube to help keep out precipitation. Finding the right material to space and insulate the elements was difficult. I looked at a lot of options such as plastic wastebaskets, fungus-proofed plywood and white plastic (polyethylene) breadboards. The breadboards won. They can be cut easily with a saw and the element holes are readily made using a 1-inch-diameter drill bit according to the pattern shown in Figure 4. Rounding the corners of the triangles makes them esthetically more appealing. The base plate shown in Figure 5 can be made of plastic, wood or metal. Adjust its size to your ground conditions you dont want the antenna to sink into the ground or tip over. Three small nylon ropes, each about 40 feet long, can be used as guys to help prevent tip-over. RF grounding is essential. Four bare copper wires of almost any gauge, each 33 feet 5 inches long, are required. More wiresand larger diameter wireswill work better, but a minimum of four is essential. Space the wires 90 apart. These ground wires can be buried, or just placed on top of the ground or roof.

Summary
Covering the antenna with a nonreflective paint that more or less matches the general area background does a lot toward eliminating complaints. Place an 8-foot-long metal ground rod close to the base of the 40-meter element and connect the ground rod to the base of the 40-meter element with a piece of coaxial-cable shield or heavy gauge wire. When youre done, youll have a neat, auto-switching, inherently matched, trapless antenna. On 40 meters, the vertical pattern is that of a true 1/4- antenna; on the other two bands, its a real 1/2- pattern. I think youll find this antenna is superior to a conventional trap antenna with only a 1/4 on each band, and Im sure youll be happy band-hopping with the OMTA! Robert Wilson was born in 1930 in upstate New York. At 11, he became interested in ham radio, but because of World War II, he didnt get his first license (W9RNL) until 1947. He was later a radio officer and navigator. Still later, he studied physics at the State University of Iowa and hand built some of the first US satellites. His space designs were instrumental in developing satellite television, deep-space communications and satellite navigation systems. Bob was planning engineer for the Voice of America in the Caribbean, Europe and the Orient. Presently, Bob owns two airplanes, which he claims are his airline and always flies with an Amateur Radio H-T. See Feedback in December QST.

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October 1995 QST Volume 79, Number 10

Figure 1General assembly of the offset multiband trapless antennathe OMTA. Maximum lengths are shown in the accompanying table. Adjustments may need to be made for individual installations. Try decreasing element lengths three inches at a time, noting the SWR and adjusting for minimum SWR.

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October 1995 QST Volume 79, Number 10

Figure 2Detail of the OMTA feedpoint. Refer to Table 1 to identify the individual parts. The feedpoint is 14 feet 9 inches up from the base of the 40-meter element. The feedpoint tap positions arent criticalan inch or so each side of the PVC insulator is fine.

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October 1995 QST Volume 79, Number 10

Figure 3Base assembly detail of the antenna. Refer to Table 1 to identify the individual parts. A minimum of four 33-foot 5-inch radials make up the ground system.

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October 1995 QST Volume 79, Number 10

Figure 4To keep the vertical tubes properly spaced, 1/2-inch-thick plastic breadboard spacers (pressure-treated wood can be substituted) are used.

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October 1995 QST Volume 79, Number 10

Figure 5A base plate for the OMTA. A 2-foot-square piece of plastic breadboard (pressure-treated lumber can be substi-tuted) supports three 1-1/4-inch deck flanges. The flanges are spaced 120 apart, centered on a 4-1/2-inch radius circle. To align the floor flanges, 1/8-inch-diameter holes are drilled through the base and serve as drain holes.

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October 1995 QST Volume 79, Number 10

Figure 6An exploded view of the antenna construction. Refer to Table 1 to identify the individual parts.

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October 1995 QST Volume 79, Number 10

Figure 7A view of the plastic breadboard insulators and the 40-meter feedpoint 14 feet 9 inches from the base of the 40-meter element.

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October 1995 QST Volume 79, Number 10

Figure 8The base of the antenna is made from a plastic breadboard and supports three floor flanges that accept the vertical insulator pipe adaptors and PVC pipes. The metal sleeve on one of the legs is part of the experimental development and is not used in the final assembly. Table 1 Part List for the OMTA (The references are used in accompanying drawings to identify the individual parts.)

Ref 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Qty 4

Description Insulating spacers, 11-1/2" triangle, 1/2" thick, plastic or wood; see Figure 4 for details 5 Plastic pipe, 8" long, 1" ID 3 1-1/4 cast-iron deck flanges 23 #6-32 stainless steel screws,11/2" long 23 #6 stainless-steel split washers 23 #6-32 stainless-steel nuts 46 #6 stainless-steel flat washers to fit screws 1 Plastic or metal base plate; see Figure 5 for details 3 #6 solder lugs, heavy outdoor duty type 135 ft #10 to #16 copper wire, cut into 4 equal lengths for ground radials 16 ft Feed line (RG-213 coaxial cable or other) 1 tube Silicone sealing compound 1 can Plastic-pipe cement 3 Pipe adapters, 1-1/4" threads to 1" ID plastic pipe 1 5/8 dia. copper-plated steel ground rod 2 1-1/4 stainless-steel hose clamps 1 Coax connector to fit coax 7 6063 aluminum tubing, 12' 1" OD, 0.058" wall, (main construction sections) 1 6063 aluminum tubing, 10' 5" long, 1" OD, 0.058" wall (15-meter tip
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October 1995 QST Volume 79, Number 10

19 20 21 22 23 24

1 1 1 1 1 7

6063 aluminum tubing, 10' 5" long, 1" OD, 0.058" wall (15-meter tip section) 6063 aluminum tubing, 9' 3" long, 1" OD, 0.058" wall (40-meter tip section) 6063 aluminum tubing, 9' 2" long, 1" OD, 0.058" wall (20-meter tip section) 6063 aluminum tubing, 2' 9" long, 1" OD, 0.058" wall (40-meter base section) 6063 aluminum tubing, 2' 1" long, 1" OD, 0.058" wall (17-meter tip section) 6063 aluminum tubing, 8" long, 7/8" OD, 0.058" wall (internal connector sections)

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