BUDDIPOLE IN THE FIELD

12m horizontal dipole
A 12m dipole is 9.5 feet on each side (approximately 113 inches). It can
be constructed from standard Buddipole components with only a few
turns on each coil. The 12m dipole also corresponds to the size of the
longer 9.5 foot Buddipole whips, which makes this antenna easy to
configure with these accessories! Finally, the addition of an extra antenna
accessory arm provides a way to eliminate the coil, thus making a nearfull-sized
antenna for this band with just two arms and the short (5.5
foot) whips. The total length of the antenna elements will be 44 inches
from the arms + 66 inches from the whips, or 110 inches, a little short of
the 113 inches indicated for this band, but the bandwidth of the antenna
should bring the antenna close enough to work well. All antenna
configurations provide better than 2:1 SWR bandwidth across the band.
Standard 5.5 foot whips
Red whip: 6 sections (all out)
Red coil: tap 2
Black whip: 6 sections (all out)
Black coil: tap 4
With 9.5 foot whips
Red whip: 6 sections (all out)
Black whip: 6 sections (all out)
Standard 5.5 foot whips (2 arms)
Red whip (standard): 6 sections (all out, 5.5
feet)
Black whip: 6 sections (all out, 5.5 feet)
The best height for a 12m horizontal dipole is ½ wavelength above
ground—6m (19.7 feet). Deploying the antenna above 20 feet induces a
deep null at about 45 degrees in the far field. For this reason a 12m
horizontal dipole should not be deployed more than 20 feet above the
ground.
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