Best POTA Ham Radio Antennas for any park

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 Thanks to Jim (N4BFR) for this excellent tutorial on POTA (Parks on the Air) Ham Radio antennas.

Jim discusses several scenarios where a carefully deployed HF antenna will provide excellent results.  These antenna configurations will also work at your home station, especially where space is limited.

If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZiF0Rr90H0.

Thanks for joining us today,

Russ  (KH6JRM, AL0HA).

Here are some comments from Jim (N4BFR):

Getting started with Parks on the Air (POTA) or struggling with challenging park terrain? This video breaks down the best POTA antenna options for activations with and without trees — from wire antennas to verticals and mobile setups. Professor Jim (N4BFR) explains how to choose the right antenna based on terrain, footprint, power, and operating style, plus the one tool every POTA activator should carry to get the most out of their setup. Chapters: 00:00 Intro - Best POTA Antennas 00:42 Meet Jim N4BFR 00:50 No “One Right” POTA Antenna 01:18 What Terrain Really Means 01:29 Trees vs No Trees 01:52 Planning for Tough Parks 02:15 Multi-Park Activations 02:41 Wire Antennas with Trees 03:32 Antenna Orientation Matters 04:22 Why Direction Matters 05:24 Operating from Your Vehicle 06:31 No Trees? Bring Your Own Support 08:17 Five Antenna Options 08:58 End-Fed Half Wave 09:17 Vertical Antennas 10:01 Trapped Dipoles 10:47 Why Short Antennas Work 11:54 Antenna Tradeoffs Explained 12:47 What should I get, and how much will it cost? 13:07 Simple classic dipole 13:35 Multiple band dipole options 13:56 End-fed halfwave 14:14 Multi-Band Antenna Considerations 14:40 QRP-sized EFHW 15:58 What antenna analyzer does? 17:08 Standing Wave Ratio (SWR) 17:41 Ham Tips 20:46 Recap 👉 For more POTA education and license courses, visit: https://hamradioprep.com 👉 To log your POTA contacts, sign up for free at: https://worldradioleague.com 73 from Ham Radio Prep & the World Radio League!

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