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#Post#: 5861--------------------------------------------------
TGIF Weekly Net Summary — June 5, 2026
DIR By: VE3RD
Date: June 6, 2026, 6:33 am
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TGIF Weekly Net Summary — June 5, 2026
Topic: "What is your favorite antenna for HF?"
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## Net Opening & Preamble
"CQCQ, welcome to the TGIF Radio Net for Friday, June the 5th of
2026. My name is Eric. My call sign is KC8UKB. We meet here
every Friday evening at 8:30 PM Eastern Standard Time on the
TGIF Server Talk Group 31665 to chat about a chosen topic and
anything else related to amateur radio.
Tonight's subject is, 'What is your favorite antenna for HF?'
Emergency traffic may be indicated by a triple break and will be
accepted at any time during the net. Please remember, this is a
directed net, so please only transmit when directed to do so by
the net control station. Does anybody have any announcements,
news, or important information for the net? Please come now."
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## Technical Discussion Summary: HF Antennas
The net participants highlighted several distinct antenna
styles, ranging from multi-band wire setups to directional
arrays and specialized verticals.
1. Wire & Modified Wire Antennas
[] G5RV: Mentioned as a classic choice, though it requires
an antenna tuner (transmatch) because it is typically not
resonant on its own across modern bands. It consists of a
center-fed dipole configuration mated to a specific length of
matching section (twin-lead/ladder line) before hitting the
coax.
[] ZS6BKW: Described by the operators as a "glorified,
computerized G5RV."
[] The Difference: While the original G5RV was designed by
Louis Varney as three half-waves for 20 meters using roughly 34
feet of matching line, the ZS6BKW optimizes this design via
computer modeling.
[] Performance: It increases the ladder line to roughly 40
feet and shortens the top wire elements. This modification
allows it to be perfectly resonant (showing an SWR of 1.2 to
1.3) on 40m, 20m, and 17m without an antenna tuner, while
remaining highly tunable on other bands.
[*] Alpha Delta DXCC: Highly praised by multiple operators for
tighter spaces. It is an 82-foot-long multi-band wire antenna
that utilizes coils to squeeze 80-meter functionality into a
shorter physical footprint. Operators noted it performs
exceptionally well in an inverted-V configuration around 35–40
feet up.
2. Vertical Antennas
[*] Gap Titan DX: Highlighted as an "amazing engineering
accomplishment." It is a vertical antenna designed to operate on
80 through 10 meters without a tuner. It features a complex
internal phasing design utilizing coaxial elements housed inside
the structure. Operators noted it is spectacular for working DX
due to its low radiation angle, though its unique physical
design can look intimidating to traditional engineers.
3. Directional & Rotatable Antennas
[] Yagi Antennas (e.g., High-Gain TH5, Moseley TA34XL):
Described as "night and day" compared to wire antennas for
chasing DX. Beyond providing forward power gain (acting like an
amplifier), they drastically improve reception by rejecting
environmental RF noise from behind and to the sides of the
array.
[] Rotatable Dipoles: A popular middle-ground alternative to
full Yagi beams. Built out of rigid aluminum tubing rather than
wire, these can be rotated (either via a mechanical rotator or
"strong-arm" method). Turning even a single dipole directly
toward a target station provides a significant signal boost.
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## Logged Check-ins & Net Statistics
The net experienced excellent participation across multiple call
districts, utilizing NetLogger to track check-ins.
Net Control: KC8UKB (Eric - Auglaize County, Ohio)
Check-ins Logged:
NY2S, KB4QCE, KA3NGT, K9FEH, KD0CIV, WB3GCK, KD9ITL, KB3JQQ,
KE8APO, WD8KOB, K8LR, N6CZE, KX4XR, KE8PCQ, WD4LED, K4YGD,
KG4OXR, W4SFX, WC7V, KE4GF, KE4TLC, KA7DLV, N3JAS, KF8I, WB3GTM,
N1XQX, AD2CH, KW0Z, K4WZV, KD4BJA, N4HYK, K5GU, N4XGV, NG5N,
WA4CLA, KF5KHS, KC8USA, N9RUT, KM9Q, KB8KES, WD9HGO, KB7BYI,
N0XMZ, NP4M, KG5PTT.
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## Silent Key Tributes
The net took moments to honor the legacies of two instrumental
figures in their network's history:
[] Mitch Savage (EA7KDO): The founder of the TGIF DMR
network, who built the initial system on a single Raspberry Pi
and developed Nextion-screen hotspot standards.
[] James (KF6S): A core contributor who worked closely with
Mitch on Nextion-screen layout development and hotspot
integrations.
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## Net Closing & Sign-off
"Before we close the net, I need to thank the people that make
the TGIF network possible... Ty Weaver, KG5RKI, he is our core
coder. Andy Nielsen, G7LRR, he is our dashboard master. Len,
N3MEL, he created our international forum page... And we also
want to give a big thanks and shout out to the forum management
team: AD2CH, Mark... K5CDK, Doug... WB3IHY, Joe. Vic, VE3JAR, he
handles our documentation. Phil, VE3RD, he does the net
recordings... And we cannot forget about Robert, K4WZV. He's
always there for all of us, all the time.
Net recordings are available at the TGIF network web page.
Select the forum tab on the left-hand menu, scroll down, and
navigate to the TGIF Friday Night Net Recordings.
My name is Eric, callsign KC8UKB. I'm signing off from Auglaize
County, Ohio. Join us again next Friday at 8:30 PM for another
TGIF Radio Net on Talk Group 31665. This is the end of our net
for tonight, Friday, June the 5th, 2026. Talk Group 31665 is now
available for normal amateur radio use. 73, and remember, thank
God it's Friday. Everybody take care and have a wonderful
evening, what's left of it."
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