A 1/2 wavelength dipole is one of the simplest antennas you can build and install. Some wire (it can even be scrap/salvage) a few insulators, rope, and a feedline. These can be built much cheaper than purchased, a nice thing once you’ve spent several hundred bucks on the transceiver.
468/F is the formula for get the 1/2 wavelength of a given frequency. Cutting this in half then gets you the two leg lengths that you feed in the middle for your Dipole Antenna.
>—————–0—————–<
| Band | Frequency (MHz) | 1/2 Wavelength in Ft (Add a few inches for tuning) |
| 40 | 7.150 | 65.46′ |
| 30 | 10.125 | 46.22′ |
| 20 | 14.175 | 33.00′ |
| 17 | 18.118 | 25.83′ |
| 15 | 21.225 | 22.05′ |
| 12 | 24.940 | 18.77′ |
| 10 (SSB) | 28.400 | 16.50′ |