Have you heard of a flowerpot antenna? I hadn’t until recently, and I enjoy gardening also. But this antenna has nothing to do with gardening apart from why it was named flowerpot and it will probably end up either on your roof or garden.
A good friend of mine put me onto it as I was having trouble on 6m. A small group of us think 6m is under-utilised so we all get on their and chat for a while either on AM or SSB.
My antenna worked reasonably well, but they suggested I build my own using the flowerpot method. Given I’m always up for learning something new, I couldn’t resist.
The best but about the antenna is it is extremely cheap to make, easy to put together and the antenna works really well.
Flowerpot Antenna by VK2ZOI https://vk2zoi.com/articles/half-wave-flower-pot/ is a great site and has all the measurements.
You can make a flowerpot antenna for either 6m, 2m or 70cm. You can hang it in a tree if you wish, in a pvc pipe like I did, or using a pole or something else.
There were only two parts I needed, everything else I already had. But if I had bought everything, it would have cost me I total about $15. Not bad for a great antenna and one you can say you built yourself.
All I needed to buy was the pvc pole, which is optional and a slightly wider pipe to make the coil on I already had the RG58 coax, and it even had a pl259 plug on it!
Items I purchased included:
PVC Pipe. Make sure you give it a shake in the store before buying. If it is too flexible then it may bend and snap in the wind. But you don’t want it to heavy either.
Coupling Plumber Part to make my 50mm coil on:
https://www.bunnings.com.au/holman-50mm-pvc-dwv-straight-coupling_p4756318
If you want more information on how to make it and how I put it together, have a look at my video.
Hope you enjoyed the read. If you have any questions please let me know.
Other reads
If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy some of my other posts:
- OpenHamClock
OpenHamClock is an open-source amateur radio dashboard designed as a modern successor to the original HamClock used by radio amateurs worldwide. It provides a real-time visual display of… - Radtel P8 PoC radio
The Radtel P8 PoC radio is a Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) device that looks like a traditional walkie-talkie but communicates using 4G/LTE mobile networks instead of UHF/VHF radio… - What is an Antenna Coupler
An antenna coupler (also called an antenna tuner or matching network) is a device used in radio systems to ensure impedance matching between a transmitter and an antenna.… - Antennas
Amateur radio operators use many different antenna types, each designed for specific bands, space limits, and operating goals. Here’s a clear overview of the most common ones and… - Dipole Antenna for Portable Use – Make your own!
A dipole antenna is a basic radio antenna made of two conductive elements fed at the center. It is typically a half-wavelength long and is widely used as… - Interference
Interference in Amateur Radio refers to unwanted signals that disrupt radio communication. This interference can reduce signal clarity, make contacts difficult, or completely block communication between amateur radio… - 6m and TV Channel 0
Prior to 1989, it was illegal to operate between 50 MHz and 52 MHz in Australia. It was a real pain as that was where all the action… - Dipole Antennas Vs Long Wire Antennas
I’ve heard a lot about dipole antennas, and I’ve heard a lot about long wire antennas also. I would say I’ve seen more dipoles than long wire antennas.… - Repeater-START
Repeater-START is a multi-platform app designed for ham radio and radio-operator enthusiasts who need fast access to repeater information. The app provides a detailed repeater map as well… - The 6-Meter Amateur Radio Band
What Is the 6m Band? The 6-meter band, spanning roughly 50–54 MHz, is a section of the VHF spectrum assigned to amateur radio operators. Its wavelength is six… - Anytone AT-778UV
Overview The Anytone AT-778UV is a dual-band VHF/UHF mobile transceiver designed for amateur radio operators. It operates on the 136–174 MHz (VHF) and 400–490 MHz (UHF) bands, offering… - 160 Meters Band160 meters band is known as the “Gentlemen’s band”. It is right next to the AM commercial band, known as medium wave. The 160-meter band is the radio…
- What does this Antenna do?
Have you ever had an antenna and forgotten what it is for? Maybe you have been given one and wasn’t told exactly what it was used for. I… - Olivia Digital Mode MFSK
Yes, this popular girl name is actually an Amateur Radio term. Christian, DK8EW, put me onto Olivia after we chatted on VARA HF. I had heard about Olivia… - Yaesu FT-620The Yaesu FT-620 (and its updated version, the FT-620B) is a vintage amateur radio transceiver designed specifically for the 6-meter band (50–54 MHz). Produced in the 1970s, it offers support for AM, CW, and…
- FreeDV
I came across something different, FreeDV. The name FreeDV insinuates it is free, but is it? What is it? And what does it do? They say it will… - Anytone 778UV Key Assignment
Key Assignment For some reason, not all the key assignment options are in the manual and after a bit of searching, I found no complete list. Hopefully this… - Kenwood – did you know this?
Everyone that has been into radio for a while will know the brand Kenwood. And most know Kenwood isn’t only into Amateur radio, they are bigger than that,… - VK3AHR Ron
Today (20/06/25) I head Ron, VK3AHR, on the 7.100 40-meter net. I understand he ran this net for over 7 years, but hasn’t been able to for the… - The History Of Yaesu
As licensed Amateur Radio operators, we have all heard about Yaesu. We have all seen a Yaesu radio and most of us have used and even own one.… - Parks & Peaks App
I’ve been using the Parks and Peaks app on iphone and ipad for a little while now and quite enjoyed it. There don’t seem to be many iphone… - DMR Explained
With digital radio changing so quickly, below is a bit of an update in regards to DMR radio networks. DMR stands for Digital Mobile Radio and is an… - Baofeng K5 Plus Radio
I managed to get one of these radios and was rather impressed with it and what it came with. Have a look what my box had in it.… - Zastone D9000 Number Lock
I purchased this radio from a friend, and it worked well. He hadn’t really used it, so I did a factory reset. This was a bit of a… - HamClock
HamClock has always fascinated me, as it seems such an amazing program specifically set up for Amateur Radio. I have seen countless videos on it but the draw… - Baofeng Radios
You could say every amateur radio operator knows about the Baofeng if they have been around long enough. Most have held one of their radios and lots have… - Yaesu 857D
A great radio that does all bands up to 70cm. Using all modes also you can talk on SSB on VHF and UHF. If you haven’t done SSB… - Hiroyasu IC-980 Pro
I recently got my hands on the Hiroyasu IC-980 Pro dual band base radio. This is pronounced as “Hiro-Yasu”. When I say, got my hands on it, the… - Flowerpot Antennas
Have you heard of a flowerpot antenna? I hadn’t until recently, and I enjoy gardening also. But this antenna has nothing to do with gardening apart from why… - Daiwa CN-460M Meter
The Daiwa CN-460M is a small cross-needle meter displays both forward and reflected power for 2m and 70cm. It measures in ranges of 15/150 watts forward and 5/50 watts reflected.… - Yaesu FT-225RThe 2m band has always been an interesting one for me. It used to be swamped with pager interference, but it actually is a great band. Inversion allows…
- RH1 Radio Cup Holder
Why does a radio need a cup holder? I agree it’s a bit odd. But this isn’t a product that involves a cup. Rather it uses a cup…
VK3TBS 