Building a DIY Ham Radio Station on a Budget

 A guide is presented to help you build a functional ham radio station with a limited budget. You will learn how to choose the right equipment, build antennas, and set up your station for successful communication.

In this era of multiple modern communication modalities, the thrill of ham radio is of communication without the internet and cellular network. Imagine that you are in remote areas without cell phone coverage, if you have a portable ham radio setup, you can still contact your friends around the world with similar setup. That is how ham radio or amateur radio has been deployed in natural calamities also, when the conventional communication networks are down.

Unlike other hobbies, amateur radio needs a license in the country in which you are operating from. That is needed for multiple reasons including security concerns and need to avoid interference with other radio services. Radio amateurs are required to appear for an examination, generally involving electronics, radio communication and radio regulations. Each country has its own norms for the examination. In India, one has to apply through the Saral Sanchar Portal for the examination and for license after passing the examination.

Once you have an operating license, you can either purchase necessary equipment or think of making them on your own, either fully or using kits available from various sources. As expected, purchase of commercial equipment is likely to be expensive and making fully on your own needs a lot of skill. The intermediate option is chosen by most new radio amateurs - building your setup using kits. I had built a low power VU2VWN QRP long back and later a 120 Watts 3 x 807 vacuum tube QRO for AM and CW. There were no kits in those days and it was building from scratch. I have no experience of building SSB radios or kits on my own.

One of the most popular way to get a high frequency or HF radio built in my region is using uBITX kits. There are a few versions available from two vendors. Latest version of uBITX is version 6 from HF Signals. Kits are also distributed to members of the Lamakaan Amateur Radio Society during their annual meetings held on second weekend of December every year. Payment is online and needs to be done when you register for the meeting. Kits can be built at the venue during workshops. A more advanced version sBITX with much more facilities is also there. uBITX is a multiband SSB transceiver with higher power output on lower bands and lower power output on higher bands. Power rating is given as 10 Watts on lower bands and 5 Watts on 28 MHz for uBITX version 6. As a disclaimer, I am in no way connected with the suppliers nor have I used one!

For those who wish to have a little more power, an option is HF Broadband Linear Amp WA2EBY available from VU3SUA. Power rating is given as 35 to 40 Watts on 40 m and 20 to 15 Watts on 10 m band. Another linear amplifier for 40m alone, suitable for uBITX, being used by many in this region is a 100 Watts linear amplifier by VU2EVQ. Unfortunately that is out of production, though I heard that the PCBs are still available on request. I was told that most of the components required are locally available except for the toroids which need to be procured from elsewhere. Of course, building the linear amplifier needs a bit of skill and some support from other users who have built it. In case of BITX, there is a very active email group at groups.io involving hams from multiple countries, in which I also participate as a learner.

Once you have a transceiver ready, next is to put up an antenna. Simplest antenna which most of us started of and still continue to use is an inverted V dipole antenna, which needs only a single high mast. Each side of the antenna is made of copper wire measuring quarter wavelength, meaning about 10m for the popular 40m band. You could add elements for additional bands in the form of a fan dipole. Most of us use 50 Ohms coaxial cable to connect the antenna to the radio. Ideally you need a 1:1 current balun at feedpoint, though many of us have operated without balun as well. If you have option for two high supports, a horizontal dipole antenna can also be used.

An SWR meter is desirable to measure the SWR when the radio is connected to the antenna with the coaxial cable, to avoid mismatch causing damage to your radio. If the SWR is seen to be high, antenna length has to be adjusted to get the minimum SWR. Though the ideal SWR is 1:1, you may cautiously operate in lower power even up to an SWR of 1:2, for short periods and for longer periods with SWR 1:1.5. Length of the antenna element can be adjusted by folding back the ends equally on both ends in small increments and checking the SWR. Sometimes you may need to lengthen as well. That is why we always cut the antenna elements a little longer than needed and come down as reducing length is easier than increasing length of elements. If you have an antenna tuner, it will take care of mild mismatches easily and you can work more confidently, though the tuner will add to your budget.

Very often beginners in amateur radio start off with a handheld VHF radio. That is because they are now available at low cost and in many regions, the lowest class of licence permits use of VHF equipment with low power. As there are VHF repeaters to enhance the range of handheld devices, they are able to communicate significant distances of the order of a few hundred kilometers if they are located near a repeater with high range of communication. For example, VU2MJJ repeater which is accessible with a handy in my region, has a range of around 200 km radius. VHF equipment are difficult to make on your own and it is easier to purchase a low cost one.

If you have higher budget you can go for commercial HF radios and VHF/UHF base stations, which will increase the range of communications. Higher power linear amplifiers are also being used by many, up to the legal limit in the region. Yagi antennas can be used with HF radio to give directional gain. They can be made on your own with aluminium pipes as per design or purchased from vendors. VHF/UHF Yagi antennas also can be made or purchased. Directional antennas naturally need antenna rotators for communication in multiple directions. Vertical antennas are also there for VHF/UHF, of which ground plane vertical, Slim Jim and J-pole are the most popular ones for homebrewing. Commercial dual band high gain vertical antennas are also available if you wish to buy one.

There are several group purchase options for new equipment where you get to negotiate the price. Groups also facilitate purchase of refurbished or second hand equipment. Though that could be a good deal, one has to be diligent in choosing a good working equipment from a reliable source. Service facility for the equipment in your region has also to be thought of. Groups are also useful for purchasing accessories like antenna connectors and cables.