Attic Dipole Fire

The better your antenna the more success you will have making contacts.

Attic dipole fire.

The single most common cause of residential attic fires is electrical malfunction. When circuits are overloaded and the breaker fails to respond appropriately the excess draw could result in a fire. I ve been using attic dipoles since i started shortwave listening in the mid 1970s. The first antenna was a simple zigzag dipole which i fastened to the roof spars using electric fence.

If the attic area is not large enough to accommodate an almost full size dipole simply erect as much of the antenna as possible in a straight line then bend the ends of the dipole up down or sideways from the main portion of the system. The fema document previously mentioned states that a whopping 43 of all residential attic fires are caused by electrical malfunction. A coaxial cable trap dipole antenna installed in the attic provides a surprisingly effective solution to hf operation on the 10 15 20 30 40 and 80 meter amateur bands at a qth with restrictive covenants that prohibit outside. Mac af4ps fp 51 note.

The infamous attic dipole. Posted on 2015 12 24 by james. Hidden attic dipole antenna installation. You should attempt to maintain symmetry in the system by bending the ends of the antenna in equal amounts.

It works quite well or at least good enough for me. I installed the liquid tight conduit from my mechanical room to the attic of the house fire sealing all structural penetrations to ensure maximum safety while meeting code for electrical work which is not technically required in this case but is a best practice. Here s the first attempt at a design. For the most common type of antenna the dipole the high voltage point is the ends of the antenna.

Loft attic antennas for restricted spaces. My current amateur station uses an attic dipole that s nearly 60 feet long running along the roof peak with the last eight feet on each end bent along the attic walls.