Before you put away that bunch of tangled up Christmas Tree Lights, why not convert the wire to an easily-made 20 meter dipole antenna?
Chase (KI5IRE) shows us how his holiday light display became a fully functional, if unusual, backyard antenna.
If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp9tYhhCkRw.
Here are some comments from Chase (KI5IRE):
Do mini Christmas light strands make a good HF antenna? Will they light up when you transmit?
In this video, I built a 20m Christmas light dipole antenna using a strand of incandescent Christmas lights and then strung it up in my backyard and tested it on my Yaesu FT-891.
I was a bit shocked by the performance!
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PL-259 Connectors: https://amzn.to/479HgUw
Terminal Rings: https://amzn.to/3tltVKM
Incandescent Christmas Lights: https://amzn.to/3RKP2P1
Plastic Cutting Board: https://amzn.to/46ZL2Qc
Music:
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⬇️GEAR I USE⬇️
📻RADIOS📻
Yaesu FT-710 HF Radio (My Radio At Home): https://amzn.to/3RKO31h
Yaesu FT-891 HF Radio (My Portable HF Radio): https://amzn.to/4aoDV6x
Radioddity 25W VHF/UHF DMR Mobile Radio: https://amzn.to/3H53s7H
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Pi-Star Hotspot: https://amzn.to/3RIjOsW
📻COAX📻
ABR Industries 6 ft. RG-8X: https://amzn.to/48jC2Gv
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📻ACCESSORIES📻
$35 CW Key: https://amzn.to/3NqZgmb
MFJ-929 Antenna Tuner: https://amzn.to/480U3JS
6 Pin Data Cable for the FT-891: https://amzn.to/3GKpGLP
Cheap USB Sound Card: https://amzn.to/3RNTvSg
30 Amp BTech Power Supply: https://amzn.to/4apd8Y0
Fused Power Distribution Strip: https://amzn.to/476FdQS
Powerwerx PWRbox MINI 10Ah: https://amzn.to/3RKIr8c
Powerwerx Powerpoles: https://amzn.to/48ivqbA
🛠️TOOLS🛠️
Powerwerx TRIcrimp for Powerpoles: https://amzn.to/3uYe7y1
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