Manuals & build guides
Free PDFs to read online or download. Large files can take a minute to open on a slow connection.
Ham Radio Dude build guides
Step-by-step instructions for our kits.
DudeTenna 100W+ EFHW Kit Build Instructions
Step-by-step build guide for the DudeTenna 100W+ end fed half wave kit.
For: DudeTenna 100W+ End Fed Half Wave Kit with 75 ft Wire
Open the PDFSpike Kit Build Guide
How to put together our mast ground spike kits.
For: Lil Dude 6 Ground Spike Kit (Dude Spike 2.0), Mast Spike Kit for Explorer POTA 20 & POTA 33, Ground Spike Kit for POTA 33B Mast (M10 Stainless)
Open the PDFOther helpful manuals
Manuals for popular ham radio gear we don’t make.
ATU-100 Automatic Tuner Manual
Specs, operating instructions and circuit details for the N7DDC ATU-100 tuner. Covers 1.8 to 50 MHz, 100 W max.
Open the PDFMilitary antenna manuals
Field-tested antenna guides from the U.S. military, full of practical designs for building antennas in the field. These are public domain documents.
Guide to Field Expedient Antennas
U.S. Army guide to building antennas from whatever materials you have on hand.
Open the PDFDOD Field Antenna Handbook
Department of Defense handbook (87 pages) on antenna theory, construction and setup.
Open the PDFMCRP 6-22D Antenna Handbook
U.S. Marine Corps reference on field antennas for tactical radio.
Open the PDFSpecial Forces Antenna Manual
Antenna guide used by U.S. Special Forces. Covers HF, VHF and UHF antennas, propagation and field construction.
Open the PDFLooking for more radio and field handbooks? Try Wyoming Survival and Brushbeater.