Myth: The Double-Bazooka Is a Magical Cure for Bad Antennas
At first glance, the double-bazooka looks like an upgrade to the classic dipole or inverted-V. It promises wide bandwidth, low noise, and immunity to feedline radiation. In practice, though, a simple inverted-V with decent coax and a proper tuner will always outperform it in reliability, loss, and flexibility.
What the Double-Bazooka Claims
- “Much wider bandwidth than a dipole.”
- “Immune to common-mode currents.”
- “Lower noise on receive.”
These claims sound great — but none hold up under real-world conditions.
The Reality
Construction Complexity
A double-bazooka requires coax sleeves, multiple solder joints, and perfect symmetry. That means more build time, more failure points, and weatherproofing headaches. An inverted-V is just wire and a feedpoint — far simpler and more robust.
Bandwidth
The sleeve can smooth the SWR curve around one design frequency, but it is not broadband. A well-installed inverted-V plus a good tuner will cover far more bands with less fuss.
Common-Mode Currents
Marketing claims that a bazooka eliminates feedline radiation are false. The sleeve must be cut exactly and remain symmetric — but no antenna is perfectly symmetric, and no ground is perfectly symmetric. Any environmental asymmetry reintroduces common-mode current. By contrast, an inverted-V with proper coax and a 1:1 choke or isolator always has fewer feedline radiation issues, because it is inherently balanced by the choke when installed correctly.
Loss and Efficiency
The extra coax, sleeve conductors, and solder joints in a double-bazooka always add loss. Small coax or poor soldering make it worse. Even if built perfectly, there’s more resistance and dielectric loss than in a plain wire. A simple inverted-V is just copper wire and a feedpoint — minimal loss by design.
Flexibility
Change the height or surroundings, and the bazooka’s tuning shifts. A basic inverted-V with a tuner handles environmental changes gracefully and adapts across bands with no rebuild.
• Geometry: Apex as high as possible, 100–120° between legs.
• Wire: Use 2.5–4 mm² copper or copper-clad for low loss and durability.
• Coax: RG-213, LMR-400, or better for longer runs. Keep it direct and away from metal.
• Tuner: Use a quality tuner, ideally near the feedpoint, for maximum efficiency.
• Choke: Wideband ferrite choke (Mix 31), placed at or just below the feedpoint, to stop common-mode currents.
Conclusion
The double-bazooka is more complexity than benefit. A well-installed inverted-V with good coax and a decent tuner will always deliver more reliable performance, less loss, and fewer surprises. Keep it simple, choke it properly, and enjoy a cleaner, stronger signal.
See our full range of dipoles, doublets, and inverted-V wire antennas for practical and proven designs.
Mini-FAQ
- Is the double-bazooka quieter? — Sometimes it changes noise pickup, but a choked inverted-V usually achieves the same or better.
- Does a bazooka have more bandwidth? — Slightly around its design frequency, but not across multiple bands. An inverted-V + tuner is far more flexible.
- Which one is more efficient? — Always the inverted-V. The bazooka adds extra loss by design.
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