HPR4757: Follow-up on a local Ham visit for Kevie and Ken

Archer72 provides a follow-up on a previous discussion regarding the height of a local ham radio operator's antenna. Clarifying a question posed by listeners Kevi and Ken, he confirms that the antenna reaches a total height of 15 meters from the ground, with approximately 6 meters of the whip antenna extending above the roofline. This conclusion is drawn from an analysis of a 1940s house in Falmouth, Kentucky, using Google Maps and Gemini AI to estimate the structure's dimensions.

Archer72 shares insights into the typical height of two-story homes from that era, noting that they generally stand between 6.1 to 7.3 meters tall. He details the construction specifications for such houses, including ceiling heights and foundation clearance. Additionally, he estimates the overall height of the antenna setup, suggesting that it is designed for optimal performance on various HF bands, particularly for long-distance communication. The discussion emphasizes the importance of antenna height in achieving effective radio transmission, especially in overcoming nearby obstructions.

This show has been flagged as Clean by the host.

Hi, This is Archer72 for another episode of Hacker Public Radio!

In this episode, I follow up on a question from Kevie and Ken on hpr4741 HPR Community News for September 2026.

First, a disclaimer. This is not the real me, but a clone of my voice, which only took 30 second of my sample voice using Voicebox and Docker. More on this at a later date.

Now, the question was brought up on whether the HF antenna was 15 metres above the roofline or 15 metres total.

The TLDR is that the entire antenna reaches 15 metres from the ground, with approximately 6 metres being the whip antenna above the roofline.

How did I come about this conclusion? I will not share the address of my Radio friend, but I search it on Google maps for the ground picture, and used this in Gemini AI to determine the parameters base on a 1940’s house.

Now I will go on a tangent, and you the listener can stop here if you like, where I share some ideas from Gemini AI.

So here is what what Gemini found about the house style of the 1940’s

My query was:

Average height of a two story house in meters of houses in Falmouth Kentucky from the 1940’s

And the answer:

A typical two-story home constructed in rural Kentucky during the 1940s stands 6.1 to 7.3 meters (20 to 24 feet) tall from the ground to the roof ridge.

If measuring only to the eaves / gutter line, the height is approximately 4.5 to 5.2 meters (15 to 17 feet).

Breakdown of standard 1940s residential construction specs:

1st Floor Ceiling Height: ~2.44 m (8 ft standard full dimensional stud length)

Inter-floor Framing (Joists & Subfloor): ~0.30 to 0.38 m (1 to 1.25 ft)

2nd Floor Ceiling Height: ~2.44 m (8 ft)

Foundation / Crawlspace Clearance: ~0.30 to 0.61 m (1 to 2 ft above grade)

Roof Ridge (Gable/Hip Pitch): ~1.22 to 1.83 m (4 to 6 ft above upper ceiling line)

Note on Regional & Era Variations: Mid-century wood-frame houses (such as Cape Cods, Minimal Traditional homes, or simple

American Foursquares built post-WWII) prioritized material efficiency, utilizing standard 8-foot ceiling framing rather than the higher 9-to-10-foot ceilings common in pre-1920s Victorian or Colonial builds.

Next query on antenna height:

This is a picture of the antenna in Falmouth, Kentucky.

The house was built in the 1940’s.

Estimate the height of the house and the attached antenna.

Answer:

Based on visual scale estimates using standard architectural features:

Estimated Heights

House Height (Ground to Peak): ~22 – 25 feet (6.7 – 7.6 m)

Typical standard 1.5-story or 2-story home construction: ~8-foot ceiling per story plus floor joists, foundation wall (~1–2 ft visible above grade), and roof pitch.

Mast / Push-up Pole Height: ~30 – 35 feet (9.1 – 10.7 m) total length

The mast extends from near ground level up past the lower roofline and above the main roof ridge, supported by guy wires near the top section.

Top Antenna Whip / Element: ~18 – 20 feet (5.5 – 6.1 m)

Looks like a standard 1/2 wave or 5/8 wave vertical antenna (or a 10/11-meter CB/ham vertical such as an A99/I-10K or similar base station vertical).

Total Overall System Height (Ground to Tip): ~45 – 50 feet (13.7 – 15.2 m)

Note: Visual estimates from single 2D perspective photos carry a margin of error of approximately ±10–15%.

This sounds right.

Top Antenna Whip / Element is intended for 20m, 40m and 80m HF Ham radio transmission.

That makes sense—for HF bands like 20m, 40m, and 80m, getting that vertical element up around 45 to 50 feet total off the ground gives it a much better launch angle, especially for DXing or clearing nearby obstructions.

If it’s set up with a base tuner or trap loading to cover those lower frequencies (especially 40m and 80m), having that sturdy push-up mast and guy wire support is crucial given the wind load at that height.

Clone 'me':

That’s all I have for now.

This has been Archer72’s clone.

Tune in tomorrow for another episode of Hacker Public Radio.