| Author |
Message |
    
Bulldog
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 10:33 am: | 
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Ok radio people, as the weather warms up, my mind turns to ANTENNA's. I want to build instead of buy this time. So I ask all you clever people that read and post on this site. Are you running a homemade antenna, if so what is it, how it works, and how its built. (dipoles are good but a little boring no offense) I don't want to take any business away from COPPER, but this is some thing I have to do |
Taz
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 12:41 pm: |
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well, home made antennas are fun and cool but you wont get as good as performance out of it as a commercial antenna unless its a really good one.
maybe im worng |
Buck
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 1:40 pm: |
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I run a homemade antenna made from copper tubing and 10 guage wire for radials.....works just as good as my old big stick... I run bare foot and talk up to 40 miles out on a regular basis. Would love to build a 3 or 4 element beam sometime if i could find some good plans. |
Jaymojave
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 4:17 pm: |
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Hello Bulldog:
The ARRL Antenna Book, chapter 20 I think, has a pretty good list of busness's that carry antenna parts and pices. Plus it has a great section on Aluminum tubing.
It also has a great section on Beam Antennas, and covers the matching stuff pretty well.
Just recently I modified a 4 element Yagi Beam, removing the Gamma Matching Rod, and installing a Beta / Hair Pin Matching System that picked up a few dB in field strength, even got a few photos. Good luck.
Jay in the Mojave |
Insider
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 26, 2002 - 9:28 pm: |
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Home made antennas are great. I've built a few, dipoles, ground planes, and the like. Most of mine were made from wire as I don't have the tools or skills to machine metal for a real professional look.
I don't see any reason why a well built home made antenna can't perform as good as anything you can buy ready built. Besides, there's nothing like getting hands on with radios and what better place to start than experimenting with antennas.
One ground plane antenna I built consisted of wrapping 102 or so inches of 12awg wire around a fiberglass pole, the wrapping was just so I could make it shorter. I mounted that to an aluminum mirrir mount and attached four teloscoping antennas around it for ground plan radials. The whole thing was fitted to the top of an old mic stand (this was meant as a portable antenna). After fiddling with it for minimum SWR it didn't work to bad. It was kind of flimsey, but if my construction skills were better, It probably would have held up much better. |
bullet
| | Posted on Friday, June 28, 2002 - 3:54 am: |
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bulldog,
like some of the other fellas ive made several kinds of home brew antennas. most do repectfully
well when compared to store bought ones.
a collinear antenna will perform well if you can get it high enuff for 11meters. that is what im playing with now anyway. ive built and have ran 1 so far.(did very well)and am building another of a differant design using coax, wire and aluminum tubing thats almost done so i cant say how it does yet. ive also tried stacking 2 antrons vertically this does ok as well.
i also like the feild expediant wire 292 antenna cut for 27 megs (1/2 wave antenna) works every bit as good as any store bought 1/2 wave vertical.
i build all my own beams anymore and would put them up agaist any comercial cb beam antenna out thier of equall size, for performance and durability.
i work in metal fabrication witch is a big plus
for me,discounts on materials and hardware. free machinework/welding ect. i like things to be abit over built but still light enuff to install by myself. 6061 booms wall thickness 1/8" for beams 4 elements and under. |
Bulldog
| | Posted on Friday, June 28, 2002 - 5:09 pm: |
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your collinear sounds interesting, how did you fabricate it? |
Tech833
| | Posted on Friday, June 28, 2002 - 9:52 pm: |
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Try a curtain array sometime. Not only can you choose the beamwidth, you can choose the takeoff angle as well.
I have built several curtains over the years and have yet to be disappointed. Except when the client doesn't pay on time and you have to chase them for the money... |
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