Simple Dipole Antenna - It Works on 440 and 2m!
Displaying 1-2 of 2
| Jun 10th 2012, 16:07 | |
KF5SQLTotal Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
I just got my first radio on Wednesday the June 6. It is an HT only cost $63.00 online brand new. It puts out 4-5 watts on 2m and about 3.8 watts on 440. It is a Baofeng UV-5R. Now the problem is, There are so many repeaters in the San Antonio area, but I can barely hit them. So I created my "Broomstick dipole" -- I'll Have to return the broomstick to the witch I borrowed it from before Halloween. But that isn't the point. :-) What I made my antenna from was some RG-6 coax cable some 3 wire Romex and some duct tape. First I cut the wire in the middle, exposing the Black and White wires. I did not unsheathe the ground wire because that was to help keep the antenna from whipping in the wind. I cut a space in between the black wire (essentially making 2 halves) and did the same with the white wire. I twisted the black and white wires together, then twisted the coax into each half. I sealed the wires with duct tape and taped it to the broom stick. When I get more time I will trade the AWG-10 Romex for something better like copper pipe. The purpose of my antenna venture is to create a dipole that is not permanently attached to any structure. (Right now I have my antenna attached to the fence by the pool with zip ties.) If anyone has any ideas or suggestions on how to make this better, like to incorporate a balun, please let me know. I am always happy to take feedback :-) 73, Jeremiah |
| Jul 2nd 2012, 06:45 | |
WB8ZTPTotal Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
Jeremiah, I’m no antenna expert so do some research of your own too. You didn’t say how you have your antenna mounted but the usual convention is to use vertical polarization on FM (most repeaters) and horizontal polarization for CW and SSB. Most repeater antennas are vertically polarized to enhance the operating range of mobile and portable units using vertical whip antennas. Trying to work somebody who is cross-polarized with you results in a large dB signal loss so you may not be heard at all. I’d also suggest you update your QRZ.com page with your email address for quicker answers. Look me up on QRZ and send me an email with any other questions you may have, it’s always fun to help! 73, Mark WB8ZTP |
Displaying 1-2 of 2
