I made a quick-and-dirty directional Yagi antenna out of PVC pipe and measuring tape for some future Radio Direction Finding (“fox hunt”) fun. (Instructions here) Since I spent an evening sticking it all together, I had to test it out. So I connected it to a 2-meter (144MHz) radio, tuned it to an unused frequency, …
Tag Archives: antenna
With Prayer and Bailing Wire
So I consulted my handyman oracles and solved my broken antenna problem. We discussed using Lock-Tite, lock washers, even going so far as to drill and tap setscrews in the side of the receiving bolts. Ultimately, the best solution offered is to drill holes through the base of the hamsticks and use lockwire to prevent …
Wiggle and Fall
One of my worst fears became realized this morning when I discovered, at some point in the past few days, that the lower half of my 40m vertical dipole antenna had worked itself loose and fell straight down into my downstairs neighbor’s fenced yard. It stuck like a dart and bent to lay in the …
Dumber Faster
Y’know how a quarter-wave stub of coax feedline has interesting properties? Like, if you attach one end to an antenna analyzer and left the other end open at 1/4λ down, then the open circuit looks like a short on the analyzer; zero Ohms resistance. And if you short the end, it looks like an open; …
Visual Mismatch
Sonofabitch. As it turns out, the 60-ish feet of 50ohm RG-8 coax feedline I “rescued” from the disused tower at my last office is actually 75ohm T-1253A. I should’ve looked at the silkscreen more closely. I’m a blind fool. That might explain some of my inability to match my antennas on some bands. The SWR …