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KF5SQL

Joined: Mon, Apr 16th 2012, 17:47 Roles: N/A Moderates: N/A

Latest Topics

Topic Created Posts Views Last Activity
Simple Dipole Antenna - It Works on 440 and 2m! Jun 10th 2012, 16:07 2 9,358 on 2/7/12
What to look for in a radio? Apr 28th 2012, 17:46 7 7,322 on 11/5/12

Latest Posts

Topic Author Posted On
Vertical Antenna on Metal Roof: DC Ground to the Electrical Service Mast? KF7K on 10/6/12
Will it make the power company angry? Not likely, think about it the cable or satellite companies ground to the power box poles or anything metal that they can find. I have seen them ground to a gas pipe. (Needless to say I called the cable company and told them about the unsafe practices of grounding an RF charged cable that over long distance attracts static electricity and then grounds it to an explosive source.) Most common ground point for telecommunications is in fact a power pole.

EMI is a different story, you may not pull EMI into your antenna, however you could possibly feed EMI into your household power which could cause interference on televisions in your house.

The method I have used is a direct ground from antenna to the ground rod.
Simple Dipole Antenna - It Works on 440 and 2m! KF5SQL on 10/6/12
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
What to look for in a radio? KF5SQL on 29/4/12
KB0HAE, Thank you for the insight. I think I will be going to a meeting soon. I think the best way to explain my situation is to take pictures and show them to club members.
I don't think the radio is as big of the deal as the antenna in an apartment. Would a dipole work for 2 meters and 70 cm?

73
What to look for in a radio? KF5SQL on 28/4/12
I am a new licensed technician and we do not have a local store here in the area to go look ask questions or get a feel for the radio you have your eyes set on. The Internet has taken that away.

Ok my rant is done, back to the question.... I live in an apartment and we aren't even allowed a satellite dish without a $1,000,000 renters insurance policy, so I think they will object to an antenna for amateur radio being hoisted up. So I was thinking of maybe a mobile transceiver with a power supply for home use or even a Dual Band HT. So The question remains.... What do I look for in a mobile unit or a dual band HT?

73

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