Ham Radio Antenna

we want to put up a 80 ft. pipe for a ham radio antenna can we use pvc? or should we use steel i need a 1 1/4" id pipe on top

Providing the pvc was strong enough and able to withstand the elements including UV light.,and the earthing was correct then there should not be a problem .However i would personally never use pvc for this .
Part of the design of a ham radio antenna relies on the fact that the antenna is earthed.(well earthed ) Using plastic piping you may have problems with the SWR ratio when tuning .
Another aspect is during rain there can and will be a massive static build up on the antenna,your very own lightning conductor .

2007-12-01 11:55:51 by cowrench

A step-by-step look at building a low cost (under $10) dipole antenna. The question is...will it work?

I was wondering if anyone knew how to make an antenna out of a fan. If you could give me the parts one would need to make it, and how to do it, that would be great.

Sure, it's easy. Start by cutting the plug off the end of the cord. The two wires are where your coax line attaches.

Next, determine what frequency range you want your "fantenna" to resonate on. For UHF, use an 8" diameter fan. For VHF, use a 10" diameter. For the higher HF bands, like 10, 12, and 15 meters, use a 12" diameter fan. 17, 20, 30, and 40 meters work best on a 16" diameter fan, and you'll need a 20" diameter fan for 75, 80 and 160 meters.

Fantennas are highly directional, but if you can rig yours to oscillate, your signal will be spread over a wide area.

2008-05-22 17:42:22 by s_j_m_33

24' Antenna in Three Easy to Assemble Sections
5.1dBI Gain. Operates effectively on 6 through 20 Meter bands with a tuner, 10/11M without tuner.
Full 5/8 Wave Antenna
Includes U-Clamps to attach to optional mast pipe.
Handles 5000 Watts

I have an Icom ic-718 HF transceiver and am looking to get an antenna. Can I get a good antenna for a decent price?
I need suggestions.... thanks

What is your license class ?

If you are unlicensed , don't get any antenna.

If you are a technician you have limited HF privileges.

28.300-28.500 MHz: CW, Phone
And also a few lower frequencies on CW only.

With a technician class license you cannot use voice communications on any band lower than 10 meters.

Most technicians stay on 2 meters and 70cm , and your radio doesn't cover those bands.

If you DO have a technician class license and you don't know CW , then 10 meters is the only band you can use with that radio.

In that case , a simple one band dipole of vertical will do the job.

But don't bother if you don't have your ticket . because when other hams find that you are unlicensed they will 1 , report you to the FCC , and 2. they wont talk to you. (it is a violation of THEIR license to do so)


License FIRST , Radio SECOND. !

2009-01-18 19:46:14 by 18

Price: $31.99 $19.01

NMO mounting (mount sold separately)
3 dBd gain VHF/6 dBD gain UHF
144?148 MHz/30?450 MHz
Center load
37-Inch tall

i have heard that hams do not need a permit to put up an antenna mast. But the more i read on some forums it sounds like it might be a local thing and Varies from county and states. so can some one tell me if being a ham lets you put up a mast with out a permit.

All depends on where you live and what you want to put up, I have stuff up here only 40 feet, have a friend that is 100 feet, didn't take much for either of us to do this, they will most likely want a permit, they will want to see drawings of what you are going to put up, if it's a tower they will want to see the engineering paperwork from the company that made the tower, if you have neighbors who have big noses you may never get anything up, or do like another friend we went up 20 feet and have added a section a year so he is now at 40 feet and tell everyone it's been like that for years, they can even see by the base of the tower.
This can really vary by city, one may be easy to deal with, another will be almost impossible to deal with..
There is a spot on the www.arrl.org web page with information about this, might not hurt to look at..
good luck 73's

2009-03-14 12:04:36 by ems82494

We are considering using ham radio, but would like to know what the expenses are and what would be the cheapest way to go. But on the other hand, hope for a setup that works sufficiently well. We only have receivers, so far - no transmitters.

The cheapest antenna is a simple longwire antenna. It is just what it's name implies. Simply a long wire cut to the wave length of the band you are working. It is fairly efficient but is also fairly directional. Best reception with it is from stations to the front or rear of the wire. Reception of stations out from the ends of the antenna are fairly poor. A better antenna is a dipole, which can be constructed from two wires of equal length separated by an insulator. A coaxial feed from the two wires connects to the receiver. The center conductor goes to the antenna inlet and the shield goes to the receiver ground. The two ends of the antenna equal the wave length of the band you want to use it on. This antenna has good gain but is highly directional. Reception off the ends of the antenna are almost nil.

2008-11-21 04:37:19 by dtrmichigan