ham antenna

I was wondering if it's possible to convert a boomerang mobile tv antenna to work on 2 meters ham, and what would I need to do this?
I have an '07 PT Cruiser and thought that that would look cool on the car instead of the 5/8 wave mag mount that's on it now, plus also it would eliminate hitting low overhangs, the parking structure at the casino I work at etc. Thanks for any ideas. '73s KB9TKB

2 meter FM ham communications are all vertical polarized. The boomer is not, so even if you could get it to load up, it would have no vertical radiation so it would be mostly useless. Television broadcast is horizontal polarization by FCC regulation.

2009-07-19 23:09:48 by Randy W

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

we want to put up a 80 ft. pipe for a ham radio ="/Antennas/Antenna/">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

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

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

Over all length is 48.2-Inches (122.4 cm)
Average tuned SWR of 1.5 to 1 over 4 MHz
The conductor is double insulated 19 gauge copper wire
Lowest angle of radiation of any mobile VHF antenna
Rated at 400 watts AM, 800 P.E.P.

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

i have vhf radio and as amature id like to have both directional and omni antenna.since they are very costly.id like to do it by myself. only simple but powerful ant....... thanks

As a starter, find the American Radio Relay League. It is the core organization for amateurs in the U.S. and have many technical publications.

2007-08-21 00:23:51 by Ronald A