Bytes and Hertz: Beam Beauty

N3DNO's Antenna calculator

If you need a quick calculator for a dipole, vertical or three element yagi, this is the place to go. http://bfn.org/~bn589/antenna.html

DXE-UT-80P

Assembly tool for PL-259's on Coaxial Cable ...

DXE-UT-8213

Coax prep tool for Ham Radio. Works GREAT - no more razor blades & cut fingers!!! ...

The Super J-Pole Antenna(Collinear Design)

This is a copper pipe j-pole with gain. The site also includes a java script to calculate exact dimensions. Find it at http://users.marktwain.net/aschmitz/antennas/jpolecalc.html

6m Copper Pipe J-pole

Here is a very solid design for a 6m copper pipe J-pole antenna.
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2775/6mjant01.html

6m 5/8 Wave Vertical Ground Plane

Specifications 6MU Vertical Antenna

* Total length (including the 50cm mounting boom piece): 3,5m (2,95m effective)
* centre frequency: 51 Mhz
* bandwidth: 2 Mhz
* maximum tunable frequency range: 49...53 MHz+-
* impedance: 50 Ohms
* Gain: 3,6 dBi
* Maximum power using the components described: 20 watt
* NO counterpoise or radials needed if the boom is grounded or the boom length is >= 1,5m
* DC grounded (no static buildup)
* Height: 2,95m
* If needed, it can be disassembled into a very small bundle no longer than the longest element.

Be sure to seal everything up to avoid moisture, corrosion etc...

More at http://users.belgacom.net/hamradio/schemas/on6mu_6meter_verticalantenna.htm#58verticalgroundplane

W0VB - 2 Meter Weak Signal Station, Part 2

eHam: Lightning Safety

Lightning-human encounters cause burns, trauma and electrical interference with physiological processes, often with fatal results. This article addresses personal safety concerns with lightning. Antenna and grounding practices are covered quite well in recent QST articles as well as ARRL and other literature and are therefore not iterated here. Lightning protection for backpacking and blue-water sailing are not covered comprehensively in this article.

More at http://www.eham.net/articles/19773

Antennas By N6LF: Broadband antennas

In terms of percentage of frequency the 80m band is quite wide. Few antennas will provide a low SWR to a random length of transmission line over the entire band. Here are two antennas which will do just that and one of them will even provide 3 dB of gain over a dipole. Broadband 80m dipole, 747 kb, QST July 1995 and Improved double zepp , 2,581 kb, Antenna Compendium 4

Neighbourhood Dispute Over a Ham Radio Long Wire

Spiderbeam - High performance lightweight Antenna

This is a detailed construction howto for the Spiderbeam that is popular on DXpedeitons because of its light weight and ease of assembly and disassembly. There are other construction articles for this antenna. Do a Google search on "spiderbeam" to find them.
http://penbayarc.org/W1PBRnew/hmbrew/spiderbeam_constructionguide_english.pdf

Poor HF Conditions - The Truth Comes Out!

HF operators the world over have been very frustrated about the length and depth of the current solar minimum. Never has one been so deep and so prolonged, it seems. Bands above 15 meters have minuscule openings and rarely off the north-south path; 20 meters opens late and closes early. The MUF even drops below 7 MHz at night as the band "goes long" and then closes up shop entirely. Old timers just scratch their heads, trying to think of similar circumstances. The dreaded words "Maunder Minimum" are whispered in the back rows at club meetings, and new hams wonder when the oft-related wonders of 10 meters will ever come to pass -- or if they are just more gauzy reminiscences.

More at
http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2008/04/01/10034/

Hamradio Making the W3DZZ Trapped Dipole HF Antenna.

VELOCITY FACTOR (VF) OF COMMON COAXIAL CABLES

This from Dennis Minnick, KA8TQR

CABLE VF

RG-8 .66
LMR-400 .85
RG-8X .84
RG-11 .75
RG-58 .66
LMR-195 .83
RG-59 .82
RG-62 .84
RG-174 .66
RG-213 .66
RG-214 .66
RG-217 .66
RG-218 .66
RG-316 .79
RG-400 .695
LMR-500 .85
LMR-600 .86
1/2 HARD .81
7/8 HARD .81
LDF all ver .88

Tigertail Counterpoise - Part II

The conclusion of a two part series on how to make a tigertail counterpoise for your HT.

WW2DX M2 Prop Pitch Controller Demo

Here is a short demo of the M2 RC2800PX Prop Pitch Controller.

http://www.cqtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=086079795c442636b55f

Tail Twister on Steroids

This one from Roger Kaul, K3TM. If your interested in an antenna rotator that will never quit on you, consider a prop pitch motor. They were made for the military during WW2, and became available on the surplus market after the war. To give you an idea of how powerful these things are, the smallest which is just slightly bigger than a Tail Twister, has 15 times the torque. Interested? Check out http://www.k7nv.com/proppitch/

73, Gene - K8EE

A better way to install PL-259 connectors on RG-8X type coax

Here is an alternative way of installing a PL-259 connector by Dan Richardson, K6MHE.

When installing small coax such as RG-8X in a PL-259 using an reducer have you ever wondered if you were really going to get a good solid connection to the outer braid when you looked the holes in the PL-259 and saw only one or two flimsy little strands of the shield? Well, here is an unauthorized solution to that problem.

More at http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=12138

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