Hey Eric - Nice to hear from you on this topic. I was not advocating that everybody operate with all homebrew equipment. Nothing wrong with commercial antennas, in fact I have a Cushcraft 13B2 that I
I just went back to look at the WA5VJB cheap yagis. They are specifically designed to be easy to build from readily available materials - wood booms if you want. HF guys tend to be even cheaper than
From the conversations I've had with non-VHFers, cost is a major issue to getting on VHF/UHF. On HF you can toss a $5 dipole in a tree, feed it witn junk coax and work a bunch of people on 80 and 40.
The wire antenna can be very effective at VHF and even UHF -- just as cheap and easy as the HF brethren, if not cheaper and easier with the reduced size requirements. Multi-element arrays and "curtai
That's exactly what I'll be doing hopefully in time for the 2m Spring Sprint. I have 4-5 guys interested in becoming "captive rovers" (just kidding about the captive part). Now I just have to dust of
Dave, Great idea. There should indeed be a market for a 50/144/432 tribander, if it's practical. The $130 Elk 144/432 single feed line duobander is only 2' long and works like a bandit on the satelli
Dave No doubt a VHF tribander would be a great boon to VHF activity. As far as I know only one was ever marketed. Ariane, the company that took over C3I when Owen Wormser retired, had one on their bo
Cushcraft has the 6270 triband yagi, but unfortunately the 2m and 70cm elements are vertical! It is the right polarization for 6m, though. 73s John AA5JG _____________________________________________
It's not just the antenna, it's also the feedline and the space at (or near) the top of one's tower. How many 2 meter ringos are still up there collecting oxidation from the days of packet and when p
Interesting discussion. I am primarily a rover and face somewhat a similar requirement to simplify the antenna situation. For me, it's more the desire to minimize the time to put up and take down the
Useful information Tom. K8CC and I have been talking about an in-line tribander with 2 meters in front of 6 meters and 432 in front of 2 meters. No intercalation. I *think* you can intercalate the el
I have this antenna up now. I went into it knowing it would be a bit of a compromise but it was the best fit for the size and layout of the station when I put it up. It is also nice for the 857/706/F
John, Your points about satellite operation are good ones, but this is a reflector about VHF/UHF Contesting, not general VHF/UHF operating. I think contest operation on satellites (other than Field D
The subject says it all. QSO exchanges on the -FM- satellites are similar to contest contacts, which makes them an excellent introduction, or a continual exercise of many contest skills. 73 de W4AS _