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Re: [TowerTalk] Cover antennas - the good news and the bad news

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Cover antennas - the good news and the bad news
From: David Gilbert <ab7echo@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2020 22:17:38 -0700
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>

I would think that testing antennas today should be easier than it was when the K7LXC/N0AX report was done, and I don't see why an antenna range is even needed anymore.  A wideband noise source mounted on a drone with an appropriately polarized short antenna could fly around the antenna while a receiver on the ground connected to the antenna took measurements.  Drones are very stable these days even in stiff winds, and while I don't think GPS positioning would necessarily be accurate enough to define near field location, various ways of doing so from the ground (optical triangulation, tethers, etc) should be sufficient.  Far field measurements out several wavelengths could most likely just rely on the GPS coordinates.

All of that assumes reciprocity, of course, but even if that was in question I'd bet that it would be relatively simple and inexpensive to design/build a small receiver for the drone that forwarded signal strength data to the ground via an RF or optical link.

One big advantage of using the drone, of course, would be that the measurements could also be taken at the actual operating site, thereby including the effects of nearby structures.

I haven't seen any reports of anyone doing this yet, but I assume that people already have.

73,
Dave   AB7E




On 10/30/2020 8:35 PM, chetmoore@cox.net wrote:
Not a FLAME. But You would likely benefit from reading the k7lxc N0ax  
tribander report. After raeading it I ordered the  C31XR.   Force 12 is no more 
 but some of their antennas  are  mechanically improved and sold by JK and 
there are A lot newer tribanders  I would like to see them  test on their 
antenna range.  Hint,  tests of some of the mosely and hy gain antennas  did 
not fare all that well.  I had a TH6, a TH3 , TH7 and  a classic ta33 all of 
which worked
Pretty well..........in their day.   My th-3 is still a good  FIELD DAY antenna  and 
great as a mult antenna to grab  south American mults  so I don’t have to  
rotate the c31.

N4fx

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