[VHFcontesting] Re: [Yaesu] HTs and metal siding

[Glen Zook]

Any metal enclosure will affect the performance of a
portable (HT is a registered trademark of Motorola!). 
If you are using the "rubber duck" type of antenna
they are, in practice, about 9 to 10 dB down from a
quarter-wave antenna (your 5 watts acts more like 0.5
watts).  Replacing the antenna with a full sized
antenna might help.

Also, putting an antenna outside and running the
feedline into the room where you normally operate from
and using an adapter will be much better.  If the
feedline is more than about 15 feet long, don't use
RG58/U type coax (the losses are too great at 2 meters
and above).  Use at least RG8/U (RG213/U is the more
modern equivalent) if the line is over 15 feet long.

You can make a ground plane (quarter wave) very
cheaply or you can use a 5/8 wave mobile antenna
(about 3 dB gain over a quarter wave whip) with 3 or 4
radials, mounted on a metal plate at least 38 inches
in diameter (or square), etc.  By using an outside
antenna you will not only be eliminating the extreme
loss of the "rubber duck" antenna but will have an
antenna that is higher above ground and will be
outside of the Faraday shield of the aluminum siding.

Glen, K9STH


--- John Geiger <johngeig at yahoo.com> wrote:

I am wondering how bad the metal siding affects RF
inside.

There seems to be spots in the house where I can't get
in with 5 watts.

=====
Glen, K9STH

Web sites

http://home.comcast.net/~k9sth
http://home.comcast.net/~zcomco

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