[VHFcontesting] The Humble Dipole

[Eric Smith]

Six meters??? Try one on 1296 for a "challenge"...  My
first rover antenna for 1296 was a coaxial dipole stuck
into a soap bottle "radome" to keep the water from shorting
the feed on rainy days.  There is a picture of this on the
PNWVHFS website believe it or not...

>From a decent mountaintop I could work just about anyone on
the band in the area with only 3 watts out of the
transverter.  The Big Wheel worked better due to its higher
gain and non-directivity.  When I got the 56 element looper
on the rover rig I could haul the signal over a much
greater range, but generally didn't work that many more
with it.
Not that many folks on 1296 around here, but a weekly net
in the area has gotten more interested and on the air.

Eric
KB7DQH