[VHFcontesting] Antenna recommendations for Rovers

[James Duffey]

Bruce - The link I posted is broken.  That is the problem with posting  
links from secondary sources. Here is the correct link for the N2MH  
Moxon:

< http://www.n2mh.net/moxon.htm >

Sorry for the confusion. - Duffey

On Jul 27, 2008, at 11:54 AM, Bruce Herrick wrote:

> Hi Duffey
>
> I am interested in the N2MH Moxon, but your link is broken.  Any  
> ideas?  Somewhere buried on my hard disk I have correspondence from  
> Mark and when I have time I can look for it.
>
> Otherwise, Dan was looking for antennage for 903 and above, and the  
> loop yagis are great.  For the lower bands the WA5VJB yagis are very  
> good but the K1DY rover yagis, from Directive Systems, that Dan has,  
> are better, higher gain, etc.  I use them as well and have no  
> complaints.
>
> Bruce WW1M
>
>
> Rovers
>>
>> Dan - You wrote:
>>
>> 	I am looking for recommendations for antennas for Rovers.
>>
>> I use the WA5VJB Cheap Yagis and have been very happy with them:
>>
>> < http://www.wa5vjb.com/yagi-pdf/cheapyagi.pdf >
>>
>> They are easy to make from readily available parts, have good
>> performance, clean patterns, no fuss tuning, and are in fact cheap. I
>> have made the 3, 4, and 6 element 2M versions and the 11 element 432
>> Mhz version. They are good performers and hard to beat for the effort
>> and cost expended.
>>
>> For 6M, a Moxon is a good choice. It is easy to make and has good
>> performance, although at 2 elements it is a bit short of gain.  On  
>> the
>> other hand, it is compact and easy to handle and has a broad pattern,
>> virtues among rover antennas. Here is N2MH's version, easy to make:
>>
>> < http://www.n2mh.net/moxon.htm >
>>
>> Again, it is easy to make from available parts and if built to the
>> dimensions given is no tune. It is a big step up from a loop with
>> little more effort or cost.
>>
>> On my last rove, I used a loop patterned after:
>>
>> < http://www.dxzone.com/cgi-bin/dir/jump2.cgi?ID=16852 >
>>
>> for use while the car is in motion. I substituted aluminum U channel,
>> 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/2", for the half inch copper tubing and fastened the
>> ends together with self tapping screws. I added a fiberglass
>> stiffening rod across the middle. This is more complicated to build,
>> but still simple, and the parts can be had at your local hardware
>> store or home supply warehouse. It is a bit tricky to tune, but if  
>> you
>> have an antenna analyzer it is not hard. Performance is significantly
>> down from a 2 element Yagi or Moxon and this is not a problem with
>> sporadic E, but is for troposcatter contacts. If you mainly stop and
>> setup rather than operate in motion, I would not use a loop. They are
>> mediocre performers, particularly for loop to loop contacts.
>>
>> The 6 ft boom of the WA5VJB Yagi is easy to handle and put up and
>> down. I think one could go to 8 ft or 10 ft booms before it got  
>> clumsy
>> and I am going in that direction. I have used a 15 ft boom Yagi on 2M
>> when it was the only antenna on the mast, and that was doable for a
>> sprint, but I am sure in a full weekend contest I would smash it into
>> somehting else and with other antennas on the mast, it might be
>> difficult to handle.
>>
>> I am also considering longer 432 MHz antennas but pointing becomes
>> difficult. Stacking might be the answer, but then that complicates
>> things.
>>
>> As you can see, I am a big advocate of building your own antennas and
>> keeping them simple. Let us know what you choose to do. - Duffey
>> --
>> KK6MC
>> James Duffey
>> Cedar Crest NM
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>

--
KK6MC
James Duffey
Cedar Crest NM