[VHFcontesting] Fixed antennas and indoor installations

[k4gun at comcast.net]

That's a good idea.  For that matter, since weight isn't an issue, you could use a 2x4 as your boom.  Heck, if the house was situated the correct way, you could build it into the cross members of the rafters.  

Steve - K4GUN

-------------- Original message -------------- 
From: N6FD <n6fd at mchsi.com> 

> If you are worried about the cost of the fixed yagis, this would seem an 
> ideal situation for a rope yagi. There was an article a few years back 
> about someone who made a 100 element 2M yagi using welding rod and 
> rope. The elements are cut to length and tied onto a couple of ropes 
> and then suspended in the desired direction. Since you don't have to 
> worry about weather in the attic, this could be done very simply. 
> 
> A quagi feed would probably work well. I built one out of 1x2 wood and 
> 12ga copper wire along with some copper welding rod directors that got 
> me through my first few VHF contests. Seemed to work as well as the 
> commercial antennas; just didn't last as long out in the weather. 
> 
> 73, Erich, N6FD DM15dp 
> 
> Les Rayburn wrote: 
> > On the VHF Contesting Reflector, James Duffey, KK6MC posted some interesting 
> suggestions for an amateur who wanted to try VHF DXing, but was going to be 
> limited to indoor antennas. As you all know, this subject is near and dear to my 
> heart. (ha, ha) 
> > 
> > One suggestion James made was adding fixed long boom Yagi's pointed towards 
> major population centers to supplement shorter antennas that would be mounted on 
> rotors. This fits my own situation to a tee. While I've nearly maxed out the 
> length of antennas that can fit on my rotor stack in the largest void, I have 
> several other pockets in the attic that could support higher gain antennas in 
> fixed directions. 
> > 
> > For this to work, I'd need to work out some sort of switching arrangement, 
> which introduces loss on all the antennas connected...so have to think about 
> that a bit. 
> > 
> > The real issue for me would be deciding where to point the antennas. Contest 
> scores are not my main goal, working new grids especially on 2 Meters and 432 
> would be. My first thought would be generally Northeast and Southeast, since 
> there are quite a few guys active in North Carolina, and also in Florida. To the 
> west doesn't help me much unless an opening gets into Texas...East should be 
> good with Atlanta in the beamwidth, but there just doesn't seem to be a lot of 
> activity in that direction. 
> > 
> > Any suggestions on how to make this choice? 
> > 
> > 73, 
> > 
> > Les Rayburn, N1LF 
> > EM63nf 
> > 
> > 
> > Les Rayburn, director 
> > High Noon Film 
> > 100 Centerview Drive Suite 111 
> > Birmingham, AL 35216-3748 
> > 205.824.8930 
> > 205.824.8960 fax 
> > 205.253.4867 cell 
> > _______________________________________________ 
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> > 
> > 
> 
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