A simple 4 element 2 meter yagi made from coathangers or. How to build a 2 meter yagi antenna with a gamma match. Easytobuild tape measure yagi for direction finding. The 2 meter band tape measure beam antenna is a 3 element yagi with about 7. In the next three steps, mark both side panels to show where the elements will pass through. Simply download the yagi cad program and put the tape measure beam design file in the same directory. A simple 4 element 2 meter yagi made from coathangers or other common materials by pete rimmel n8pr. The final length of the vertical element came out to be 2514 64. All you need is two rabbit ear antennas from radio shack, two catv baluns, four feet of 34 cpvc pipe with one tee, and a bit of time. If you want to dedicate the antenna for operation on a relatively narrow set of fre. The traditional 2m tape measure beam the plans that i offer on my site, a common one performed remarkably well receiving arissat1, as well as ao51 and so50. Hurst amateur radio club uhf tape measure yagi foxhunt.
The tape is cut in the center and there is no electrical connectivity between the two halves of the driven element. You will then be able to experiment with the design. So with a little experimentation i found out that 19mm tape can be simulated as mm circular elements. Jul 19, 2015 dual band tape measure yagi antenna july 19, 2015 amateur satellite, antennas, ham radio amateur radio, antenna, ham radio, satellite, saudisat 1c, so50, yagi michael while i wait for my arrow antenna to arrive, i thought i would experiment and build a dual band tape measure yagi since i already had most of the parts on hand. First, well reduce cost and then well add oscar sat. A 2 meter and 70 cm portable tape measure beam work the oscar ham satellites or go transmitter hunting with this inexpensive portable dual band handheld tape measure yagi. The formula and basics of yagi antenna calculator are also explained with example. The tape measure antenna is a simple, handheld 2 meter yagi. The flexible measuring tapes make it easy to transport, and the pvc comes apart to make it even easier to carry. And connected to the steel tape by means of a nut, bolt and solder tag at the start of the. Are you looking for a project to encourage a new generation of ham radio operators. This link is listed in our web site directory since sunday jan 26 2014. Yagi antennas for ham radio use, manufacturers, plans and design category is a curation of 107 web resources on, tape measure antenna, projects and info center, two portable antennas for 6meter.
John portune, w6nbc any hams have made 2 meter tape measure beams for transmitter hunting. Its an antenna built out of pvc pipe, a tape measure and a handful of hose clamps. Youll love this small high gain 4 element yagi beam antenna. I went out in the back yard of my house and im sure my neighbors think that im training to be a jedi fighter or something with the way i was waving the antenna around. Pg1ns ham radio site 2m projects directional antennas. Each element requires two dowels to form the crossarm assembly, so offset the hole locations by 12 inch see.
Each half is held in place by a screw and a wedge fit between the. The main category is ham radio directional yagi antennas that is about yagi antennas for ham radio use, manufacturers, plans and design. Construction plans for a tape measure yagi antenna, used to find hidden transmitters and fox transmitters. That was until i made a qso with k1maz nick while he was doing a sota activation. You can try martin meserves k7mem online calculator.
This link is listed in our web site directory since sunday jan 26 2014, and till today tape measure yagi antenna has been followed for a total of 625 times. Cheap yagi for 70 cm build this cheap and easy satellite. All you need for this antenna are 3 pcs of 4 mm diameter threaded rods, a pvc. This page covers 3 element yagi antenna calculator. The calculators for other antenna types such as parabolic,horn,dipole. A simple 4 element 2 meter yagi made from coathangers or other. Make sure to use an accurate swr meter thats rated for opera tion on the 2meter band. Hurst amateur radio club uhf tape measure yagi foxhunt antenna. If you pull the tape past its end, youll find that its connected to a spring.
Tape measure yagi beam antenna parts list 1 25 foot 1 inch wide steel tape measure 1 10 foot piece of 34 inch schedule 40 pvc tube 2 34 inch pvc cross connectors 2 34 inch. Using the traditional 2m tape measure beam performs very poorly on so50 or receiving any cubesats with a weak downlink. Jan 30, 2012 a bit of advice is to measure from the tip of the drill bit 14. Use a screwdriver and pliers to release one wire from beneath one of the rivets on the 58inch element. I added a 5 turn on 12 pvc choke to these ones, certainly didnt prevent it from working. All you need is two rabbit ear antennas from radio shack, two catv baluns, four.
Tape measure antenna i began my antenna using the design on joe leggios, wb2hol, website theleggios. Make sure to use an accurate swr meter thats rated for opera tion on the 2 meter band. I added a 5 turn on 1 2 pvc choke to these ones, certainly didnt prevent it from working. It is quite possible, that other calculators deliver slightly different results. Dxer i thought it must be possible to build a simple and light.
I considered a tapemeasure yagi, but i thought that constant use would eventually result in broken tape measures. The best diodes for use in the antenna are rf pin diodes. This antenna is designed for twometer operations, which, for a newbie ham. I used 1ss103 pin diodes i purchased at a flea market. Oct 28, 2012 ham radio 2 meter antenna made with an old coffee can.
If you feel uneasy about drilling the element, you should have a couple of inches of scrap rod that you can test both drilling and tapping on. This sketch shows a semiexploded view of the antenna. This lightweight antenna is perfect to use for fox hunts or as a portable directional antenna for public service events. Fitting each piece together, the 11 12 piece connects between the tee and the first cross. I hooked up the antenna to a swr meter bridge and was seeing 1. Collapsible 3element, 2meter yagi ae5ph radio notebook. A fiveelement quad antenna for 2 meters by jim reynante. Hurst amateur radio club uhf tape measure yagi foxhunt antenna 1 2 1 1 4 1 8 hairpin match 12 or 14 awg solid copper wire form to shape sand away paint solder coax and hairpin match to driven element on tape ends to bare metal view a 11 16 spacing 5 turns rg58 coax and wrap with tape center freq. After seeing a lot of articles written about making a three element yagi using pvc and a tape measure, i was interested but not excited about it. Hurst amateur radio club uhf tape measure yagi foxhunt antenna 1 2 1 1 4 1 8 hairpin match 12 or 14 awg solid copper wire form to shape sand away paint solder coax and hairpin match to driven. Tape measure yagi antenna 2m material needed tools needed 2feet of. Then i used mmana 4 to remodel the dk7zb yagi for the elements made of my steel tape measure.
First measure and cut some wire or rod to the dimensions we need. Most diodes have a band which shows which end is the cathode. Feb 07, 2017 the 2 meter band tape measure beam antenna is a 3 element yagi with about 7. Each half is held in place by a screw and a wedge fit between the dowel and the pvc pipe. This project is unusual, so its something that will certainly capture the attention of anyone, particularly a k. We want enough beam width so aiming is not critical. The antenna is useful especially if you want a portable antenna for back packing etc.
Please use all safety cautions while working with tools and parts. Qrp to the iss doug cook, kd5pdn contacting the international space station with a few watts and a shoestring budget antenna. The tape measure antenna is a home brew 2 meter antenna made out of pvc pipe and a steel. Simply download the yagicad program and put the tape measure beam design file in the same directory. Tape measure yagi antenna 2m material needed tools needed 2 feet of.
I also found designs that stowed the aerials in the boom. The tape measure antenna is a home brew 2 meter antenna made out of pvc pipe and a steel tape measure. Pvc cross 115 steel tape measure 34 or 1 wide 6 114 stainless steel hose clamps 5 of 1418 gauge wire solid or stranded electrical tape sandpaper electrical solder. John portune, w6nbc any hams have made 2 meter lape hunting. But the tape measure is far away from being circular. This antenna is designed for the 2 meter amateur radio band. Tape measure beam optimized for radio direction finding joseph. A portable 2element vhf yagi may, 1997 heres a simple saturday project.
Tape measure yagis camden county amateur radio society. Simple and easy to make using parts from an old tv antenna. The dipole is made of 2 parts of tape measure with a. Jan 02, 2018 a simple tape measure yagi for 2 metres 144 mhz. Testing a tape measure yagi antenna for 2 metres youtube. I considered a tape measure yagi, but i thought that constant use would eventually result in broken tape measures.
Tape measure antenna i began my antenna using the design on joe. Adjust the clamp sections as necessary to get the lowest reading. Yagi antennas for ham radio use, manufacturers, plans and design category is a curation of 107 web resources on, tape measure antenna, projects and info center, two portable antennas for 6 meter. A portable 2 element vhf yagi may, 1997 heres a simple saturday project. There are many websites that will calculate the length of and length between the elements on a yagi uda antenna. This would be accomplished by the use of steel tape measure elements. This antenna is similar in construction to the 2meter ofc sleeve dipole i built over 8 years ago, but it is a simple centerfed dipole. Easily built from pvc, tape measure material, hose clamps and a short piece of coax. The 7 piece connects between the first and second crosses.
With a gain of approx 7dbd it is the equivalent of multiplying your transmit output power by. The tapemeasure antenna is a simple, handheld 2 meter yagi. Rosin core solder tape measure with 1 wide tape pvc glue tools needed soldering iron tape measure pipe cutters wire stripper shears or scissors sand paper. Tape measure yagis so named because the elements are made from a metal. With a gain of approx 7dbd it is the equivalent of multiplying your transmit output power by 5 compared to a half wave dipole. Thank you for your excellent write up on the vhf 3el. Disassemble the tape measure by pulling the tape out of the case. Mark also suggested i bake the yagi in a low temp oven for a day or so to drive all moisture out of the wooden boom, then give it a coat of clear lacquer. I used 18 gauge solid copper wire, but im told anything works. In this article well take that design two steps farther.
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