Homebrew Antenna
I built this portable 2-meter (144 MHz) antenna from a plan in Vertical Antenna Classics, published by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). This simplest way to describe it is as a telescoping 5/8-wavelength vertical antenna above a ground plane of four folding telescoping quarter-wave radial whips.
The heart of the antenna is a BNC female-to-female chassis mount connector, to which I mounted a steel washer with four equally spaced holes. One of the quarter-wave telescoping antennas is mounted on each hole. I used 19.3" six-section whips that I purchased on eBay.
For the vertical, I used a Diamond RH-205 5/8-wave base-loaded telescoping whip, which is mounted to the upper BNC connector. A 3-foot length of coax cable with male BNC connectors at each end is attached to the lower connector.
I have not yet tested the antenna operationally; the author claims a theoretical 8 dB over the stock rubber duck antenna, though.
This was a great starter project, as the most difficult part was drilling the holes in the washer. It is very light and breaks down into small, easily-packed pieces. My hope is to extend my range during "Summits-On-The-Air" (SOTA) activations.
Homebrew Antenna
I built this portable 2-meter (144 MHz) antenna from a plan in Vertical Antenna Classics, published by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). This simplest way to describe it is as a telescoping 5/8-wavelength vertical antenna above a ground plane of four folding telescoping quarter-wave radial whips.
The heart of the antenna is a BNC female-to-female chassis mount connector, to which I mounted a steel washer with four equally spaced holes. One of the quarter-wave telescoping antennas is mounted on each hole. I used 19.3" six-section whips that I purchased on eBay.
For the vertical, I used a Diamond RH-205 5/8-wave base-loaded telescoping whip, which is mounted to the upper BNC connector. A 3-foot length of coax cable with male BNC connectors at each end is attached to the lower connector.
I have not yet tested the antenna operationally; the author claims a theoretical 8 dB over the stock rubber duck antenna, though.
This was a great starter project, as the most difficult part was drilling the holes in the washer. It is very light and breaks down into small, easily-packed pieces. My hope is to extend my range during "Summits-On-The-Air" (SOTA) activations.