See this link for more
"Cheap and Easy" 2 meter antennas.
Here's the antenna mounted on top of the camera tripod. It
is attached with zip ties. The feed is also secured with a tie so that is
doesn't strain the conductors or
connections.
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Note that center conductor from coax
is attached to the element pointing down in the picture above.
This was taken from the original plans. It is not known what
difference there would be if it was attached to the "top"
element.
Using the screws into the wooden block insulator allows
quick and easy attachment of the feed line. I would suggest stripping back
enough insulation, then securing the line in place first before attaching
to the "terminals". Use enough conductor to go around the screw 2-3 times.
Pinch and hold in place with needlenose pliers as you tighten the screw
down. I use this antenna mainly indoors and it is not left outside
unattended so I didn't bother with "weather-proofing" the connection.
For lowest swr, trim both ends equally in very
small amounts while using an external swr meter inline with the feedline.
It is always better to have too much length to start with on the
elements rather than not enough so you may want to cut the elements
long to start with before
tuning.
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When stripping the #12 solid wire, I clipped two small
pieces of insulation and placed them over the ends of the "elements" for
safety. They can be secured on with super glue or some other
adhesive.
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I
had a Motorola radio holster that is made of solid plastic from work. I
zip tied it also to the tripod's carry handle to provide a secure and
convenient location to "mount" the HT. The velcro strap seen has nothing
to do with holding the radio in place. It is a little mod I made to help
hold the speaker mic's plug in so that it doesn't work it's self out
(VX-150 owners know what I
mean).
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Rear view of the "radio mounting
hardware".
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I
also tried this design using a 16 inch long piece of wood.
I
inserted a screw in the rear so that a reflector could be added turning
the antenna into a 2 element Yagi. I did not notice any
difference in performance with the reflector from the design plans, but it
should be noted that I did not do any extensive testing and was only
trying to hit repeaters that I could hit already.
Perhaps someone else
could give it a try and report their
results.
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On the air comparison of rubber duck
and this new design antenna:
