The 2 meter tape measure antenna k4ive version are you looking for an easy kid friendly project. Once you have cut the tape measure to length, put vinyl tape on the cut ends to protect yourself from the sharp edges. Most tape measures have a very durable paint finish designed to stand up to. Tape measure 2m yaga building class valley radio club. This will be the director of the antenna and will attach to the front of the antenna. Mods to joes tape measure beam tape measure beam kits. I decided to try to make contact with nick on vhf as it continue reading vhf 3el tape measure yagi. Measure and cut the four lengths you will need for this antenna cutting chart. 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. First, well reduce cost and then well add oscar sat. The tape measures are 25mm wide, which means that a full size 145mhz director element is self. Since the 2m yagi can receive so50 i know i could just make a second 2m version, but i figured i could use the 70cm version to work 440 on some sota work.
If you pull the tape past its end, youll find that its connected to a spring. The design of the wb2hol 2m tape measure yagi shows a great piece of lateral thinking, it is also is. 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. I did my first fox hunt more than 15 years ago and built a tape measure yagi antenna for that purpose. Once you have cut the tape measure to length, put vinyl tape on. Cheap yagi for 70 cm build this cheap and easy satellite downlink antenna by richard f. Ive read about every article out there on tape measure yagi construction and yours is the best. Hurst amateur radio club uhf tape measure yagi foxhunt. G8jnj fat max hf antenna 6m to 40m you may have heard of a 2m j pole antenna called a slim jim which is made from 300 ohm ribbon feeder well heres the g8jnj fat max hf antenna 6m to 40m a poor mans steppir. Note that the 440mhz band is very close to being a third harmonic of 146mhz, so a 2m antenna with sufficient bandwidth might also have low swr on 70cm. But it was getting a little bit scuffed and the cable was all ratty.
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. I cant even pick up stuff that my rubber antenna can. This link is listed in our web site directory since sunday nov 18 2012, and till today vhf 3el tape measure yagi has been followed for a total of 1287 times. In this tutorial we will look at how you can build a yagi beam antenna for 2 meter ham radio out of a tape measure and a few easy to find parts.
A simple yet effective 3el vhf yagi directional antenna that could. That was until i made a qso with k1maz nick while he was doing a sota activation. The beam as provided in the kit is good for 2m but it has also been successfully scaled for use on other frequencies including 121. Jan 02, 2018 a simple tape measure yagi for 2 metres 144 mhz. This little antenna is made from a steel measuring tape which makes it excellent for foxhunting. A machinist friend cut the pvc for the antenna, so those were accurate right up until i attached them just hand tight with no glue. Antenna projects for 144 mhz category is a curation of 148 web resources on, 2m big wheel antenna, feed line dipole for 2 meters, the tiny 3. Hurst amateur radio club uhf tape measure yagi foxhunt antenna. If you would like opportunity to build a tape measure 2m yagi, saturday, march 14 at 10. Cheap and light portable 2m yagi 9 db gain for less than 9 pounds build in march 2006 by maik, m0run in february 2006 i took part in my first ever foxhunt and there i had the idea to build this antenna. Thank you for your excellent write up on the vhf 3el tape measure yagi.
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. Pg1ns ham radio site 2m projects directional antennas. Simply twist the tape so it disconnects from the spring. The foxhunting receiver rox2a we used had a simple 3 element yagi with elements made of steel tape measure. Qst january 2012 your ham radio license in only one day. John portune, w6nbc any hams have made 2 meter lape hunting. The best diodes for use in the antenna are rf pin diodes. The two yagi s bend inward a bit from the force of the supporting rope. I test it receiving 2m fm, a 2m cw beacon and signals from the ao91 satellite. Construction plans for a tape measure yagi antenna, used to find hidden transmitters and fox transmitters. So out comes the tape measure yagi from the garage. The wb2hol tape measure beam is one of the standards for transmitter hunting. This antenna is designed for twometer operations, which, for a newbie ham operator, is one of the bands available under the technician license in the us. Its an antenna built out of pvc pipe, a tape measure and a handful of hose clamps.
You will want to scrape or sand off the paint from one end of each of the driven element halves so you can make a good electrical. Building a 2element tape measure yagi during the march 22, 2018 meeting, dave joseph w1amx discussed how to construct a simple 2element directionfinding yagi for 2 meters. The calculators for other antenna types such as parabolic,horn,dipole and patch are also mentioned. The tape measure antenna is a home brew 2 meter antenna made out of pvc pipe and a steel tape measure. The antenna is useful especially if you want a portable antenna for back packing etc. Antennas diy home brew projects and commercial offerings. For completeness this is not the only diy tape measure yagi on instructables so also check out fn64s 2 m band radio direction finding antenna for vhf and manukas 70 cm band 433. This antenna is designed for twometer operations, which, for a newbie ham. Heres a link to it in a pdf format w6nbc 2m70cm beam.
A simple 4 element 2 meter yagi made from coathangers or other common materials. Dual band tape measure yagi antenna by km4lgm 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. Virtually no ham antenna article today lists all the materials, tools and speci. This makes the 2 meter slim jim antenna a great solution for repeater sites, data and packet stations, aprs, and even every day. This is project two of three that will come together with a fun activity. The slim is an endfed folded dipole antenna that has a gain of 6 dbi and a nice low rf take off angle. In this article well take that design two steps farther.
I built one once and felt like an idiot realising that i was using another measuring tape to measure the lenghts. First, well reduce cost and then well add oscar sat ellite mode j capacity. If this is an omnidirectional antenna, you might not even need the 70cm. I want to make a 70cm to match my 2m tape measure yagi so i can use my secondary ht to make it easier to work so50.
Rox2a we used had a simple 3 element yagi with elements made of steel tape measure. Nov 16, 2012 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. This antenna is designed for the 2 meter amateur radio band. You might want to tin the tape measure elements before mounting them to the pvc cross. Tape measure yagi antenna construction easy to follow.
Are you looking for a project to encourage a new generation of ham radio operators. The tapemeasure antenna is a simple, handheld 2 meter yagi. A few local hams in whitecourt, got together at alex codes place on july 14th, 2018, to continue on with the great fox hunt project. I used 1ss103 pin diodes i purchased at a flea market. If you decide not to solder to the tape measure elements, there are two other methods that have been used to attach the feedline. 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. Our club is interested in fox hunting and ive been looking for a good design to have our. Now its time to step it up just a little bit and fabricate a bigger antenna. Ive taken what i learned from the gmrs continue reading homebrew 5 element vhf yagi. Wb2hol s 2m tape measure beam used mine to work the iss.
Building the wb2hol foxhunting beam by g3zoi updated 32005 the design of the wb2hol 2m tape measure yagi shows a great piece of lateral thinking, it is also is proven to be highly practical for foxhunts and ardf. Also, it makes an excellent school, club or boy scout project. Disassemble the tape measure by pulling the tape out of the case. Some are based on lookup tables, some completely hide their algorithms. Tape measure beam work the oscar ham satellites or go transmitter hunting with this inexpensive portable dual band handheld tape measure yagi. This page covers 3 element yagi antenna calculator. Does anyone have a link to or plans for a 70cm tape measure yagi.
Tape yagi camden county amateur radio society georgia. The yagi, jpole and nvis dipole and a glance at antenna design using 3d em software. They can be made using various materials and in varous sizes. The spring will recoil into the case and the tape will be ready for trimming.
Jan 12, 2016 radio direction finding and fox hunting can be great fun and is a popular activity with amateur radio ham radio enthusiasts. Tape measure yagi antenna 2m material needed tools needed 2feet of. A simple 4 element 2 meter yagi made from coathangers or. Satellite yagi 2m 70cm tape measure antenna hombrew diy. These antennas are great and are not only good for finding transmitter the tape measure antenna. A simple 4 element 2 meter yagi made from coathangers or other. With a gain of approx 7dbd it is the equivalent of multiplying your transmit output power by 5 compared to a half wave dipole. This project is unusual, so its something that will certainly capture the attention of anyone, particularly a kid. Feeding a dualband uhf and vhf yagi antenna amateur. And then everything else was a ehh, looks ok level of precision. Camden county amateur radio society georgia ccars inc. The tape measure antenna is a simple, handheld 2 meter yagi. First measure and cut some wire or rod to the dimensions we need. Aug 29, 2017 built a yagi 2m 70cm tape measure antenna for amateur radio satellites but this video shows me having a qso of a repeater about 2030 miles away.
John portune, w6nbc any hams have made 2 meter tape measure beams for transmitter hunting. Simply rotate the tape till the tab of the spring can be slid through the slot in the tape. With twice the gain of a standard jpole antenna, the 2 meter slim jim antenna is a jpole on steroids. A tape measure vertical antenna acadiana amateur radio. To scale this antenna for any other vhfuhf frequency, read the arrl article. The formula and basics of yagi antenna calculator are also explained with example.
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. A simple 4 element 2 meter yagi made from coathangers or other common materials by pete rimmel n8pr. It is quite possible, that other calculators deliver slightly different results. It contains formulas you can use to calculate element lengths and spacing, as well as boom length. Most diodes have a band which shows which end is the cathode. Testing a tape measure yagi antenna for 2 metres youtube. In a moment of madness during the eme contest on 12 and november 2005 i decided to have a listen on eme using my wb2hol 2m df yagi. The rg58 coax feedline is connected directly to the driven element.
Mods to joes tape measure beamtape measure beam kits. Dual band tape measure antenna for so50 ive now received the. Great idea if nothing else is available when the shtf. How to build a yagi antenna out of a tape measure ham. I tried as best as possible to get the exact dimensions of the pvc caps and cross tees but i found that the. Cheap yagi for 70 cm build this cheap and easy satellite. Since then we have become the largest manufacturer of amateur, cb, and scanner antennas and accessories in the uk we are also the largest local authorised dealer for alinco, kenwood, icom, yaesu and wouxun. The 2 meter band tape measure beam antenna is a 3 element yagi with about 7. Wb2hol tape measure yagi optimised for 2m direction finding zl2aps tape measure yagi for 70cm testing a 2m tape measure yagi one of my videos testing reception of a satellite the main disadvantage of tape measure yagis especially those on 2m is that in moderate to high winds their elements flex. Jan, 2014 for completeness this is not the only diy tape measure yagi on instructables so also check out fn64s 2 m band radio direction finding antenna for vhf and manukas 70 cm band 433. No matter what method you use to attach the feedline, make sure you scrape or sand the paint off the tape measure element where the feedline is attached. Due to material, i decided on a 5 element yagi built for vhf since all i would have to buy is more 38.
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