On Sun, 17 Oct 2004 16:58:00 GMT, "Doug McLaren"
wrote:

I'm looking to make a 2m/70cm yagi antenna for working satellites.
The plans are out there, and it seems quite simple. (Or I could pay
$73 to Arrow Antenna, but I'll give it a shot myself first.)

So I hit Home Depot, and the closest thing I found to the approprite
beams was 1/8th inch steel rods. (Basically piano wire.)

It ought to work, and is stiff enough to not bend much under gravity,
but it's heavy, and I'll be holding this thing ...

The local hobby shop has more piano wire that's smaller, but it's
still steel, and as you get smaller, it looses the needed rigidity and
it sags too much.

The instructions suggest hollow alluminum tubes, which should be light
and strong, and a good conductor to boot, but where can I find these?

Also, I've seen Yagi instructions that suggest a that the beams not be
insulated from the boom, and I've seen instructions that say they
should be insulated from the boom (or the boom should be an insulator,
like PVC pipe.) Does it make a big difference? Does it affect the
dimensions of the antenna?

Thanks in advance ...

I believe Texas Towers in Dallas sells anything you might need in
aluminum tubing appropos for antennas. Their web page doesn't come up
right now; maybe later...

Bob
k5qwg