Tam/WB2TT wrote:
"Doug McLaren" wrote in message
...
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 ...
--
Doug McLaren, , AD5RH
The face is familiar but i can't quite remember my name. Oh, there it is.
Around here several mom&pop hardware stores carry Al tubing in 10 foot
lengths up to 1-1/4 OD. Also, building supply stores; not Home Depot or
Lowes. I would not use steel elements. For 432, you might be able to use
chunks of Al ground wire. Of course, there is Texas Towers, but I think the
longest piece you can UPS without a surcharge is 6 feet.
Tam/WB2TT
Also, try your nearest Welders Supply- for brazeing rods, tho, not aluminium,
would believe these are superior to piano wire! and is available in different
diameters, and lengths, and certainly better than most copper, or aluminium
of the same gauge in non-malialibility (more weight support if a bird lands
on it) Jim nn7k
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