WRXZ797 Posted October 13, 2023 Report Share Posted October 13, 2023 Hello all. I am a new ham and I'm looking forward to building my first homebrew antenna. I have seen a lot of videos regarding the tape measure yagi on YouTube, and I'm planning on constructing my own. Mostly to hit repeaters in the area that are on the fringe of the range for my handheld (Kenwood tk-270G). All these videos give different measurements for cutting the various elements and pieces of PVC for gaps between them. I realize that the length of an element is going to be more resonant on on a certain frequency than others, but is there a length that will cover the entire band "pretty well" either side of the sweet spot so to say? If I cut it to be optimally resonant at 146.500MHz will that work decently enough on say 145.500MHz? Any bit of your expertise would be very much appreciated. 73's to all. KF0NVZ (Greg) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoxCar Posted October 13, 2023 Report Share Posted October 13, 2023 You may be better off with a simple dipole. A 1/4 wave will have the vertical radiator about 19" long. A panel mount SO239 connector can be had for less than $5 and the needed wire can be found in the big box hardware stores. https://www.americanradiosupply.com/so-239-uhf-female-4-hole-panel-mount-coaxial-connector/ WRXB215 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRYU400 Posted October 13, 2023 Report Share Posted October 13, 2023 I built a tape measure yagi for 440 back in 2007 from a QST article. It did in fact work, but only for handheld use as the elements flop in the wind. I picked up an Arrow dual band satellite yagi and it is much better but still handheld use. Sent using Tapatalk WRQC527 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRQC527 Posted October 13, 2023 Report Share Posted October 13, 2023 Might I suggest searching the interweb for "homebrew backpack yagi". There's a lot of plans, videos and tutorials online that describe how to build what you're looking for. Tape measure yagis work but it's probably cheaper, easier and lighter to build them out of stiff wire, arrow shafts, etc. I've built them this way and they do work, and they can be made to break down to fit in a tube for transporting. If you cut the elements for about 146 Mhz they cover the 2 meter band pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRXZ797 Posted October 13, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2023 Thank you all for your comments. I already have all the things necessary for the tape measure one so my investment is basically zero and I just want to kind of get my feet wet building stuff. I'm just hoping that I can get out to the local repeaters from my house and provide a stronger signal than capable with the rubber duck on the handheld. If I can do that I will call it a success. WRXB215 and WRQC527 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRQC527 Posted October 13, 2023 Report Share Posted October 13, 2023 54 minutes ago, WRXZ797 said: I'm just hoping that I can get out to the local repeaters from my house You may already be familiar with yagi antennas, but if not, remember that they are directional, so if you know where the repeater is, aim the yagi at it and make sure the elements are oriented vertically. Good luck. Building gear is half the fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Borage257 Posted October 13, 2023 Report Share Posted October 13, 2023 Gmrs MOXON is fairly easy too. Use any of the online calculators to get the measurements WRQC527 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRXZ797 Posted October 14, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 14, 2023 7 hours ago, WRQC527 said: You may already be familiar with yagi antennas, but if not, remember that they are directional, so if you know where the repeater is, aim the yagi at it and make sure the elements are oriented vertically. Good luck. Building gear is half the fun! Appreciate that. I'm looking forward to try to make a lot of my own stuff. I have very little technical background but the only way I'm going to learn is to just get my hands dirty and so a little trial and error. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PA141 Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 Lower profile than a tape measure yagi. http://wa5vjb.com/yagi-pdf/cheapyagi.pdf WRQC527 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WRQC527 Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 1 hour ago, PA141 said: Lower profile than a tape measure yagi. http://wa5vjb.com/yagi-pdf/cheapyagi.pdf I made many AMSAT contacts with this antenna and a UV5R. It cost me about nothing to build. I used scrap house wiring. WRYZ927 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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