I decided to build a 80 meter, half wave wire antenna that takes full advantage of the phone portion of the band known as 75 meters, also this antenna will not need a tuner. I looked at some of the various web sites and still did not get a single idea as most of the designs were attached to trees, houses, or towers. There are no big trees in my back property and the ground is very hard and rocky, so any design that uses trees or buried ground radials as part of the antenna design was out of the question.... besides I hate to dig.
I did not want to be one of those hams that has wires all over the place. I also did not want to have to hand out special, designed maps to family and friends so they could navigate safely through my back yard without the possibility of being in-tangled in wires. I wanted something less obtrusive, something seamless, something that looked neat and most importantly something that worked well.
Be sure you pick a place for your New 80 Meter Wire Antenna that is not near Power Lines, Metal Roofs, Buildings, Trees, other Antennas etc.. I have seen times when I have made a complete resonate wire antenna and then gave it to a friend only to find out it did not work for him with out adding additional length or cutting length because there were way more obstacles on his property than I have on mine. There are many factors that will affect your wire antenna from functioning optimally..... your best bet if you can, get it up as high as possible, keep your antenna away from everything, like in the middle of a large dirt field. Have Fun & Good Luck with your New 80 Meter Wire Antenna!
1 - 25 ft Flag
Pole Kit ( Amazon $75.00 )
200 - ft LMR 400 Flex ( Ham Radio
Outlet $258.00 )
2 - PL-259 Amphenol Connectors ( Ham
Radio Outlet $4.98 )
1 - Alpha Delta Center Connection
Package with the 2 tie off insulators ( Ham Radio Outlet
$24.95 )
500 - ft Green 14 Gauge Solid Core
Plastic Shielded Wire ( Lowes 500 ft
Spool $80.00 )
2 - 50 lb Bags of Quick Crete
Cement ( Lowes $10.00 )
1st I
cut my wire at 2 lengths of 70 ft each. This gives me an Idea ( when
stretched out ) on where exactly my wires will be tied off. This also
enables me to hook the wire ends to a fence or what ever ...so I know exactly
where the completed antenna tie off rope will start. We know that the formula for a 1/2 wave
antenna is 468 divided by frequency. I am a General Class Ham and I want to use
phone ( or voice ) on the phone portion of the band also known as 75 meters which is 3.800 MHz: to 4.000 MHz: I will
make initial measurements for the middle of the band which is 3.900 Mhz.
So, 468 divided 3.9 = 120 ft ( that's 120 ft of total length...don't cut
anything yet!! )
Now!!! this it not my first wire antenna rodeo, and I know that if the formula
says 120 ft you better cut about 140 ft ( 2 - 70 ft same length pieces ). This
way you will have enough wire to tie the 2 insulators and the center feed point
....also you will have enough wire left to trim, so you can get to your desired
frequency range of 3.900 MHz: without any need for an antenna tuner.
I like to mock up everything before any final assembly. That way I do not make
too many mistakes when it comes to the final assembly process. For mock up I was
able to use an old patio furniture cement umbrella base to build the the flag
pole on ...it worked great and the base of the flag pole fit perfect over the
cement umbrella base stub. When I use coax from my shack to feed my antennas I
always wind a RF Choke 6 inches wide about 8 turns. I use 2 ball bungees to hold
the winded coax coil and try to get it near the antenna, in this case it will be
on the flag pole itself.
I also like to goop up everything with 20 year clear silicone sealer ...I never
have those problems that others do because of rain getting into their coax,
antenna or corroding connections. This silicone sealer dries clear so it will
look better in a few hours. I also slipped on 2 small sections of automotive
vacuum line and used the silicon sealer as a glue, just incase the wire was to
move around and rub against the flag pole causing a possible short by wearing
into the wire coating.
I try to think years down the road, in design and
construction of any antenna.
2nd Dig
the hole, put the Flag Pole into the hole, level and add cement. Be sure to
fully assemble the flag pole kit and level prior to adding any cement.
IMPORTANT: I know this sounds crazy but do not, just rely on your level, as you
will see with your eyes, if you stand back you will notice the pole will lean
one way or the other. I used the level then looked at it from each direction. I
still had to move it back a bit because it was noticeably leaning.
Remember it does not matter if your level shows perfect...stand back and look at
the Flag Pole fully assembled to be sure its straight. This has to do with, if
your bubble is less than 100 percent perfect in the viewer of your level on the
first 2 pole sections as the additional pole sections are added it will magnify
the smallest amount off, causing a noticeable lean. the worst thing is to have your friends say
it's crooked, it's leaning
3rd Wait a day or two before trimming your wire. That way you do not disturb the fresh cement you just pored.
4th
Raise the antenna to its final installed height on the flag pole and start to
trim both ends of the wire evenly, constantly checking your SWR Meter or Antenna
Analyzer.
IMPORTANT: either use a External SWR Meter or a Antenna Analyzer for checking
your match during this trimming stage.
Do not rely on your Ham Rig's Automatic Antenna Tuner. The new ham radios with
built in antenna tuner's will tell you your receiver "has a good match" but in
the real world, we first want to have a resonate antenna and there is simply no
substitute for an external SWR Meter or Antenna Analyzer at this trimming stage. I trim each end, come into the shack, push my automatic antenna tuner on my rig,
then calibrate and check my external SWR Meter while finding my flat match spot. I do this several times till I finally get real close to that 3.900 MHz: spot. Now!!!, like I have said "this it not my first wire antenna rodeo" I have
actually cut my wire antennas too short in the past in an attempt to be more than
perfect...so be careful. If you cut it too short you will have to solder another
length to each end or replace the whole wire and start the trimming process all
over..which sucks!.
After I completed this antenna my 75 meter SWR
readings are:
3.800 MHz = 2.0
3.900 MHz = Flat match
4.000 MHz = 2.1
The signal reports and receive are wonderful !!
We fly the American Flag in front of our property 24 hours a day 7 days a week and wind up replacing them about every 4 months. So it's extra nice to have another back up.
Life is about learning, and helping other as we go.
About me, my name is Sam and I am a Ham Radio Operator KI6DTC . We have lots of old radio gear that we fix and repair ourselves. I am also a Business Owner Billing Pros.Com in which we have lots of business equipment that we also fix and repair ourselves. I have been into radio since I was 13 years old, when Santa Claus brought me a Realistic Navaho TRC-30A Base Station (which I still have today). In writing this I am currently 48 years old. My father was a hard working man who provided a good life for me, my 2 Sisters and Mother, I know the $100.00 price tag plus antenna, pipe, and coax was a budget buster. But my Father also knew how much I wanted a Radio. In my younger days, my Dad and I had a very tumultuous relationship, but ..later in life as I became a Man, my Dad and I talked at least 3 times a day by telephone for over 10 years. My Father passed away 12-11-09 and I miss him dearly as he was truly my best friend: Keith Douglas Moriarity.
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