130 mile contact on HT

[xtatik]

Once I had a HT contact over 25,000 miles apart - oh, wait, - I was turned around....

LMAO.......Yeah, nothin' like working that long path DX with your HT.

[Willie H]

I have seen the arrow and piano wire yagi and it seems to work very well.

http://www.backpacking.net/makegear/yag ... index.html

My only issue is durability, music wire is not all the strong and there are a few other weak points (in my opinion only).

My plan for version 2 would use 0.125 aluminium in place of the steel I used and a different tube set up, lighter and more packable. My PVC version, four feet long, was terrible in some places to hike with on the daypack, and with the added over engineered gama match, is too heavy (though I could forgo my stove and gas and enjoy PB&J to make a place for it in my backpack if I needed to).

It was a learning experience . . . that may prove useful down the road.

We’ll see if we can hear you tonight!

I got checked in from the "secret spot" but the controller said I was scratchy. I didn't use the counterpoise though, that may have helped with my transmitting. I might go back up this weekend and try some other things while monitoring on Echolink. Anyway, I would like to check out your home-brewed yagis, if you have any pictures to post that would be great. I'm going to pick up an antenna book tomorrow to aid in my building too, any recommendations?

[sdnative]

Was the signal any better than from your house? I went up there last night around 8:15 and I was getting a pretty clean signal. Didn't transmit though and I was on the mobile. As good as you can ask for ~100 miles away IMO. Propagation changes throughout the year, but for the most part I have had excellent luck from that spot.

[DennisDawg]

I heard you check in and it was very scratchy and hard to read but for an HT, wow! It did really well!!! I’d love to know the secret spot as I might like to test from there sometime myself. I used to live in National City and then La Mesa in my Navy days! I love it down there.

The yagi I built looks more or less like this: http://www.tacodawg.net/images/Trips/20 ... _2881.html

I added a gamma match, but over did it, though it works well.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1 ... =872710642

To carry in the truck, it is fine but it is a bit heavy and way too long to enjoy on the pack. It was me learning, more of a rough prototype than anything else. Steel 0.125 round and PVC, it worked out pretty well.

Version 2 will be lighter and pack shorter but be strong enough for the trail.

I was looking at materials yesterday, and I looked at the Music Wire (as used in the Arrow Shaft Backpacker). All but the thinnest is remarkably heavy. They carry it at Ace Hardware in 36“ lengths. So if you were going to build one, a stop there, one more at Big 5 for arrows and then an electronics store, you’d be set!

I am going Aluminum on the next go I think. I think it will be sturdier and have bigger elements . . . while still not being huge like this PVC version.

As for books, I should read one on Antennas myself. Seriously, I did not read one. I have a very good background in electronics so I rely on that. I think the ARRL book gets good reviews but I didn’t read it. I searched about and then tried things until it worked. The first iteration was terrible, the second had a bad hiss on Tx and the third works pretty well. I tend to tinker like that . . . .


.

[Willie H]

Was the signal any better than from your house? I went up there last night around 8:15 and I was getting a pretty clean signal. Didn't transmit though and I was on the mobile. As good as you can ask for ~100 miles away IMO. Propagation changes throughout the year, but for the most part I have had excellent luck from that spot.

It was much better. I was receiving full quieting, which with some work I can get from my house. So far there has been no way to connect from home though. There is just too much terrain, too little power, and too small of antennas. I am working on the last two issues now. I scored some twin lead antenna wire from North Park Hardware, .10 cents a foot. I got an 18' section that was already cut to experiment with. It looks to be the same kind that is being sold by an antenna manufacturer as a roll up dipole. I noticed them at HRO today, and have seen them pre-made for sale in the $30.00 range. I might have some luck with it.

[Willie H]

I heard you check in and it was very scratchy and hard to read but for an HT, wow! It did really well!!! I’d love to know the secret spot as I might like to test from there sometime myself. I used to live in National City and then La Mesa in my Navy days! I love it down there.

The yagi I built looks more or less like this: http://www.tacodawg.net/images/Trips/20 ... _2881.html

I added a gamma match, but over did it, though it works well.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1 ... =872710642

To carry in the truck, it is fine but it is a bit heavy and way too long to enjoy on the pack. It was me learning, more of a rough prototype than anything else. Steel 0.125 round and PVC, it worked out pretty well.

Version 2 will be lighter and pack shorter but be strong enough for the trail.

I was looking at materials yesterday, and I looked at the Music Wire (as used in the Arrow Shaft Backpacker). All but the thinnest is remarkably heavy. They carry it at Ace Hardware in 36“ lengths. So if you were going to build one, a stop there, one more at Big 5 for arrows and then an electronics store, you’d be set!

I am going Aluminum on the next go I think. I think it will be sturdier and have bigger elements . . . while still not being huge like this PVC version.

As for books, I should read one on Antennas myself. Seriously, I did not read one. I have a very good background in electronics so I rely on that. I think the ARRL book gets good reviews but I didn’t read it. I searched about and then tried things until it worked. The first iteration was terrible, the second had a bad hiss on Tx and the third works pretty well. I tend to tinker like that . . . .


.

I might have to swing by Ace and Big-5 later today. I really like the backpacker yagi a lot, but I want to build a more sturdy one for tripod mounting to work satellites with. Do you put your stuff on an analyzer first? That's one of my big worries, SWR... Guess I need to invest in one if I am going to continue to build antennas hu? lol

I bought the ARRL Antenna Basics book today too.

[DennisDawg]

I have an SWR meter, old and well beaten. With handhelds it is not a huge deal, test on the lowest output first. When it is way off, you can tell because it will come across on the other end badly. There is also software, free even, to test your designs, though some of it works only somewhat well. I wouldn’t hook mine to my mobile and run 50 watts through it though, just the handheld. But the gamma lets one adjust it.

The backpacker yagi is not a bad thing at all. I looked at that one a long time. But, even the one I built, as over done as it is for the purpose, I have bent and messed up the elements and broken the boom. Maybe I am clumsy but I know I’d break the arrow shaft version over and over.

My plan it to use what I have to test the assemble-able aluminum elements and a much lighter gamma match (maybe not built backward like the one I made). When it works, I’ll make a two piece aluminum boom and put them into that and onto that.

I attached another picture of how it is today to this message. When taken apart the elements go in the PVC. The gamma and cables do not. A 4 foot piece of PVC can go into the T to make it easier to hold up when used here at home or around the truck.

As much as I complain, it is fine. I thought about building another and doing dual, vertical yagis to hit repeaters in far off places with just my HT and making a mount for a tripod like you mentioned. I do not know if that will ever happen but I’d be the geakest guy in Saline Warm Springs!

I tested it again today from Rowher Flats (pictures soon). I had no problem getting onto Keller 87 miles, Big Bear (K6BB) 97 miles, Randsburg 83 miles, several in Ridgecrest 98 miles (a little scratchy), and Trona (clear as if I was next to it) 115 miles, plus Catalina 70 miles (but does not really count because you can hit Catalina easily) and the local ones in Santa Clarita and on Oat Mtn (old Magic Mtn. Repeater – really nice people on that one).

From your secret spot to Keller, what is that distance? San Diego is about 102 miles to Keller, so you should be well in range with a pretty simple yagi.

I want to plan a trip to Santa Rosa Island and hope to get Catalina from there at 103 miles, but over sea so it should be easy. Santa Barbara’s repeaters are about 40 miles and should be easy to hit. But Catalina would let my friends in The OC and such talk to me.

A friend has a Smiley telescopic that does very well and looks good! More portable than the yagi and good for many things, 20 bucks!

I will by the ARRL book and read it!!!

[sdnative]

From your secret spot to Keller, what is that distance? San Diego is about 102 miles to Keller, so you should be well in range with a pretty simple yagi.

Here's the profile from the spot:

http://www.oausa.net/forums/viewtopic.p ... ile#p14117

almost 100 miles

[DennisDawg]

Yeah, with Keller you should have no problem then. I bet just a Smile Telescope would work pretty well. I was amazed at my friend’s success with it!

And, like in that post, Keller is one of the better repeaters around, so the Keller Repeater Association is a good thing to join so as to support it.

I can also get K6BB from all over. Try that one as well. There are really nice people on there and a lot of the locals in the big Bear area use it when on a hike or out and about, so we already have things in common.

Catalina is another great one worth trying. If you can get it, you can get most of coastal So. Cal.

[Willie H]

This is the first time I have heard of the Smiley. I had a Pryme AL-800 that was great, I picked up AO-51 perfectly with it, but was too slow on tracking and switching bands to make any QSO's on it. Then... I broke it. Great antenna but it felt like @$$ on my radio. I had to add a rubber grommet to the post to keep it from flopping around. I took it back and got a Comet CH-75. That is the one I was using to get Keller. The only down side so far to the Comet is the connector is painted, so I need to strip it and add the counterpoise. If you have never used a counterpoise with your HT, give it a shot. They really work well.

That is nice looking Yagi too by the way. What are the elements made of? Actually... full specs would be awesome! Just so I understand fully too, you are using a regular SWR meter? Same as used in tuning a CB antenna? I have one of those...

Disclaimer: electricity is all black magic too me, you know.. smoke and mirrors. I am trying to learn, but since I cant hit it with a bigger hammer to fix it, it is a little strange to me.