2 Meter Ham Radio Antenna - The Machinist Special

[@stevenbata2336]

I have had this radio for several years and this is the best tutorial on how to program channels into it I have seen. Thanks and 73s

[@dabugman6415]

You are correct Rob. We designed that originally at 90°radials, and then I thought what if we didnt have anything to mount it on, then the 45s come into play. I still have mine, I think. I'll see if I can dig up any designs or extra parts. That was a fun project. Thanks for sharing!!! Marc

[@SevenFortyOne]

It was a good project! And ad you saw the antenna still works well.

[@johnkenny2403]

Guys. Would love to see a video on how this is made in the shop. Not sure if you still have access to the machine shop or not but I am sure you could find some "maker shop" that would let you have access to the tools you need. This is the coolest little 2M antenna I have ever seen. Nice work.

[@1crazynordlander]

Thanks for sharing. Nice lathe project. All you would need to switch bands is different lengths of radiators and radials.

[@SevenFortyOne]

Marc may have made a set of 440 rods for himself....I didn't have that band back then.

[@ki6ada2005]

Great video. Thanks for sharing the story of your friend doing the machine work.

[@just_in_time5518]

That antenna is pretty cool!

[@w.rustylane5650]

Yeah, I like that little 2 meter antenna. Wish I had one. Or a machinist friend.

[@TheSmokinApe]

Cool antenna, thanks for the video 👍

[@TheRadiogeek]

Nice antenna design. Thanks for showing it off. 👏🏻👍

[@wushock92]

Cool antenna. A lot classier than the coat hanger antenna I built years ago

[@SevenFortyOne]

Marc did a nice job building this. He even had it anodized!

[@normjacques6853]

That 'ridge line' is the same one that was preventing me from hitting your 'home' repeater for so long. Nonetheless, not too shabby for a home brew antenna, and in a nice, portable package, too! If you ever wanted to add 2M capability for field day or a POTA activation, that would be a pretty easy setup.....and I have got to snag a 259C! LOL Nice job, Rob! 73 W1NLJ

[@SevenFortyOne]

Hey norm - I was thinking about the issues you have been having. Its entirely possible you are suffering from a high noise floor due to nearby RFI. Any solar installations in the neighboorhood?

[@normjacques6853]

@@SevenFortyOne ... There are some solar systems (residential) in the area, but nothing new. Last we spoke on 2M was the best my setup performed. I have reason to believe that I got some water in my coax which, after raising the antenna, began to migrate. Performance since has varied with temperature and barometric pressure. I have a new piece of RG-8U and I'm just waiting for a good day (and my son's assistance) to swap it in. BTW, the noise floor here is typically approaching zero!!

[@SevenFortyOne]

Ok Norm, just thought I'd mention that. Sometimws the noise floor can appear low but may actually be higher than you think due to broadband noise generated by switch mode power supplies. If the new coax doesn't clear things up then it may be worth me lending you an SDR radio so you can see what the noise floor looks like

[@SuperMeganw]

nice video very good to now from GARY IN THE UK 73.

[@buzzsah]

one of my first builds, 40 yrs ago.

[@kevinshieldsw1kps785]

I wish I had a machinist friend! That is really cool. Nice keeper! 73

[@themasterhammer]

Great video! I have a very similar home brew antenna on my roof. We tested it about 1:1.3 SWR at 146.0000. I am glad you showed the difference between angled and strait radials. I am actually going to change mine to straight vs angled. I can hit a repeater that is about 30 miles away using my 868. Thanks for the fun video. Looking forward to more!

[@SevenFortyOne]

its a cool little antenna. I wish we made more of them!

[@James_Bowie]

Neat little antenna. 👍 As I recall, the angle of the ground plane affects the angle of radiation, with the rule of thumb being that around 45 degrees below the horizontal is the 'sweet spot' for a low angle of radiation. BTW: What coax were you using in this video?

[@SevenFortyOne]

That was another advantage for the 45 degree "hilltop" config i forgot to mention in the vid. Coax was RG8-x

[@James_Bowie]

@@SevenFortyOne "Coax was RG8-x" ... Thanks. Due to the lockdown, I just bought some alleged RG8X from an eBay seller and it's as stiff as coat hanger wire. It's going right back!

[@chrisdamren2534]

Hi my name is Chris N1XJI just seen 2 meter machinist antenna was wondering how I could get 1of those I am disabled and I don't have the machines to be able to do with that person did but I really liked the design so I was wondering where I could get one like that

[@SevenFortyOne]

Hi Chris - sorry, there are only 2 of these in existence. They were just prototypes my buddy made in his spare time. He no longer works at the machine shop so I don't think he could make any more of them to sell.

[@tdumnxy]

Hi Chris, just my two penny worth. My father was once in need of a mounting for a piece of navigation gear and he asked around the area he lived. He was put in touch with a local man who had a home workshop lathe. The man was more than happy to have a small project to work on and charged my father just the price of materials and a few pounds for a drink. Home hobbyist lathe workers often have the capability but no projects to work on, so it is worth asking around. Maybe on your towns Facebook page or something like that. 73 M6EXF

[@normjacques6853]

@@SevenFortyOne ...Rob, was there ever a drawing generated for the aluminum 'block' that is the basis for the antenna? If so, it would be a simple matter for a hobbyist or small local machine shop to produce a bunch of those. From there, it's just 1/4-wave radiator & radials with a threaded end.

[@SevenFortyOne]

I did create a basic CAD drawing for Marc to work from but it's long gone now. It wouldn't be too hard to reverse engineer this and make a new drawing I suppose

[@andrewfiertek5937]

Next time you’re testing 2m get into the KB1CDI.org repeater system. 70cm, 1.25m, 2m, 6m, 10m and remote HF

[@SevenFortyOne]

I tried on this test but could not hit any of their machines because of the ridge to my south west. I might have been able to hit east Hampton but it wasn't in my coseplug....I'll have to add it.

[@Radiowild]

Neat antenna! How much power were you using with that HT? Been receiving ads on KZbin for ham radio lately. Have you?

[@SevenFortyOne]

I was running 5 watts on the HT. What are the ads for, products, or promoting ham radio? I haven't seen any for ham radio ads myself

[@1958johndeere620]

If you put your fox hunt beam in the house you would be fine. You could just drill a hole in the roof, put the pipe in your living room, and just turn the beam from the couch. Would your wife be ok with that??

[@SevenFortyOne]

This made me laugh....my buddy John (who built that fox hunting antenna) actually does have a 4 element 2 meter yagi in his living room behind his couch. He lives in a senior housing complex that does not allow outside antennas. He needs this directional antenna to hit the repeater we use. BTW, he has his wife's blessing as she is also a ham!

[@1958johndeere620]

@@SevenFortyOne I remember you doing some activation's there in the yard of his complex. I don't think I would want a beam next to my head transmitting. BZZZZZZZZZZ eat the brain. lol