Building a 2 meter Dipole Antenna (from a broom)

We built a 2m dipole antenna out of a broom handle, pvc and some other small pieces that we had laying around the house. Ham radio is such a wonderful hobby in part because simple builds like this are possible. No need for complicated and expensive builds... unless you want to! This amateur radio antenna's SWR turned out to be between 1.2 and 1.5 across the whole band, so not too bad.

[@AlanTuringWannabe]

It's cool to see young ones getting into the hobby

[@capnchip]

HOW COOL! Smart Dad and Smart child. Doin' stuff together! SUPER!!!

[@minkorrh]

Smart, involved parents make smart, involved kids. 👍👍

[@ipklondonuk]

I have just one comment, you should have finished the video with you saying to Hannah "can you sweep the floor" and her saying, "Er dad, where's the broom", nice video and great idea

[@PaulSchwanFlorida]

Drew, I just finished binge-watching ALL your videos on this channel! I enjoyed them all. What initially brought me here was a KZbin suggestion based on my previous searches for the IC-7300. Like you, I own the 7300 and am functionally a new ham just like you. In reality, I've been licensed since about 1970 with a few unlicensed years after my initial Novice ticket expired. Back then they lasted only 1 year and were non-renewable. I eventually got a new Novice license, upgraded through General, and finally stopped at Advanced. Family and work again interrupted my on-air activities, but KZbin got my interest going again. After going through my second "sell-the-old to buy-the-new" equipment phases I upgraded to the IC-7300. I'm loving the radio and loving HF again. Your KZbin videos are perfect for what I was looking for, and your topics beyond the 7300 were all very interesting to me. Getting your kids involved was a great idea, both for your viewers and for your 3 kids. Congrats to all of them for getting their Tech licenses! As a retired elementary teacher, I'm impressed with your simple and straightforward instructional style using a variety of approaches to produce your finished videos. All in all, I'm now a new subscriber and will be watching for what's coming next from your creative video studio. Hope to work you on HF, DMR, or via email or KZbin comments! Look me up on QRZ for the email address. 73 from SW Florida. de N4FTD, Paul

[@transmittinguntilrobotsrep1045]

Paul, That is great that you are back at it again and have been able to upgrade to a 7300. Sometimes life requires us to prioritize, and the hobbies rightfully come after family and work. The 7300 as you well know is a wonderful radio and a fun one for HF work. The simplicity of it makes it so easy to put down and pick up at any time. Your positive feedback is greatly appreciated and we are glad that you enjoyed the videos. I have a tremendous amount of respect for teachers, though that may be a bit self-serving as my career has been in K-12 education as well. Elementary teachers are amazing with their ability to communicate effectively and succinctly, something we are trying to emulate and hope to achieve one day. We are still trying to figure out our video production style, but positive and educational will be at the heart of it. I took a look at your QRZ page - Your journey sounds like it is producing many interesting stories. You should really consider sharing them. With your experience producing podcasts, that would seem like a natural venue. Now that you are semi-retired, you have tons of time, right?! Glad to make your acquaintance - please feel free to drop a line via email or comment anytime! 73 from the great winter wonderland that is Erie, PA - AC3DS.

[@Forevertrue]

Hey thanks so much. Looks like a good choice, thanks Hanna for all the work.

[@PortlandCandy]

When you asked Hannah what she thought when she saw the broom, I thought she would say either, “chores” or “quiditch.” lol You have a lovely young girl who I am sure is inspired by all that you do. I hope to be blessed with a little me someday to teach about the world and watch grow. I loved the music. Question for you- is there a reason why someone would prefer to make a quarter wavelength antenna vs half, or full. I’m really trying to understand this question and answer and hope you may clarify.

[@drewby4563]

Hello ! What coaxial is that & how many turns for the choke

[@wild-radio7373]

I really enjoyed watching this build!♡ Very cool :) 👍

[@transmittinguntilrobotsrep1045]

Thank you so much. That is awesome that you liked it. We've watched your videos and they are so unique and artistic - we love your ham style. 73 - KC3RPJ and AC3DS

[@joewillj]

I love the home build projects, great way to turn household items into functional ham radio equipment! - N6BFG

[@transmittinguntilrobotsrep1045]

Thanks for the feedback, we agree :) It is easy to get stuck wishing for the best even when there is a decent option just waiting for you in random inexpensive items. Also a fair amount of learning too! 73s. KC3RPJ & AC3DS

[@juliuszeidler1925]

Nice video, nice vibe. Love it! I don’t subscribe often, but today I did! 73!

[@GG-vx7gi]

Very good video. Looking to try some 2M A.M. and thinking something like this would be a good experimental horizontal dipole

[@ltbphoto]

That could be my floor - random electronics parts, couple long lost dice

[@transmittinguntilrobotsrep1045]

Sounds like you have an action-packed home as well! There are always a few random D&D or electronics bits lying around here, so not much staging of that scene was needed.

[@tweedandbriar]

Hi and thanks for the video. I followed instructions very closely. It looks fine, continuity is not an issue, and I used decent materials. However, I simply cannot SWR it, constantly reading VERY high and with a AT-5555 I get an S-HI warning almost as soon as I pick up the Mic - what am I doing wrong?

[@jimfisher5980]

would be nice to see measurements

[@winterphoenixforge483]

So I have a question, I understand the construction and the basics of dipole and. I am curious on what are your guys's power source and radio setup that you guys use on that antenna? I'm reckoning back to the part of your guys's video when you guys were explaining, when you guys later on the ground you got about 10 miles, when you had it up in the air, and then when you were planning on putting it up on top of the roof you were estimating that you guys would get somewhere around over 50 miles. What type of energy output wire to go 50 miles with that type of antenna? I currently have a ball thing five lot radio hooked up to a 25 - 40 w campfire that is currently hooked up to my vehicle. So the amplifier is putting out around 35 watts, would that be enough to transmit if I had it high enough?

[@ericgulseth74]

Cool. I have a few old metal broom handles sitting around. What radio and wattage did you run through the antenna?

[@PreferMetal1]

Dimensions used?

[@justinwhite6800]

Where did you two come up with the design I want to build one to play with KI5PIQ 73s

[@chrismamba466]

Salam kenal dari INDONESIA,YD1SGK 73

[@topsoutdooradventures]

Well Done!! New subscriber here...lol

[@transmittinguntilrobotsrep1045]

Thanks for subscribing. More good stuff coming very soon.

[@charlierumsfeld6626]

How many turns for the balun?

[@transmittinguntilrobotsrep1045]

Yikes, good question, and honestly, I don't remember what we used. We took this antenna down after using it for a while (worked fine) and so it has been disassembled. I'll see if I can find the details.

[@ottomueller4425]

That was scary.