Get Into Solar Cheap & Easy

Let's Take A Look At Some Good Inexpensive Ways To Get Started In Solar Power. Does Wire Gauge Affect Antenna Performance? Do Attic Antennas Word?
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[@4X4-RADIO]

I live in a small "UK" House with "attic antennas" I have squeezed by bending the wires around the supports Dipoles for 17M(Favourite Band) and 10M They are connected to a 1:1 LDG Balun, SWR is less than 1.5 : 1 I have worked 179 Countries on 17M inc ZL 4 times at @ 18,100km and many VK's + 17M WAS, oh and this is with 10W Remember "any" antenna is better than "no" antenna, it just takes more effort and perseverance.

[@peterdekeles.]

Answered a lot of my solar questions. I have an EFHW in my attic and have work all over the world. You're right, Just try it

[@OG_JoeC]

I run this antenna in my attic, MFJ End Fed 1/2 Wave 300W 40M-10M Wire Antenna MFJ-1984MP, and have made contacts all over the US, Europe, and South America. It is a little noisy and picks up QRM from my A/C when it runs. Not a perfect solution, but it works. I also have an Ed Fong j-pole for 2m/70cm up there and it works great

[@Philip-KA4KOE]

An antenna anecdote...true story. I put up an 80/40 vee. I built the vee out of 15 KV neon sign wire with THICK...theeee-iick insulation. It was cheap wire. I ended up taking about 4 feet of wire off EACH end to get the thing to resonate on 75m. So yes, insulation does matter!

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Great video as always 73s brother 17:20 @Ham Radio Tube

[@floydteter4323]

Attic antennas can work. I'm running the Chameleon ECOMM II in an inverted V with a 20 foot counterpoise in my attic. Have worked the world with digital and SSB. It's worked really well for me - better than expected.

[@royarchibald6392]

I lived in a second-floor apartment for a short while and had a 20m Double Bazooka around the ceiling hanging by command hooks and easily made domestic and DX contacts.

[@AntonioClaudioMichael]

Love the Goonies Shirt Bro and Great informative Video @Ham Radio Tube

[@paulsengupta971]

I built a Cobwebb antenna for my attic. I'm in the UK and only have a small house. The Cobwebb is a fan dipole folded into a square of sides less than 3 metres. I have it for 20m to 6m. On VHF/UHF, I just have a vertical car antenna up there which works great, I can get out to 40 or 50 miles in the right direction (I have hills to the south so can't get past those apart from through the gap!).

[@nilesdavis5216]

I have an Alpha Delta DX-EE in my attic, it works well. I had to run it in the exact middle of the trusses to minimize the SWR. I have made contacts all over the US using it.

[@CaseyMorton1]

Just recently moved into a 2 story house. Downside is its in an HOA neighborhood. Upside is it has an absolutely monstrous attic. I figured go big or go home so I grabbed a G5RV mini with the intent to put it up across the attic. I realize with the ladder line not being perfectly vertical this wont be ideal, but the price was right so i figured id give it a shot. Now i just have to figure out how to get the coax down to my office/shack which is on the first floor. Will report back with my findings.

[@kenchilton]

Other factors I did not see already mentioned on attic antennas is which way the house points and how big the attic is. I have had many successful antennas in the attic back when I lived in a HOA area. The advantages to attic antennas is that you can get to them to tweak them while they are in place, they are hidden, and they are not in the weather and not affected by wind and ice sag. The disadvantages include that limited space and direction, the material of the roof does attenuate a bit, the likelihood of noise in the house getting into the receive and transmit into house electronics, and snow loads on the roof will attenuate a bit. I have used lots of antennas there, including ones that fit for the wavelength and shortened ones with a loading coil. In one house I had several set up permanently, including a dual band 2m/70cm vertical, a mobile antenna with a loading coil laying sideways and adjusted the orientation to work where I wanted, a 10m dipole right below the ridge, a 40m dipole that I bent the ends at right angles so that it would fit along the inside of the overhang side of the attic, and several more temporary ones that I would install or experiment with like one I made from what looked like long CB antennas I got from a ham feet and one made from slinkys. Even though I don’t live in an HOA area anymore, I still have an HF antenna in the walkup attic to supplement the ones in the yard. It works well given the short space. It is the same mobile antenna I had laying on its side I had back in the HOA house. It often does better DX than the ATAS vertical mounted outside above the roofline, and you know the ATAS is no slouch. So, I would certainly encourage him to try it.

[@lorencooper1287]

At one time back in the '80s and '70s there was an indoor antenna from floor to ceiling by high game. You might be able to make one like that with some men telling knowledge. I haven't seen one in the marketplace if we used equipment. Good luck and happy handman!

[@Mandarin110631]

thanks Mike for everything- love MBM!

[@ratchetman]

Great questions and excellent answers.

[@WilliamParmley]

Great info, thanks!

[@bruehlt]

Hope you still have power! I've heard that there are hundreds of thousands without power in TX. Good thing you have the solar!!

[@davidsradioroom9678]

I saw a picture of one ham's indoor antenna. It was two metal Slinkys that were affixed to the ceiling of his shack. Go with what works.

[@jerryKB2GCG]

one of my first antenna’s was anG5RV with ends bent and it worked well enough

[@SCTaylorTX]

Hope you’re safe Mike. Ripped through nw Houston this morning! We’re good but no power and this couldn’t have been better timing. I’m unprepared for this!

[@rufusrizzo78]

If you're looking for a battery box for a 100ah battery. Rigid makes a "Pro Gear System" of stacking tool boxes like the Milwaukee, but for a fraction of the cost. The other good thing is the "handtruck" wheels come off the bottom box, so it will fit in my truck bed with the tonneau cover. If you don't care about the bottom box height the Harbour freight modular tool boxes are nice for the cost. The Rigid has some expensive tool boxes with "shop tool box" like drawers which are really nice. They also make wall mounts so you can build a ham stuff wall that you can pack up and take to the field.

[@jameski5oeb668]

Thanks for the insight into solar.

[@KeepEvery1Guessing]

Re: Attic antennas; Another potential issue, even if you have asphalt shingles over tar paper and wood, you MIGHT have foil backed fiberglass insulation (particularly likely for a "walk up" attic), then you still have a Faraday cage, and an inside antenna is going to work very poorly. If, on the other hand, you, from the inside, see bare wood between wooden rafters (and studs at the gable ends), and attic antenna can work pretty well, but don't waste the Buddipole, just string wire around the periphery, maybe using ceramic insulators (or something home brew made from, say PVC pipe) to space it from the wood to corona from high voltage points from being a fire hazard. The ends are always high voltage points, and you can help there by making it not sharp by adding a blob at the end (maybe even a copper plumbing fitting, a coupler, and elbow, whatever is cheap, and since this adds capacitance, any calculated wire length will need to shortened (more of a capacitance sock than a capacitance hat)), which you still want to non-conductively space from things that are flammable. You could do an end fed half- wave for the lowest of 80, 40, 20 that fits, since that tunes well on all harmonics, where as center fed half waves only tune on odd harmonics, which is mostly useful for getting 15 (and maybe 6) from a 40m dipole, or 10 (and maybe 6) from a 30m dipole. I'd be tempted to try a dipole with each side the Rybakov length of 25' 8" (7.82m), center fed with a 9:1 balun (not unun), which I would hope to tune pretty easily on 80m and up. There are a few examples of in attic wire antennas in various volumes of ARRL's "Wire Antennas" books, which probably came from QST articles, which you can search online if you're a league member. Expect to have to adjust wire lengths in whatever form you use. Re: Antenna wire gauge (element diameter); Insulation and larger conductor diameter each decrease velocity factor, meaning that the element will be slightly shorter than calculated based on the speed of light. And thick elements do, indeed , tend to increase bandwidth. A hazard of really small wire is that resistance will increase, and if it becomes noticeable as compared to the antenna's radiation resistance, signal loss will increase both on transmission and reception, even if you're not running enough power to melt the conductor at the voltage nodes (where the current is maximum). Further, because of skin effect (is that still part of he license exam?), you can't use the DC resistance of the wire, since that uses all of the wire's area, while RF only flows through a thin "skin" near the outer surface. That's why aluminum tubes are such a good choice for big Yagis and for TV log periodic antennas. It's also why Copper-weld (a steel core, providing mechanical strength and stretch resistance, surrounded by a copper conductor, where all the RF flows) is such a good choice for a permanent wire antenna with long unsupported spans. Copper clad fiberglass is probably lighter for a given strength. Insulation also somewhat reduces the effect of raindrops or condensation clinging to the wire. But almost anything that will stay up will work. Even aluminum wire will work, if it is thick enough.

[@HowToHam_Tom]

Stellar episode. No fluff All good stuff!

[@jackK5FIT]

I apologize in advance for the long answer. First, I like building antennas. One of my first antennas was a 10meter dipole in my attic and my very first contact was 1570 miles to San Diego, CA. All my VHF/UHF antennas are in my attic and I connect to 8 repeaters in my area out to 30 miles. They are also protected from lightning in the attic. I've built probably a dozen EFHW with either 14ga or 12ga stranded copper wire and I can't see any measurable difference. If you need more power just double or triple on the toroids in the 49:1 transformer. I run 500 watts into a 2 toroid 49:1 EFHW 12ga wire on ssb with no problem.

[@BLACKHEAT1028]

I use a random wire either 73' or 130' in length (up in a tree about 40'-50') 18 gauge with either a 4:1, 5:1, or 9:1 and 600 watts amp and have not had any issues at all.

[@dougdaniels]

A fan dipole is a smokin' attic antenna, as long as the roof construction is favorable, as you say. I've had one (10/15/20) work wonders in one house and not at all in another.

[@1shARyn3]

one consideration for strung antennas (ie dipoles) heavier gauge is less fragile (less likely to stretch or break) than thin wire. Otherwise, don't sweat the small stuff

[@bkeefe32]

I have a DX-EE in my attic as an inverted vee. 216 DXCC so far with it.

[@BMCTackle]

I have an Ed Fong 2 meter antenna in the attic, it works excellent, and I can recommend it 100%, that said, HF - forget about it. Reception is compromised, possible to TX “ok” but it ain’t good, no matter how you slice it. If you have the ability to put up wire outdoors, do so! You will be much happier going that route. I spent some (actually a lot of time) messing around with this, and the results were not acceptable. I use my radio for SSB exclusively, so I have no clue whether the FT8 and digital modes work or not. I have no metal in my attic or on the roof, nor do I have any conduit or AC/heater ducts. Nice big space up there, but it did not pan out. I have a very well hidden DX Commander Rapide, very pleased! Wish I went that route. Louis WW7GBA

[@paulsengupta971]

If you really want to increase the bandwidth, forming a caged dipole would be the way to go. I've wanted to try one for 10m for some time!

[@RedBaron0962]

I have a copper jpole in my attic. It works fantastic. Once I get my general I will definitely figure out what I can do for hf in hoa

[@spacepowers]

I have a random wire on an LDG 9:1 and a very old Radio Shack 2m/70cm mag mount on a metal plate in my attic and both work well, not as good as outside but very usable. Older house, so no metal in the roof. I'd like to put a dipole up there but hard to reach the far ends of the attic to string it up.

[@kd6hucatmsndotcom]

I've had a 75 meter dipole with all but the last 6 feet of each leg in my attic that promptly exited via plastic vent and hung halfway down exterior wall

[@douglasvamateurradioandmore]

Gave me some ideas. I’m running 200 watts of solar on my shack with a 100 amp hour battery. I will be adding 400 more watts soon. All shack dc is off grid.

[@PanelsUpSolar]

Are you the voice actor that called me looking for a solar installation on your RV/mobile recording station?

[@3henry214]

Hey Mike, great video. The Raddy foldup solar panel you showed and were recommending, did you notice that the web page says "out of stock" and "discontinued"? Anyway, I went to their website, and they only have 2 fold up panels... 30W & 4W. Is the only difference in solar panel wattage going to be that it will take a lower watt panel to charge a battery than a higher watt panel, or is there a point where the panel wattage is just too minimal to even charge a battery of a given size, or is the issue how long it would take to charge a certain size battery, using one. It's all a mystery to me yet, in figuring out how to size solar panels to battery size, for charging.

[@don_n5skt]

For attic antennas, I would check out Bob, the HOA Ham. He has talked about a few on his channel. Thanks Mike

[@Philip-KA4KOE]

Recently....he seems to only talk about Chameleon aerials.

[@robertmeyer4744]

for DC power cable . good copper and made in the USA. check out 12V power stuff. 73

[@single_cam9199]

Yess I need info how can you charge the gxt1000 midland I seen a solar panel that can clip to a pack but it was for usb c and literally yesterday a day after I purchased gxt1000 they came out with the txt3000 that’s usb c 🤬

[@nitekry]

1120AH has run house since 5am (no AC) and at 65%, wish I had ordered the DC to DC charger. Hope you faired well sir.

[@wizardkoch]

I love your style and videos. I hope to meet you at a ham fest soon or on the air. My question is about Bioenno batteries. Can I leave them on their chargers all the time so they are ready when SHTF? Thank you for all you have taught this old ham.

[@hamradiotube]

It's not really recommended, nor is it necessary. For long term storage they recommend discharging to around 50% and charging/discharging every ~6 months. But if you just charge them and let them sit, the self discharge over time is very little so it's not really necessary. The downside to leaving them fully charged over long periods of time is it will degrade the life span of the battery to some degree. Personally, I leave the batteries I rely on for backup power charged to 100% and let them sit there. Any other ones I discharge to 50% for storage.

[@wizardkoch]

@@hamradiotube Thank you so much for the quick response. 73 de W3LU

[@dorvinion]

What Mike said I would add this At the end of the day, don't over think it. The use case you describe is a very gentle use case and so you should expect (excepting possible mfg defects) your LiFePO4 to have a rather substantial lifespan even if you charge it to 100%, keep them at 50-75F, and let them self discharge for 2-6 months before topping them up again. Getting a tiny bit more technical Most of us our primary experience with lithium based batteries has been laptops and cell phones and we all have experienced cases where the batteries are almost completely shot after 2 or 3 years. The batteries used in these devices are different chemistry - Lithium with Nickel, Cobalt, and/or Aluminum and these batteries while higher energy density are also inherently shorter lived than LiFePO4. Typically laptop/cell phone batteries can expect 800-1500 charge cycles lifespan. LiFePO4 can easily exceed 3,000 charge cycle lifespans. Laptop batteries often have short lifespans because they are quite often plugged in for extended periods and laptops generate heat meaning the batteries spend a lot of time at 100% and often rather warm. Cell phones fail for a slightly different reason - daily deep discharge/recharge cycles, heat from being in pockets or other enclosed spaces, as well as spending a fair amount of time plugged into a charger. These are not scenarios that will impact your backup LiFePO4s. Your LiFePO4 is really only going to normally encounter 1 of the 4 damaging conditions of a battery - being at a full state of charge. Cycling and prolonged exposure to heat are much more damaging to longevity than simply charging to full and letting it self discharge over several months. Calendar age is the final damaging condition and the one you can do nothing about.

[@dennisreilly6364]

Ultra MAX 100 wire hf antenna for adic

[@justinmoyers1179]

Did you lose power? I took Beryl head on Monday morning and was stuck in Freeport until this AM.

[@yowsa52]

How did y'all fair with the hurricane? I'm in Spring, North Hampton. We got smashed. Pine Trees on 1/3 of the roofs.

[@hamradiotube]

Oddly enough it didn't do anything to my neighborhood even though it went right over us. Lots of Huntsville lost power but I never did, which is rare. It was just like another rainy day. Didn't even see winds higher than 28mph on my WX station. Not so much down by you. Sorry to hear about your roof.

[@yowsa52]

@@hamradiotube Our roof didn't get hit but I bet 1/3 of the neighborhood did. Some houses looking like a total loss. Horizontal loop and EFHW remained intact. I need those 90' pine trees thank you. My neighbor agreed to let me run some wire over to his tree for 160 meter loop. Yee haw!!

[@wright1049]

Hope your power outage is minimal!!

[@Sagart999]

Solar Power - My research says that the biggest wallet drain is the batteries themselves. Is there a reason you assemble solar power supplies yourself instead of buying something like the Bluetti AC70?

[@Philip-KA4KOE]

He answered my question on this last week. Frequently, the power box ports don't have enuff amperage to run your radio.

[@Sagart999]

@@Philip-KA4KOE Very good thing to check before buying.

[@Pilgrim420]

👍

[@GreggK6EGG]

that's a nice looking mic

[@hamradiotube]

Ha! Sounds pretty good too. Took off the pre-amp and it works a lot better.

[@ac1o]

@@hamradiotubeI love the Shure sm7b great microphone I have a few of them. They work great with a cloud lifter.

[@Stealthmodeactivated-h8w]

Only in america

[@douglasvamateurradioandmore]

Hey you guuuyss.

[@Philip-KA4KOE]

A lot tell me....."You don't need solar. Just get a bigger battery". Well, it's simply fun watching the meter count up and down, with the current gazintas and gozeouttas doing their thing. You think....I could stay out here for as long as I want! I've never run out of power during an activation = Solar + good battery choices. PUT YELLOW FLAGS around your panels if on the ground in a public area....but even then keep a watch out! Sit where you can watch your stuff. People are stupidly oblivious staring at their phones and just walking....maybe into the waiting jaws of an alligator if off a dock around here (freshwater) or into the gaping maul of a hungry shark (saltwater). If you plan to do a LOT of solar outings, spend the extra moolah and get rugged ones that can get wet. Here is a rule of thumb to save money.....buy no more solar outpoot amperage than your batteries and controller can take charging; usually a 1C rate, or in the case of some Bioenno batteries, more than 1C. Of course, one must have an RF quiet controller. Lots and lots of junk out there. Be careful. I always recommend thin-film folding solar for weight savings. Stay away from Harbor Freight stuff!!! There, that's my 2.37 cents worth. I'll shut up now.

[@e7yu]

Hmmm, I wonder if Data would have had solar gadgets.🤔 I mean he was The Goonies tech provider. 🤣

[@hamradiotube]

That's a great question. I'm sure he does now, but back in the 80's solar wasn't really developed enough to be used in any of his gadgets or booty traps.

[@e7yu]

@@hamradiotube So, very true. 🤣

[@slappomatthew]

I’d like to recommend adding a mail bag Monday banner to the thumbnail, I have no interest in solar content and almost skipped the video, this happens often. If I was smart enough to realize today is Monday maybe I could do the math but a banner or title would be helpful 😂