Installing Big Surplus UHF Antenna On My Garage

[@patchvonbraun]

As a steely-eyed RF guy and missile man, I can strongly assert that having an extensive "library" of RF adapters and cables will provide you with a happy, happy life :)

[@saveitforparts]

I don't know if it's a library so much as a drawer or two in the parts organizer... and a box of extras... and probably another box in the garage and a tray in the tackle box and... they're around here somewhere dangit!

[@patchvonbraun]

It's what the mathematicians would call the "degenerate case" of a library :)

[@Bobbias]

​@@patchvonbraunit's mathematically equivalent to an organized library.

[@snakezdewiggle6084]

@saveitforparts "Repository" 👍 😉

[@gabrielfinke7051]

The best thing about being a hacker is you have all these cool toys, but they are all in a million pieces!

[@EvanBoyar]

The reason you could hear the TV broadcast is because it's a rebroadcast meant for reporters in the field to use. Interestingly it's usually less delayed than the standard broadcast and sometimes will contain directions to the field crew by the producer. It's called an IFB. Check radio reference for your local frequencies

[@peterfairlie2296]

That antenna would make for a great GMRS/FRS repeater station which uses frequencies in the 462/467 MHz range.

[@TalmidAndy]

It is a phased array folded dipole antenna usually used for repeaters and sometimes for FM low power broadcasts. With the antennas being in phase the output of each is added to the hole but using a significant gain increase.

[@TheNapalmFTW]

It should probably be a few more wavelengths in free space too

[@WPGinterceptor460Interceptor]

useless unless its at least 65 feet high! Its pattern is made for 100 feet

[@wastenotwantnot5953]

4:30 trash + trash + trash = success! winning at life!

[@BangBangBang.]

the HOG WASH sign is hilarious. I'd have it facing the road to amuse the neighborhood

[@mattparker9726]

4:16 You can see the floor, it's NOT HOARDING!

[@YetAnotherNotHacking]

no no no you have it all wrong, it is only hoarding if you cant see the cieling

[@xanderplayz3446]

It’s only hoarding if you can’t see the walls.

[@MrFreddarama]

Looks like a DB420. I'm glad that you saved it from the trash! I would have even paid money for it. What a great find. A new one will cost you over 2k.

[@AECRADIO1]

I HAVE 2 OF THESE, AND THEY ARE HEAVY! HIGH WIND LOADING.

[@jameskelly1680]

Electrical Specifications Impedance 50 ohm Operating Frequency Band 450 - 470 MHz Polarization Vertical Electrical Specifications Frequency Band, MHz 450-470 Gain, dBi 11.3 Beamwidth, Horizontal, degrees 360 Beamwidth, Vertical, degrees 7 Beam Tilt, degrees 0 VSWR | Return loss, dB 1.5 | 14.0 Input Power per Port, maximum, watts 250 This is just below UHF TV channel 14. Some type of land mobile thing?

[@jameskelly1680]

I am assuming the power dividers and phased jumpers are inside the mast. That way, you have 1 input and it comes out of all elements in phase.

[@WPGinterceptor460Interceptor]

@@AECRADIO1 how do you like em?? how far you get with them, Handheld? mobile? base? distance

[@jeauwyte5151]

99% of what you do is beyond me and my knowledge, but as someone who likes to hoard random cool stuff, I really enjoy this channel.

[@combusean]

Your neighbors must have been especially thrilled to see you on the roof with this thing. LOL. Love the channel, keep up the good work.

[@joohop]

Blessings From Aberystwyth . Wales

[@HolyCannolis]

Ahhhh…the classic old crazy neighbor with a bunch of antennae on his roof. Every neighborhood need one. Keep doin’ you! (Love the double multi-tool belt btw!)

[@saveitforparts]

One belt thing is a flashlight, the other is a multi-tool. Always super handy to have those ready!

[@benjaminbowen7263]

😂"I might say things a little weird sometimes - anyHuay" hahaha love it.

[@ryanfrogz]

Admittedly, I like that wireless mic. The background noise is pretty intense but it makes you sound like a radio announcer.

[@mturhan01]

And it is better than using the in-camera mic from that far of a distance away, quality probably be a lot worse

[@plenus7392]

I once talked with a guy who is from the USA and he told me people throw away perfectly good and working things, thanks for giving those parts a new home

[@costa2150]

You are definitely the guy operating a radio station in Fallout. Thumbs up.

[@chazmertes]

I appreciate you; sharing your journey, bringing us along, makes me grateful.

[@RingwayManchester]

I loved this! Antenna looks great

[@MoneyMitrovic333]

How are you not verified?

[@RingwayManchester]

@@MoneyMitrovic333 done

[@zignitz]

Cool lightning rod, glad you made sure it was extra grounded so the lightning has an easier path of least resistance 😆

[@ElectronicSupersonic]

Thanks for the shout-out again Gabe! It sounds like our morse decode feature will come in handy for you!

[@DadofScience]

Another great video that basically says "Be crafty and resourceful and you'll do it eventually." Onward and upward!

[@aaronderossett3998]

You are the mad scientist genius we all aspire to be!

[@ahbushnell1]

Ground rods are normally ~3 feet or more long. Those bolts are not that hot. You can purchase rods at home depot.

[@TSGEnt]

I love it! The sphincter did tighten a bit when watching you hoisting the mast. Glad you didn't get hurt.

[@TheChefmike66]

Jesus! That looked fun. I also hoard things, practical things, like that. Fittings, connectors, bolts, nuts, wires, etc, etc. I get so much delight when I see a fellow Practical Hoarder making a Big Win! If I save myself six trips to the hardware store or wherever per year, I feel like I won big. It's generally more than that. I truly love your channel and your content. If I had any extra money I would give you some.

[@spitbog]

i love watching the garage to turn into some cyberpunk looking scrappers yard , beautiful

[@Kevin.Bowers]

Yeah, looks like a db420. They dont have labels on them, are held together with silver tape and are connected to each loop with little nuts and bolts.

[@warrene7781]

AXE MAN... Grew up in Saint Paul in the 80's and 90's and stopped by there with my Dad often.

[@DirtyPlumbus]

It's not ridiculous if it works. 👍

[@anthonywike8042]

Ruff? Roof? I literally posted this before your follow up explanation of the pronounciation issue.. I am subbed for life. Good laughs. Love the content.

[@ndotl]

Last time I lived near one of these it blasted through the speakers of my stereo system even with the system turned off. It happened multiple times. I thought I was hearing things until it happened when I was in the room. The coil of the speaker and stray capacitance acts as a tuned circuit, and the signal is strong enough to forward bias the power transistor that drives the speakers. It was not a faint signal, it was loud enough to hear outside if the window was open.

[@ndotl]

P.S: Yes, I could hear the operator talking.

[@snakezdewiggle6084]

@ndotl This effect happens only with AM transmissions, not FM. At a frequency of 100 mhz and below.

[@DavidCase-ov5uo]

Long speaker wires act as antennas. Have you tried ferrite rings or clip on ferrite chokes on the wires, nearest the speaker terminals of the amp? Very effective and reasonably cheap.

[@ndotl]

@@snakezdewiggle6084 With FM you would need an FM discriminator to extract the audio from the FM signal. With AM, the output transistor acts as a diode to give you a single audio wave on the carrier wave. The stray inductance and capacitance filters out the carrier wave, leaving you just the audio.

[@snakezdewiggle6084]

@ndotl Man, you seriously need to read up on radio theory. Then re-read your initial and subsequent comments. So if your receiver is powered Off, where is the power on the Collector/ Emitter coming from.? (Talking Toasters)

[@Mosfet510]

I 👍 the new antenna, the audio was crystal clear!

[@johnbecker8768]

Nothing says crazy neighbor like a bunch of antennas on the roof! And that bad boy is a grand slam. Fun stuff!

[@VariXx]

A baofeng with a bent antenna is like a dirty jeep. You love to see it.

[@jscheunemann]

I always thought it was weird too that Fox 9 (KMSP) still has a analog signal for a audio out for their broadcast. First saw it as a kid with my dad’s old scanner, and was surprised in 2020 when I went to go program a new handheld I got, found out it was still there.

[@robumf]

Personal. I think the stations was on channel 6 should be Analog. The audio can be heard on the lowest frequency that on FM Radio. Maybe government and PBS take channel 6. Be great for analog devices. In case for emergency and education.

[@W4GHW]

Young man, that is probably a high-dollar UHF DB Products antenna for Repeaters of Business Band use. We use one of these on both our UHF and VHF repeaters.

[@whodatSean]

GMRS guys are drooling right now lol. Awesome antenna! Usually used for repeaters.

[@nickcountycomm]

Yes, that is a high gain repeater antenna. It will work from 403 to 500 MHz I believe it’s an excellent antenna with more than 8 DB of 5:16 gain. dipole antennas are usually very broadband and will accept anything you can give it like 420 to 480 MHz I believe that that is really optimal for. I have one on my repeater system that’s up 3000 feet has more than 150 miles range.

[@EricTechstuffs]

Yeah that is a nice surplus antenna from a maybe public safety UHF site ! That antenna is BUILT TO LAST !

[@David-km8in]

The antenna is a stacked dipole array antenna. The mostly come in 4 or 8 stacked dipoles. More dipoles more Rx/tx gain. We use a 4 Stack on our local repeater. Interesting video, have fun with your new setup. David M0DUU

[@msnpassjan2004]

I'm going to use that tip on how not to blow out the back of a drill hole on many projects - thanks Leah !

[@rocklicker639]

That's a nice antenna!

[@mctscott123]

Nice DB-420, have a couple up here north of St. Cloud

[@gailjohnson6670]

Thank you for the video. Blessings to you.

[@FatherMcKenzie66]

Never been much into radio stuff, but I’m getting real interested into it! Great video!

[@RNMSC]

I know this is a couple of months old, but I don't see the requirements changing all that soon. If you're interested in radio, and are OK with being considered a federally authorized radio hacker, stop by your local library and check out the most recent ARRL Amateur Radio Technician Class License preparation guide. It will go over a lot of great information, and a few things that you're probably not going to be interested in initially. The thing is, once you've read through t hat guide, you will most likely be half way towards getting a ham radio license. There are exams held in most communities on about a monthly basis, In larger cities, you may find them even more frequently, and some of them can be done online. Which may be helpful if you are not near some place that has regularly scheduled exams in more traditional setup. The Technician license exam is a multi-choice 35 question exam that is drawn from a pool of 350 questions. The General license exam is another 35 question exam drawn from a somewhat different 350 questions. And the Amateur Extra exam is a test of 50 questions drawn from a pool of 500 questions. At this time there is no Morse code requirement for any of these exams. If you have prepared well for the Technician exam, you are likely to also pass the General exam. People who teach exam preparation classes essentially provide an added 15-30 min of instruction for anyone interested in passing the General exam on top of preparing for the Technician exam. For any license you need to have passed the tests for lower class licenses. So to get the General class license you also need to have passed the Technician exam, and for the Extra class license you need to have passed both Technician and General class. There is a 'nominal' fee for testing, I do not recall what that is at this time, when you schedule an exam they will advise you of that. That nominal fee is the same whether you simply take the Technician exam, or take all 3 exams the same day. If you do well on the Technician class license but haven't prepared for the General, do not be surprised if the examiner offers you the chance to take the General class license exam. I passed it the first time through, but at the time I had not been preparing for the Morse code requirement, and was only awarded the Technician class license. I still don't have the chops for Morse code, but since that's no longer a requirement, I've retaken the General, passed, then studied for and taken the Extra and passed that. There are other things that you need to do to prepare, such as getting an FRN, however all, or most of that is covered in the preparation guides. The pool of questions is changed every 3 years in a rotating series, so you're best bet is to look for study materials that have been published less than 3 years ago. (this varies from time to time though, so it's good research material. Also the questions may change, but the general concepts are generally not going to change.) If you want to see how prepared you already are, even before picking up and reviewing any study material, there are several sites that will provide you a sample test. ARRL.org is one, my own personal favorite is aa9pw.com operated by a ham who's showing his license plate on the site, from Wisconsin. Amateur licenses are good for 10 years, and may be renewed without an exam. I believe the renewal now includes a nominal processing fee. But again, nearly all of the study material is available at many libraries, and can often be found online at nearly zero cost. The only real cost is the time you spend studying. If you're curious, it's a hobby that you can start with nearly zero cost, and go on up through buying equipment that will cost more than some people's homes. You don't have to spend the big bucks, though there are factors that may encourage you to do so. One way to also get involved in the radio community and depending on where, with, or without a ham radio license, is to sign up to participate in the communications support team for the Twin Cities Marathon the first weekend in October. This is organized into 4 'nets' or collections of radio operators that cover different parts of the marathon. Net's 1 and 2 pretty much require having a ham radio license or that you're working with a control operator who's with you the entire time. Net 3 uses public safety radios for Ramsey county that gives the county a chance to do their annual verification of radio functionality for radios they normally keep in a locker most of the rest of they year. These don't require having a ham radio license. Net 4 uses commercial band handhelds, but a communications volunteer here may be working very different duties that don't involve using handheld radios at all. (They cover the finish line, including the family resources tent where family members can check in on how their family member(s) that are running the marathon are doing, and part of the communications team's responsibility is to be able to provide information regarding runners who have left the race for whatever reason and if they have been transported to a local hospital for some medical reason.) There's a lot more to this, but this response is already getting a bit long. Cheers.

[@blpblp-tj7ux]

daang...nice score. vertical folded dipole arrays are awesome!

[@mnoxman]

Hello from Mounds View. It's two antennas. Hairpin commercial type. They are all on one side so they it is directional.

[@asnailman]

This is sick dude, keep up the good work!

[@travnewmatic]

You are an inspiration to us all

[@jacquesb5248]

going to get even more interesting

[@chuckkie9159]

yeah, i would check the memory battery inside the radio. its a button type battery and hopefully it will work again with a new battery.

[@Dratchev241]

looks like a comscope/decibel products DB-420. likely cut for the 450-470mhz band.

[@Subgunman]

Get that antenna grounded, it doesn’t matter if there are taller objects in the immediate area, lightning is a beast with its own mind. If you can go to your electrical supply house and purchase an 8 foot ground rod and pound it into the ground. You will need a decent clamp, not a copper strap, around that support pipe with a short run heavy copper ground line run in a straight line to the ground rod. Get some antenna mastic around that connection to the ground rod to prevent oxidation of the joint. The antenna pipe itself is a straight ground line to earth but you need that rod to get the charge dispersed into the moister soil below. If you plan on putting any repeaters if satellite dishes on the roof, they all should be grounded. As with other transmitter sites you can start placing shorter 4 Foot ground rods every six feet and connecting them to your main rod with the same heavy ground line. Eventually you want a "halo" of ground line around the garage. We do this with every stand alone structure housing "expensive" equipment.

[@symonchester]

Awesome, love the random satellite/radio projects... "AnyHuay" brilliant

[@alzeNL]

Excellent work ! really enjoy your videos and presentation style - cant wait to see more !

[@goblingangftw]

Content is super cool!

[@davidanddavidstrading]

this is the best channel I have ever seen. I just got a tiny SA ultra, need to learn how to use it!

[@moormoor4281]

England. Love's you!

[@JamesHalfHorse]

I got one of those off one of the radio stations I work for. Mine and likely yours is common broadband 450ish range used for a business 2 way radio repeater back in the day but is now being repurposed by me as a licensed GMRS repeater for the neighborhood along with some cheap 50 watt chinese radios, duplexer and build it yourself repeater board. I just have to put all the pieces together. It will be going up this spring along with a lora/mestastic node. Few years ago town our phone exchange is in flooded and we were without phones for 2 weeks. Being able to hand out a bunch of cheap baofengs preprogrammed for the repeater or lora radios to all the neighbors if something like that happens again is the goal. A GMRS or FRS repeater using that antenna might be very useful out at your sand property.

[@Trent28888]

The antenna is a phased array dipole antenna ,they use it for repeaters but also UHF data links between sites like a mesh network,it has some facing 1 way and the other way due to nulls of the folded dipole radiation pattern

[@matthewclarke912]

Very cool. Have you checked out Meshtastic?

[@joeprete7424]

Nice shop!

[@benarcher372]

"- I'm hoping it's fine for lightning" FLW 🙂 Great video.

[@jacobwilliams676]

I fuggin LOVE my Nano vna

[@mncam_com]

That garage roof is ripe for a few ATT Long Line antennas :-D

[@MoseleyJaguar]

Glad to see I'm not the only one "hording"

[@terrypokorny3858]

This antenna is a DB engineering antenna fir uhf. This antenna will work on uhf. Also this antenna has a ground potential which gives a non lighting attraction capability.

[@memejeff]

Very cool. Gonna be exciting to see some experiments with it.

[@fubarsnafu4994]

Very swag dumpster find. Would love a commercial phased UHF antenna to pop up in the local dumpster. Have you ran SWR on the VNA yet to see how close you we're to match? I was certain at first glance it was for a 2m setup. Great find..Great Video! ✌

[@ChosenOne6666]

He is one of the smartest of our generation

[@LotoTheHero]

That antenna is a monster!

[@florinssl]

This is a free energy video right there :) Lightning magnet. Well...sometimes, hobby means risc and I think it is worth it

[@haroldsmith45302]

Another interesting radio adventure, thank you. An antenna or other conductive structure that falls onto a power line can result in fatal electrocution. You might want to establish an antenna prohibition radius around any electric power lines and power line feed droppers aka power "potheads" that pass by / cross / feed your property. I think I saw a power feed line on the side of your garage. Be safe.

[@N0SSC]

You might finally blow up that baofeng if it actually does get struck by lightning 😂 On that note, those antennas are well designed to take direct hits. They’re DC shorted, and as long as the mast is well grounded (ideally to a perimeter grounding system bonded to mains, not just a single ground rod or water pipe) and you have an inline coaxial cable gas discharge device (like a polyphaser), it should be fine. Baofengs make great fuses though haha!

[@truthreigns7]

3:17, I know you said the audio sounded terrible, however I understood everything you said with no difficulties.

[@orca984]

I'd recommend getting an used Kenwood TMV type for your car, if you get the TMV7 there's an project for an additional spare screen.

[@tyson-media-group]

How did he release it 1 minute ago yet you commented 2 days ago?

[@SmoothJaZzFusion]

@@tyson-media-group

[@orca984]

@@tyson-media-group Early view over patreon, I like this channel so I opted to support him on patreon 😀

[@tyson-media-group]

@@orca984 Oh, I see. 👍

[@wateringcan2]

I actually like the roof mic better. It makes your voice sound fuller and rounder, and lo-fi is cool now.

[@walkercustoms]

Awesome video, thank you

[@sarkybugger5009]

That radio mic. is better than the others you have been testing recently.

[@GraemeRobinson]

cool. Makes me want to get into ham again.

[@MiketheEye]

Man that hording trash bit had me lolling hard. Normies will never know the satisfaction of finding the perfect use for that useless trash you've been saving for a decade.

[@Traagzaadje]

it would be sick to make that garage as a full studio that can track ufo's hahah

[@thomasoliver1376]

LOL It's huge. LOVE IT!

[@mindshelfpro]

This weekend I pulled out my NanoNVA after a few years of not using it to test some antennas... I think you read my mind for projects then you bring out a video related to that

[@Subgunman]

Right now it’s setup for a two lobe array commonly used to cover a straight line along highways. By turning every other bay pair 90° to the others you will wind up with an omnidirectional pattern. Be careful of the wiring harness, this is critical in phasing the bays and are very expensive to replace, if there is a manufacturer that can copy what you have. Are there any tags left on the main mast? About a decade ago I repaired a fiberglass 450MHz antenna. Pulled out the main guts of the antenna and located the failed solder joint which was burned out from a lightning strike. Cleaned the copper pieces and used silver solder to do the repair. Antennas after assembly showed no reflected power and transmits just fine. Used a Bird field strength meter and measured the radiation emitted from the antenna when mounted on a homemade mount on the ground. Everything measured 360° around the antenna was even with measured radiation.

[@Tech-NO-City]

The trees around the area are taller than the antenna. It will be fine when it comes to lightning. When it storms I always disconnect my antennas and connect two antennas together with a barrel. If your really worried about it you can get a Lightning Arrester for about $20 they work.

[@mattparker9726]

3:15 On terrible audio, look for a frequency adjustment on the low end, (bass) and a de-hiss option, IDK what editing software you're using, but if you use those two options, you should be a lot better sounding. Also, PLEASE don't throw that out, if you don't want it, I'll take it, pretty sure I can clean that up in post.

[@lionelfelix6631]

That big anchor bolt is sort of for what you wanted to do with it BUT it goes with a 2-part epoxy kit. It's likely a Hilti anchor for concrete and you squish a 2-part goo into the concrete hole and this bolt gets locked in there with friction and epoxy.

[@radio645]

Your roof looks like mine, 3-4 various antennas mounted everywhere.

[@ScarlettStunningSpace]

I like the way you say roof

[@tubeDude48]

It's used for various commercial services. I'd disconnect it during lightning storms!

[@Flazlorky]

I think the roof mic is kinda decent. In shots like that it feels immersive

[@jarettrobak]

Opened KZbin hoping for a new “save it for parts” video, and here it is. Cheers :)

[@KD2HJP]

Here I am listening/watching while attempting to attach one piece of my junk to another. I had to pause, turn of my noise cancelling headphones, walk back to the house and show this to her. Her face was worth the price of admission. Ha, it's gotta be bad or ginormous to get liquidated.

[@misterman9725]

can't wait for the next sandland video 🌳🕳️

[@misterman9725]

🕳️🌳⛏️

[@directive0]

That feeling when trash you've been storing becomes useful ☺

[@debohannan4315]

That's a nice high gain antenna used for business and ham radio repeaters DB products made them for years CommScope 450-470 MHz 9.2dBd Exposed Dipole Omni Antenna (DB420-B) there over $3300.00 new

[@jchoneandonly]

Waaait... You live in Minnesota? Cool! Me too!

[@jonnojamwood]

Waiting for technology to be chucked out and free, that's my kind of wisdom.