Make THIS VHF antenna easily | K7SW Ham Radio

Let me show you how YOU can Build a compact, simple VHF Yagi antenna for your HT.
Tell me in the comments below if you would make, or purchase an antenna like this for yourself.
Using my affiliate links in this description to purchase items seen in this video, costs you nothing more and helps to earn a small commission for the channel that supports making more Videos like this.
Thanks for watching 👍
Items needed to build this 2m Yagi
🔹 Archery Gripper geni.us/Ay9AXTH
🔹 Music Wire geni.us/mxzA
🔹 Music Wire Hobby Lobby geni.us/AwcD
🔹 32 inch Carbon Arrow (12pack) geni.us/6mLNq
🔹 Alligator clips geni.us/AxH9
🔹 RG174 3 foot coax sma to sma geni.us/8hoAl
🔹 1/2" Heat Shrink tube geni.us/KyvL
=========================================================
Measurements:
The Arrow Boom will be 32" long
Director element = 36"
Driven elements = 19.5" (each side) 39" total Length
Reflector element = 41.125
To mount the Elements:
From the rear of the boom measure 6" to the Reflector
From the rear of the boom measure 19" to the Driven element
From the rear of the boom measure 31" to the Director element

[@hamradiowithkevin]

What would you do differently to build yourself a portable yagi ?

[@kd8opi]

I’ll be frank with you, Elk and Arrow make really nice hand-held 2m/70cm dual band Hand-held beams that break down nicely and are quire portable. I SOTA activated Mt. Orizaba on Catalina Island 10 years ago for the first time ever with the arrow antenna using just the 2m elements; we were making contacts some 70-80 miles away. A video of it (or at least the set-up) is on my channel. I like your antenna, but for $100-odd dollars and zero time those two antennas are hard to beat. I used the Arrow for satellites and made contact with the international space station too. A portable 2m/70cm Yagi for satellites is a killer piece of gear - pick one up and point it at the sky. It’s addicting.

[@hamradiowithkevin]

@@kd8opi thanks for sharing story, your absolutely right. I own an arrow antenna and have activated a number of SOTA entities with the Arrow brand antenna. I have made a video or two on just that antenna system. (It is that good) Some hams have the time or interest to build and this video is here to encourage that curiosity for new and long time operators. Thanks for watching. 73 Kevin

[@Foxcomputer]

Its a brilliant design. I’ve also found music wire aka "spring steel" in R/C shop in Czech Republic. The rubber gripper from TightSpot is difficulit to find. Got any ideas which material or made part to replace with ? OK4SU 73

[@seniorchief48]

BRILLIANT! You didn’t even use a 3d printer that I don’t have.

[@nikkogutierrez5393]

Thank you very nice KD2MPI in New York

[@emoisit]

@4:10 the Model Rail Road community uses that type of wire to replace the wire that came with the motor system that controls the track switches. The original wire is very flexible and not reliable. One type is call SMAIL(brown color) Slow Motion Switch Machine by Circuitron. The original version is call Tortoise (green color). The SMAIL has built in remote control. Not an Amateur Radio topic. But another hobby I enjoy also. 73 de N1PCE

[@hamradiowithkevin]

That is really cool information about the wire. Thanks and 73 de K7SW

[@robertsmith9756]

Note: The archery arrow gripper is very expensive by itself but if you buy a cheap quiver it comes with 2 of the grippers (which will give you 10 sections) I found one for 60% less then the gripper alone.

[@hamradiowithkevin]

Excellent tip!

[@ugsisr]

Great build.. Thank You

[@n0vty873]

fiberglass electric fence post and brazing wire, low cost and available at your local farm store for cheap

[@graphicventures]

Nice job, 73s from U.A.E.

[@robertsmith9756]

Very clever techniques, I can relate with your style, Thank you - I'll be building this thanks to your instructions.

[@davidnelson6889]

Kevin, Thanks for sharing how you built this antenna. You had a lot of great suggestions. I especially liked how you got the elements not to rotate on the arrow shaft. Very clever idea. I’m looking forward to building one of these antennas myself. Take care. 73 W1UTE

[@hamradiowithkevin]

Your welcome David, I am glad you liked some of those ideas. 73

[@LetsCelebrateTV]

It's a radio ham McGuyver 🍸

[@hamradiowithkevin]

Now your talking 👍. Thanks Peter

[@ManuelGoicolea]

Great video Kevin! Great information and great image and sound! Thank You!!

[@hamradiowithkevin]

Thank you Manu ! I appreciate you 🙏

[@richlovin2173]

Very useful!!! Thanks.

[@hamradiowithkevin]

Your welcome 73 Kevin

[@ratchetman]

Great info! Thanks.

[@hamradiowithkevin]

Your welcome, thanks for watching .

[@KingLoopie1]

Cool project!

[@hamradiowithkevin]

Thank you .

[@sincerelyyours7538]

Nice one Kevin! As I get more into the hobby I think I will try this to have some fun with directional transmitting or even some fox hunts if I can find a club that does such things here in Japan. My prior hobby was flying R/C model aircraft. I know music wire well and have a large leftover stock of the stuff. Great for making landing gears and springs and such. It's also called piano wire as I think it is the same steel wire that's used for making piano strings, though the hobby store lengths are much too short for that.

[@hamradiowithkevin]

Very interesting about landing gear, being familiar with this wire, you will have no problem crafting this type of project. Thanks for sharing

[@Mottersmotters]

Great work. Motters M7TRS 🇬🇧 73 👍🏻

[@hamradiowithkevin]

Many thanks Motters 👍 73

[@Ham.ster_146.52]

Hello and thanks for the great video. Could you tell me what diameter you chose for your arrow shafts?

[@hamradiowithkevin]

It should not matter the thickness really, look for thicknesses that will not flop around as much. A hobby store with music wire is what you want to check out. You can hold the different thicknesses to pick the kind you want for your build. Hope that helps. 73

[@anonymous_friend]

I want to make a yagi to leave outside on my chimney. Do you think this antenna would rust? Particularly the piano wire. Thanks

[@hamradiowithkevin]

I have never tested that, I always used this for portable. Interesting test that would be

[@bassangler73]

Awesome! I will definitely be building one of these! A quick question: Im a new Ham I just got my tech ticket back in February and im about ready to take the General test...Would it be better to use similar diameter copper rod instead of the music wire? I really don't know im not knocking your build I was just wondering...And thanks again for sharing this, I have more fun on 2 meters than anything else, its kind of a super C.B. lol...I just enjoy talking to people within a 50 mile radius more than I do long distance...Nothing wrong with DX, I just like keeping it local..

[@hamradiowithkevin]

Welcome to the hobby, yes you can use Copper, it really is a far better conductor, you will need a much thicker copper, like hollow tube. Copper can bend and dent much more easily. That said, it is far better to experiment with your own ideas to help you learn more. Have fun with your 2 meter projects and thanks for watching. 73 Kevin

[@bassangler73]

@@hamradiowithkevin thanks man 73

[@paulplack490]

@bassangler73, I recently built a small ground plane vertical for attic use, where the floppiness of copper wire wouldn't be such a problem. I used #12 romex conductors, and left them insulated. I took a tip from an old-timer and chucked one end of each wire up in the drill, clamped the other end in a vise, and twisted each wire about 12 turns per foot. It made them much stiffer. It still would be too floppy for a 2-meter yagi, but might work for 1.25m or 70cm. Have fun! If you build your own antennas and only get 1-in-10 to work, it may still be cheaper than store-bought, and you'll learn a ton!

[@bassangler73]

@@paulplack490 hey, thanks for the advise!!! I passed my General so im playing with EFHW antennas, its more fun messing around with antennas than playing radio to me...ha ha

[@ratchetman]

Dose the arrow need to be carbon fiber? I have an old aluminum arrow shaft that I was going to use for this project.

[@hamradiowithkevin]

Aluminum should work fine for the project

[@ratchetman]

@@hamradiowithkevin Thanks!

[@DeepBlueDiscoveries825]

I know you built is for 2m, but would/could it work on 70cm?

[@hamradiowithkevin]

Cody, I suspect it would work, not very well however. It will be less efficient.

[@DeepBlueDiscoveries825]

@@hamradiowithkevin Thanks! I'm just know trying to expand my knowledge on antenna configurations.

[@hamhouke]

You could put a set of 70cm elements on the same shaft perpendicular to the 2m elements and make it dual band without adding much weight at all with this design. It would also be easy as cake to use it for either in a single band configuration. Just put on the elements you want and leave the others off. As easy and repeatable as this is to assemble/disassemble, it should work like a charm.

[@mmpiforall5913]

how was the SWR and how did you trim it? TY!

[@rawcado]

Try actually watching the video... 😐

[@scottgarvy]

He showed the analyzer with SWR. Go back and watch again.

[@hamradiowithkevin]

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