Radio - HAM - Antenna: DIY quarter wave ground plane antenna

[@mjlorton]

My pleasure, I hope to do another DIY antenna build but it will take a while before I get to that video. Thanks for the feedback. Cheers Martin.

[@mjlorton]

Hi Danieal, thanks very much for the feedback. It's great to hear you made one and that SWR is great. I hope it works well for you. Cheers, Martin.

[@brentjohnson6654]

I am back watching this as I am going to try and mount my 2m/70cm 1/4 wave ground plane antenna in the attic. My Nano VNA tested this as good on the bench. Now I am routing the LMR400 up the wall to pop up in the attic. I will miss my boys routing this cable haha. Thanks again for your your step by step instructions and helpful hints. I will also test this outside if need be.

[@mjlorton]

Thanks very much....yes, some solar testing kit has arrived which I'll introduce in a video this week. I'm waiting on some hybrid capacitors to arrives to pick up on several solar projects....so watch this space....

[@mjlorton]

Yes! That's a brilliant idea and I'm sure it will work well. Do post back if you get it together.

[@mjlorton]

My pleasure, thanks for watching.

[@mjlorton]

My pleasure, I'm glad it was of value. Thanks for the feedback.

[@mjlorton]

Yes...great idea, I have seen some great results with folks using plumbing pipe...I will put it in the job jar.

[@mjlorton]

Hi there, my callsign is KD8LON...but I'll only have my kit arrive in the US in about a month or so...but I'm here in the US now. Cheers, martin.

[@mjlorton]

My pleasure, thanks for the feedback Alex.

[@mjlorton]

Thanks for the post. Enjoy building them and I hope the exam goes well. Cheers, Martin.

[@mjlorton]

My pleasure, thanks for the feedback.

[@mjlorton]

Thanks for the feedback.

[@wx9dx]

BTW a 1/4 wave 2 meter antenna is 3/4 waves on 440Mhz. and works great on both bands with gain.

[@mjlorton]

Yes, easy enough to test although it might not show the whole picture in terms of radiation patten but let me add that to the "to do" list too.

[@stevewhite3649]

You can put one end of the wire in a drill the other end in a vice lightly pull on the and trigger the drill only a couple turns you can make the wire perfectly straight antenna and radials like a bought antenna

[@leewilliams7443]

Great video it helped me out lots as I'm just getting into Ham and I've built a few of these antennas as well as a few dipoles

[@bulwinkle]

There is a neater way to make loops. 1. Measure back along the wire about pi times the diameter that you want. 2. bend the wire 90 degrees at that point. 3. Form your loop with the wire you bent over, in the opposite direction to the 90 degree bend. For an eye type loop, like the one that you made in this video, you would make your 1st bend at about 45 degrees. This method keeps the loop or eye in line with whatever you are making it from. It's easier to do in practice than to describe in words.

[@mjlorton]

My pleasure.

[@ifell3]

Ok correct me if i am wrong but i think you could get better. By adjusting the radials you get a better impedance, which in turn helps for better swr. Surely you would have been better trimming the antenna to a resonate length and then adjusting radials for swr, or i mean keep radials at a 40' angle and work from there. But my question is which would you trim the radials or the radiator? Great video by the way.

[@322doug]

some loc tite sealant is perfect for the nuts on the bottom as well, and just a pet peeve i have from school is always put the wires around the screws or post clockwise , not a have too, but as you tighten the screws they are turning and tightening with that, and all the electricians i know always do it that way, a lil petty i know but just a suggestions.

[@Swede_4_DragonBeliever]

Greetings from Sweden 🇸🇪 Awesome channel, loved this video! You just got yourself a new subscriber 🤖

[@dstg62]

Thank you.Nicely explained, this helps us newbies understand.

[@mjlorton]

David St.Germain My pleasure David. Thanks for the feedback.

[@dstg62]

Your welcome sir. Thank you for posting such well done information 73.

[@EugenioGuarente]

Very great work. Please, It´s posible that you explain how to make a similar dual band antenna that works with 2mt and 70cm. bands?. Thanks

[@Romancito1204]

Всех свободных операторов с Днём Радио! "Телеграф", 73!

[@rcmorri223]

Wonderful Video, very informative and excellent presentation !!! Love the way you explain everything and don't leave anything out.

[@mjlorton]

Aaah....thanks, appreciate you posting that tip.

[@GBW175]

Awesome vid. I'm a newbie w. baofeng uv5r so looking for a little more range. Ur vid made it crystal clear. Will share and search ur vids for more like Help The Newbies type stuff. Thx again.

[@w.rustylane5650]

Just passed the test for Technician license with a 100%. Received a Yaesu FT-4VR, mono band, 2 meter HT from the local Ham club for passing the test. While I wait for my license and name to appear on the FCC database, I need to build a 2 meter antenna so I can hit the local repeater. I can hit the repeater outside on my deck but I want to be able to do so inside my QTH. The little rubber ducky antenna is not that good. I've got several pieces of 1 inch PVC pipe to go inside my 18 foot mast pole for the 1/4 wave ground plane to sit in.

[@troyfiedler894]

where did you get the number 234 for your antenna length equation?

[@mjlorton]

Thanks

[@robertfernandez4516]

Very nicely done mate! Question, do you turn off your Rig Expert every time you cut the wire in order not to damage your analyzer?

[@MrMac5150]

We should do a test 12 gauge wire antenna vs 1/4 inch copper plumbing pipe and see if the sensitivity makes a difference,

[@kf7tkj]

Great video! Cant wait for the 10-20 meter HF stuff keep up the good work! Any updates on your solar projects? 73's

[@300869qwr]

build this antenna already, now i have made a Slim jim antenna. Its standing at a poal of 5 meter, im doing next year exemen for Novice. Im going to build this ground plane again. End get it at a poal of 10/16 meters. want to work at 144 mhz end 145 en 70 cm so hope to talk to u some time greets.

[@edfletcher1716]

Thanks that was very informative. I am just getting into scanning. I am having problems receiving the CHP here in CA. I need a antenna that will receive only at between 39 and 42 MHz. I and using a discone right now and it works great for most other frequencies but not for the low band. Will this design work for what i need?

[@dillonshuffle]

Martin if you could reply asap. quick question. How would I make this produce 34MHz? Do I make the building wires longer?

[@philiprobinson999]

Fantastic video. Thanks for posting it.

[@arthurfordham1311]

Could you use a thicker size wire to make it strong enough for a mobile antenna mounted on a vehicle?

[@DOBM]

Assuming that what you mean by ‘mobile’, is using an aerial on a vehicle with a metal roof, then no, you don’t need the ground plane radials, because the roof of the vehicle acts as the ground plane. However, if the vehicle has a huge panoramic glass roof which you have ‘some-how’ managed to attached to the aerial mount to, then ‘yes’, you need radials for the ground plane. Finally, unless you are driving around in a low-speed milk-float, this wire would go out of shape very rapidly on anything faster. At that point, you need to use solid steel rods, instead of copper wire and possibly use a much better mount too.

[@oxstorm644]

hi, i wanting to build one of these antennas to transmit on the fm band (at around 103.8mhz) . can it be used outside as it is and, if not, what would i need to do to weatherproof it?

[@napstersgear]

Hi, nice work on tuning the antenna! How many watts do you think you can pump into this quarter wave?

[@chris90621]

how do you figure the angle on the ground plane? why 45*

[@crazeyspivey]

Very informative video. One question: You snipped some of the wire off the vertical portion, but not off the 4 lower ones. Is there any reason you did not try snipping off say 1/8" off the lower ones? Thanks!

[@sergiocavazos8963]

I have the same question

[@daniealloh]

Nice guy i have sucessful make the antenna in frequeancy 143.400 Mhz as follow your show on video. The SWR meter show reading 1.2

[@dawirelessg]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I really like your videos.

[@BmwCarbonM3]

Great work man! thanks allot! you're really good at explaining things.

[@mjlorton]

My pleasure, thanks for the feedback.

[@1fanger]

Thanks again Martin! Thumbs up as usual.

[@trainz222]

How would one tune this without an analyzer?

[@circuit-breakermi3865]

VHF/UHF SWR meter.

[@geekforlifevandc]

where did you get the value 246?

[@redman840]

Try 468 divided by the frequency.This formula will give you the length to cut your vertical element and radials to on a groundplane antenna like in the video.Use the same formula also for dipoles or inverted vees.

[@johnjoe106]

thanks enjoyed it will look out for more from you

[@MrMac5150]

let do another test as a dipole with no radials and see what differences that makes...

[@annyan904]

very nice explanation. u r awesome.

[@sparksilence]

Great video, thanks.

[@322doug]

holy smokes man, $660.00 for that digital analyzer have you lost your mind.... lol, i will stick with the lower end MFJ , but i was looking at that one you have there and it is a great lil beauty .

[@ap3nation8]

nice video thanks for sharing.

[@behcettolga]

Great!

[@blogsterification]

cool

[@glutimous]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@W4BIN]

In the United States SOLDER is pronounced with out the "L" - please look in an American dictionary.

[@w.rustylane5650]

You sure do waste a lot of wire. Yer antenna is a little long.

[@mjlorton]

My pleasure, thanks for the feedback.

[@mjlorton]

My pleasure, thanks very much for the feedback.