Skip to main content

Still not having much luck here. I shortened the dipole to try to cover the 2m band and did get more stuff coming in, but it was all noise. :(

I can't realistically make the ladder line fully vertical due to space constraints. Maybe I just need to build a monopole instead? The balcony railing might make a good ground plane.

Or do folks think an external antenna tuner would be worthwhile here?

#AmateurRadio #HamRadio

#hamradio #amateurradio
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Diane Bruce VA3DB
Diane Bruce VA3DB
• •
See if you can scare up a copy of W2DU Walt Maxwell (SK) Reflections. His book is very approachable and he has some good thoughts on HF antennas for a small backyard. You should be able to find a copy in PDF form at a minimum.
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

Diane Bruce VA3DB
Diane Bruce VA3DB
• •
@tk@bbs.kawa-kun.com I had noticed! Which is why I replied from my instance here not the one on ottawa.place where I had given you some ideas already. ;)
@Doughnut Lollipop γ€θ¨˜ιŒ²δΏ‚γ€‘:blobfoxgooglymlem:
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

hambitious
hambitious
• •
are you trying to get on the 2m band? Which mode(s)?
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

hambitious
hambitious
• •
Weak signal VHF is fun.
Normally people don't need tuners on VHF, antennas are small enough and mono-band that you can just get it dialed in. More noise probably indicates the antenna is matched for the frequency.
I have a feeling you'd have better luck if you could get the antenna above the roof. I live in a condo, so all my VHF is done from SOTA peaks.
in reply to hambitious

Neil E. Hodges
Neil E. Hodges
•
Yeah, the roof is definitely on my radar for later on. Need a portable transceiver first. πŸ‘
in reply to Neil E. Hodges

de VK5ZSH πŸ‡¦πŸ‡Ί 🐧 πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ
de VK5ZSH πŸ‡¦πŸ‡Ί 🐧 πŸ³οΈβ€πŸŒˆ
• •
what got me interested with this post is the fact it looks like your using ladder line to go from the radio to antenna. I have not known anyone to do this, have you tried with a short length of RG58 (~5m) as this is fine for 2m VHF and easy to build a 1:1 balun & choke as well if needed, but you need minimum of a 1:1 balun at the antenna end, and that easy to make out the coax.
⇧