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2m 70cm antenna options?

You should be able to find that Diamond antenna locally at Ham Radio Outlet. You mentioned in another post that you are in SoCal - there are two HRO locations to choose from. You can also use any SMA antenna by buying a small SMA barrel adapter. I tried that on a Wouxun to see if would stress the built in connection and I was pleasantly surprised that the whole thing worked pretty well.
 
Moleculo said:
You should be able to find that Diamond antenna locally at Ham Radio Outlet. You mentioned in another post that you are in SoCal - there are two HRO locations to choose from. You can also use any SMA antenna by buying a small SMA barrel adapter. I tried that on a Wouxun to see if would stress the built in connection and I was pleasantly surprised that the whole thing worked pretty well.
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Would an SMA antenna be any cheaper or easily available in like Radioshack? What is the type of connection the Wouxun has standard?
 
parttimehammer said:
Would an SMA antenna be any cheaper or easily available in like Radioshack? What is the type of connection the Wouxun has standard?
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The Wouxun is an SMA antenna also - it's just that the Wouxun has the male connector on the chassis where most manufacturers put the female connector on the chassis. You won't find any 2m/440 antennas at Radio Shack any more, but you can find some inexpensive ones at Fry's Electronics. Fry's carries the Pryme brand, which I've never tried. I think they have several different lengths to choose from, but I might be wrong. They should have the SMA barrel connector there too.
 
In defense of J poles they are a good antenna for what they are, I used on on my base for about 2 years until I could afford to put a tower and it served me well. I also use a home brew G5RV for HF and work a lot of DX with it, some would say I am wasting my time with it but that is just their opinion.

I made up a twin lead J pole for a fellow ham who is blind and all he can afford is an HT, he works repeaters 30+ miles away and is enjoying amature radio with it thumb tacked on his living room wall. So I would say it is not how much money we can spend but how we can enjoy it.
 
Blue Jay said:
In defense of J poles they are a good antenna for what they are, I used on on my base for about 2 years until I could afford to put a tower and it served me well. I also use a home brew G5RV for HF and work a lot of DX with it, some would say I am wasting my time with it but that is just their opinion.

I made up a twin lead J pole for a fellow ham who is blind and all he can afford is an HT, he works repeaters 30+ miles away and is enjoying amature radio with it thumb tacked on his living room wall. So I would say it is not how much money we can spend but how we can enjoy it.
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(y) EXACTLY! There is nothing wrong with a less than stellar setup as long as one understands the limitations of such a setup or as long as it satisfies the wants and needs of that person. If all I wanted to do was access the local repeater five miles away why would I need to spend $$$ for a high gain type vertical or yagi and mount it high and in the clear on a tower?
 
The truth of the matter is - if you so called experts were honest, and would steer new hams in the proper direction - right off the bat, you would explain to them that a handheld radio is a piss poor substitute for a real transceiver.
You do not make hams out of novices by supplying them with a hand held radio - because it doesn't do anything.
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When I first got my Ham ticket, my first radio was Alinco, 2 meter hand held, model DJF1T.
I loved it, I worked Repeaters all over the San Joaquin Valley At time`s this was machines that were 40 or 50 miles away, running 5 watts, with a Similey super stick II antenna screwed right on top of the hand held.
If you are in an area that has mountain`s around you, and active Repeaters placed on ridges above the valley, you will be amazed by the line of sight coverage you have.
Later I bought a Cushcraft Ringo ranger ARX2B, and using it allowed me to work machines that covered the entire valley, and it is a big valley.
The last 2 meter antenna I purchased Is a HyGain VB214FM, a 14 Ele Yagi.
I still have this antenna today, it can be had for less than $100 dollars. and from where I was living in Madera County at the time, I was able to work machines easily over 100 miles away.
Not bad for a hand held radio, running 5 watts.

Maybe I was lucky have lived in the ideal spot to take advantage of High level
Repeaters, but the point I am trying to make here is that 2 meter hand held `s are far from " worthless " as you seem to continually describe them, you can not lump all hand held radios into one category just because you have had little luck with them in your area.
Each person has to look at what he wants to do with the radio, where it will be used, the type of terrain it will be asked to preform in and decide if it will work for them.

73
Jeff
 
If you people were real hams - you would have helped the guy out with a old spare radio.
I can quote you Psalm, Book, Verse and Chapter of how things used to be in the Ham Radio Community.
Back in the day - when someone needed some help, everyone would help you get along - radios, antennas, tower help etc.
Today it is nothing but a bunch of X cb'rs that are all out for themselves, no help, no loaning anything to anybody.
Grave robbers, that are standing at your wife's door, the day after you die, wanting to buy all your radio equipment - actually steal it, and then sell it on EBay.
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You have a very negative attitude.
Mr Captain Kilowatt, that you call an asshole Is an Administrator here, and has contributed thousand`s of hours of his time on this forum, helping other radio operators learn, and grow in the radio hobby.
All of this while working a very demanding job in the Broadcast Radio Industry.
I am very sorry that you (it seems ) have had so many bad experiences with radio in you area, or life or your hobby, or what ever.
Please stop judging the members here that you know nothing about.
Almost every member of this forum, has helped another radio operator in some small way, be it encouragement to play radio, advise about stations or equipment set up, operations or how to become a licensed ham operator.
Some time it helps by simply asking a question, that another is having the same trouble with.
I Am sorry if Amateur Radio is not the same as it was back in the 60`s, but the world changes, and there is nothing anyone can do about that, you must learn to adapt or it will pass you by.
I will get off my soap box now.

I will end by asking,
Please,
Try to stop, and think, and offer something positive if you are going to post.

73
Jeff
 
And to put it a little more bluntly. I'm certainly willing to help people, but first they have to be willing to help themselves. That doesn't mean 'helping themselves' to other people's equipment! I don't figure I 'owe' anyone/you anything, ham or not.
If I've misconstrued your intent, please excuse me.
Odd! I was around way back then in the 60's (ham radio). No one gave stuff away back then just cuz someone wanted something...
- 'Doc
 
Jeff, in defense of channel jumper (see I CAN give credit where credit is due) he messed up a quote tag and it was actually ME who called HIM the Alpha hotel. :D

The reason I did it CJ is because of your attitude not because of what you said is wrong. What you say is true regarding antenna performance etc but you really need to step back and look at what the person really wants to get out of his station setup. You constantly berate someone for using a J-pole as a first antenna and have even suggested they get a high gain verticle with a mast mount preamp and a tower feed it all with heliax or a minimum of LMR-400. that's all fine if they really wanted to work stations as far away as possible however a lot of people simply do not want to do that. That does not make them any less of a ham. Instead of politely explaining the limitations of their set up you jump right in and berate them telling them they have crap for a set up and what YOU think they should have. That is the WRONG approach. If you want more people to join the ranks then the best approach is to explain the limitations they have and then suggest alternate equipment for them that they CAN AFFORD.You do not have to come across as an egotistical elitist like you do. The world of ham radio has changed like it or not and while I myself wish it did require more electronic theory on the exam I have come to accept that we will never see that kind of entrance exam again. I believe you to be the kind of person that detests this fact by your previous posts where you stated that you wish CW was still a requirement and that the exams should be tougher and that a newly licensed ham that just bought a $100 HT is not a REAL ham but rather someone that you laugh at. That speaks volumes about the kind of person you are.

And just one more cut and paste to end it.

You want to be a real ham radio operator, talk 10 meters QRP with a Antron 99 antenna.
Anyone can use a large beam antenna and 1500 watts of transmit power.
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Now why would I want to use a CB antenna and talk QRP on 10m? That does not make me a real ham. I VERY much prefer to operate 75m mobile, or work Es on 6m using my homebrew six element yagi or operate my TS-820S (which I repair and maintain myself) on the air on 20m talking around the world with 100 watts.Occasionally when conditions warrent I also enjoy operating 10m FM at about 25 watts. Hell I have even been known to operate 2m SSB weak signal on the odd occasion with my tower mounted eleven element yagi fed with Andrew LDF4-50 Heliax. If all this does not make me a REAL ham then what the hell will QRP on 10m with a CB antenna do for me? CB'ers do it all the time less than a megahertz lower. I have never run any more than 100 watts and the largest HF antenna I ever had was a Cushcraft A3, hardly what I would call a large antenna. I am in the progress of a complete rebuild of my antenna system however and I can only hope that it meets with your approval because I would not want to miss the opportunity to be a REAL ham.

CJ you DO possess the knowledge to put a good station together but you just need to change the way in which you relay that knowledge to others.
 
CJ has earned himself a time-out for a repeated lack of courtesy and respect in his posts, which is a violation of the forum guidelines.
 

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