Ground Plane Contest

[RickC.]

OK-- Let's do this.

A contest for the most unique homebrew 1/4 wave ground plane antenna.

We don't need a lot of rules, but here's what I suggest:

1. The antenna can be made of anything, but must be resonant on 27 MHz.

2. The antenna does not have to stay up permanently, but must have photos posted and must be used to both transmit and receive at least once.

3. It may be built either by yourself or with helpers, but you have to make it.


Grand prize: Um... nothin'.

Ideas? Comments? Suggestions?

 

[HomerBB]

Only one thing. When is the project deadline.
This week and next are completely off the opportunity list.
Gotta paint the house and do some chores for my elderly parents-in-law.

 

[Quiksilver]

Here's mine. Worked ok at best. The dipole was much better.

Quiksilver's version:
I put this together after work today Got a 1.2:1 match across the 11 meter band. It consists of the following-
-Predator 10k (vertical)
-102 whip (counterpoise, if you will)
-2 pc. 24" aluminum flat bar. The first one is driven into the ground about 20" and the second on is attached with screws.
-2ea. stud mounts
-2ea. aluminum L-brackets
-4ea. ground radials, 102" long

Unfortunately, TX & RX are not very good. It could be from the height, location, and also I'm 15mi. from town, so that could be a factor too.
Oh well...We'll keep on trying!!
Antenna setup

Bracketry & Mount

Radials

Side view

Raised up about 8ft.

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

if an antenna thats already been built and used can be submitted heres mine .
its just PVC and speaker wire , the mast was PVC too .
i spoke up and down the east coast on it from canada to islands south of florida as well as local . talked to alaska once , but rarely made it past the mississippi on it ..of course thats skip conditions that allowed all but the local contacts .

 

[RickC.]

Hey wow, entries already! Good looking antennas!

I'm tied up right now also (and am trying to get this yagi finished in the middle of a monsoon), so how about say, the end of June? I won't have the materials for what I have planned until after the weekend anyway.

(Quicksilver, one dog isn't enough. You need at least two, spaced exactly a quarter wave..)


Rick

 

[mackmobile43]

Hey wow, entries already! Good looking antennas!

I'm tied up right now also (and am trying to get this yagi finished in the middle of a monsoon), so how about say, the end of June? I won't have the materials for what I have planned until after the weekend anyway.

(Quicksilver, one dog isn't enough. You need at least two, spaced exactly a quarter wave..)


Rick

Should the tail be pointed upwards/horizontal or downward and what angle if any?

 

[Beetle]

Should the tail be pointed upwards/horizontal or downward and what angle if any?

Experiment. Try different breeds (a Saint Bernard works best at lower frequencies; Chihuahuas are for UHF).

Get their tails in sync; that makes for a "Waggy Yagi".

 

[will85w4]

Should the tail be pointed upwards/horizontal or downward and what angle if any?

Is that you rockin the air geeeetar in your avatar pic?

 

[HomerBB]

OK for end of June.

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

homer , you need to post a pic of your homebrew 1/4wgp . it came out very nice looking .

 

[mackmobile43]

Is that you rockin the air geeeetar in your avatar pic?

No that's a brutha from a different mutha

 

[RickC.]

No that's a brutha from a different mutha

Them's the dangerous kind, I hear tell.

 

[jazzsinger]

Experiment. Try different breeds (a Saint Bernard works best at lower frequencies; Chihuahuas are for UHF).

Get their tails in sync; that makes for a "Waggy Yagi".

you really need cophased rottweilers,gives your signal more bite.

 

[HomerBB]

homer , you need to post a pic of your homebrew 1/4wgp . it came out very nice looking .

Ok.

 

[HomerBB]

Here is an entry:
1/4 wave GP made of chicken wire. The poultry wire is wrapped around a 4 inch waste pipe. The counterpoise is also made of poultry wire.

The antenna works. Where it is sitting in the photo the SWR is 1:4.1 on 27.185. I received and spoke to a trucker on channel 19.
Last night with the antenna sitting on a concrete drive I had a SWR of 1:2.1 on 26.695, 1:2.1 on 27.185, and 1:3.1 on 27.405.

I spoke with local drivers last night on it and I also spoke with Ontario, Canada via skip on 27.385lsb.

The two lapping pieces of fencing that comprise the counterpoise are each 8' x 2' long and wide, and the vertical ended up at 7' long to achieve this SWR. I believe it is possible to flatten the SWR to 1:0.1 by trimming the length of the vertical a little more.
As can be seen I've incorporated a coax choke to remove the coax from acting as the antenna. Coax isolation was important to me in order to show the antenna is the poultry wire only. Note the stand is plywood and a floor flange. Cost of materials - $21.00