I like #3 for it's larger diameter coil section which reduces loss in that area without lengthening the whip too much, a very respectable antenna.
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My First Attempt At A Mobile Antenna
- Thread starter HomerBB
- Start date
I like #3 for it's larger diameter coil section which reduces loss in that area without lengthening the whip too much, a very respectable antenna.
got my interest going again for a homebrew. years ago i tried to make
a 1/4 wave mobile antenna that equaled the steelwhip in performance
and lenth. but outta different materials.some may say a halfbreed.
i took a 4 ft. wilson silverload and 5ft whip of a wilson 1000 and slid it
into the silverload.now obviously swr was way off .wanted to stay with
that design but never got it to work right.i was tring to make a 1/4 wave
mobile antenna like the 102 but wihout the flex.this was for a small 4x4
club which i knew a few guys that wanted cheap antennnas just incase
they broke them. but wanted toperform like a whip but without flexing like a whip
for the jeep users.asny help here?
a 1/4 wave mobile antenna that equaled the steelwhip in performance
and lenth. but outta different materials.some may say a halfbreed.
i took a 4 ft. wilson silverload and 5ft whip of a wilson 1000 and slid it
into the silverload.now obviously swr was way off .wanted to stay with
that design but never got it to work right.i was tring to make a 1/4 wave
mobile antenna like the 102 but wihout the flex.this was for a small 4x4
club which i knew a few guys that wanted cheap antennnas just incase
they broke them. but wanted toperform like a whip but without flexing like a whip
for the jeep users.asny help here?
I wish I had an analyzer. There is a Ham who lives behind me who may have one and be willing to step over and test the antennas. I'll try to catch him and see.Robb said:
Funny about that antenna #3. . . It's the one that made my wife scream the most about how much of a redneck I am.
Love to homebrew.
Love to homebrew.
Funny about that antenna #3. . . It's the one that made my wife scream the most about how much of a redneck I am.
Love to homebrew.
Your wife is an excellent judge of character.
Ordinarily I'd think for off-road driving a person would want a flexible antenna like the SS whip, but, of course, you'd best know what you fellows needed. I've heard a lot of good reports on the top-loaded 5' Wilson fiberglass antennas. Other than that you might try a straight piece of pipe with a SS whip out the top of it. More than likely it would be as long as the SS whip, but less flexible.
the 102 whip does flex nice but it also creates a problem with the jeep users
they sway too much. so they went to fiberglass antennas . had a 7ft
firestick and broke it. the wilson 5 ft. does work good and currently
using actually.just looking for better you know how that goes...lol
but seiously though trying to make my own 1/4 wave with the 5ft
silver load and 4 ft whip. the wire inside the silverload whats does
this do?if i cut it will it tune the antenna better?
all the wire coiled around the top of the fiberglass shaft of that antenna is there to create an electrical equivalent of the full 1/4ƛ antenna. It is not necessarily the full length wrapped around the shaft, they aren't the same. The reason your attempt to modify the Silverload by adding the whip failed is because you were recreating the electrical properties of that Silverload into something other than a resonant 1/4ƛ.
You might be able to remove some of the windings on the shaft until you get it to tune with the longer whip in the top, but i do not think it would really bring much if any improvement for you.
You might be able to remove some of the windings on the shaft until you get it to tune with the longer whip in the top, but i do not think it would really bring much if any improvement for you.
I used to know a couple of brothers that were mechanics and ran a garage/machine shop to fix automobiles. That was in the mid 30's, and they dealt with vehicles of the model 'T' era. They re-worked a couple of 4 cylinder engines into a 'V'-8 engine once, so were pretty good at making things. One of those brothers went into the metal working business in Michigan. One of the things his company did was temper metal thingys. I saw a steel bar that was variably tempered so that the end of it would be very 'springy', the rest of it very 'stiff'. Two things determined how 'stiff'/'springy' that bar was, it's tempering and it's shape. For instance, it would bend in one direction pretty easily, but not easily at all at right-angles to that direction. (Those directions weren't more of a north/south and east/west thing than just a single direction, if that makes sense.)
So why couldn't the same thing be done, on a different scale, for antennas?
I'm sure that the cost of such a thing would be prohibitive, and picking the 'right' shapes and tempering would really require some work, but wouldn't you think it could be done? I don't doubt that a metal antenna of such a type would be stronger/tougher than fiberglass, wouldn't break as easily.
- 'Doc
(Now all you gotta do is talk some company into doing the research and development, right? Don't look at me! I'll never live long enough.)
So why couldn't the same thing be done, on a different scale, for antennas?
I'm sure that the cost of such a thing would be prohibitive, and picking the 'right' shapes and tempering would really require some work, but wouldn't you think it could be done? I don't doubt that a metal antenna of such a type would be stronger/tougher than fiberglass, wouldn't break as easily.
- 'Doc
(Now all you gotta do is talk some company into doing the research and development, right? Don't look at me! I'll never live long enough.)
