Building a skypper need info on spacing etc..

[ghutch]

Does anyone have the element length for 3element skypper..? Wire beam Can I use a stand calculators lengths for a yagi 3element.
Using 12 gauge insulated wire....what about spacing I will have a few inched to widen the spacing will this help.? I can't find a step by step that has good info.?
Has anyone tried to get four elements spaced and working? Seems there is room but spacing will be close? My first HM beam....

 

[Henry HPSD]

Hello,

constructed many of them....
Really great antenna for its size.

When I was in afghanistan it certainly made the difference of beeing able to work the "homeland" or not

Info can be found here:
Skypper

Larger 'wire" antenna's that were succesfull are the "moxon" series:
4 element moxon

I believe dave 30da016 made a few "kits" for them.

Alex 1SD019 (the guy who first introduced the skypper to the CB community)
Has "quad loop" variant on the skypper, he calls it a skyrex that migth be worth a google search as well.

There are many people who "sell" these types of antenna's, some will tell stories about how a 180 degrees coax feedline bla di bla will "add" gain. Thats not true of course.

I hope it was of use...

Regards,

Henry

 

[ghutch]

Henry....does wire gauge or thickness make any difference. I plan to use 14 gauge on the radiator and director. Then use 12 gauge on the reflector.??
All is insulated multi strand copper for outdoor use.
Thanks for the links! Using the measurements from the article I'll let you know how it operates.....this project started as a Bambi quad....but the more I built the frame from fishing poles the more I thought about changing to the skypper.
Have to any data on using these skypper s in a vertical polarity? I plan to use it at the beach and have read some articles about vertical having a better pattern next to saltwater ??
I tested a quad loop a couple weeks ago against my vertical mobile antennae ....the quad quieter but the vertical worked better? My quad was tapped at the bottom for horizontal polarity....worked very well but setting at the Gulf of Mexico it seemed the vertical did hear better about 1 s unit?

 

[ghutch]

Question.....should I built a 3 element wire yagi, then fold the elements and use the spacing that happens? Or would the spacing distance between the radiator element and the folded ends need to be wide as possible? i have enough fishing pole length to get more space between the driven element and the ends of the director and reflector....it seems this could be a critical distance as with a standard tubing built yagi? :headbang

 

[Henry HPSD]

Hello,

for 27,5 mhz a couple measurments:

length radials:

ref 2,71M (x2)
rad 2,58M (x2)
dir 2,452M (x2)

distances ref to rad far point 2,71 meter
distance ref to rad close point 1,01 meter
distance dir to rad close point 0,83 meter
distance dir to rad far point 2,33 meter

Now, this will work for awg 12 (2mm diameter) bare copper wire.
with the "design freq" for 27,5 Mhz.
element diameter will mather, and so will the "insulated" part.

The antenna will produce just below 7 dBI and just over 20 dB front to back.
With a 50 ohm impedance and rougly 1 Mhz bandwidth.

It is known that using insulated wire rouglhy the element length should be about 3..5 percent longer. without changing the element distances.

Yes, a vertical near a salt sea will provide amazing results.
(but it needs to be...in sea or very very close ...If you can not through a rock in the water...your to far away.)

The salt sea will enhance signal strength on "real" dx.

If you have a option..

Go for a mountain,...how would one name such a thing..a mountain that is ...sharp? , no...eh...cliff.....well yes that migth be it..
Just go for a big rock really high above sea similair to one people "dive" of in the ocean !
And put your horizontal skypper on there..
That will most likley be a winning setup !

Kind regards,

Henry

 

[ghutch]

I had planned to build as horizontal polarity...after .looking at the patterns on vertical polarity I may test both.....my issues with vertical is that my mast is aluminum. The mast will intract with the antenna on vertical. Using an aluminum pushup paint pole. 20 feet...No cliffs here ! The tallest point on our beaches is a sand dune....maybe twenty feet high. These dunes are about 100 meters from the sea....too far to away from the sea. I normally get within 20-30 feet of the water to operate.
The vertical pattern appears to be better for Dx than the horizontal pattern.....take off angle is much lower and the overal pattern does not have as deep nulls....more well rounded for signals arriving from most angles.