Rain Gutter Antenna!

[Riverman]

I have been wanting to try this for some while now and finally did. Not only was I surprised at the results; I was amazed.

Setup: Chameleon Hybrid Micro mounted on a standard mirror mount attached to a 12" galvanized landscaping spike from Lowe's.

From the Micro, I ran a 14 ga copper wire to my aluminum rain gutter and attached it using a self-tapping screw. Beforehand, I drilled a small pilot hole and scraped away the paint surrounding it. I also added a tiny bit of Noalox to insure a good electrical connection.

The section of gutter it is attached to is 30' long running north/south and only 8' above the ground. There is a downspout at the end where the gutter turns west. I'm guessing the electrical connections there are poor as there are only a couple of sheet metal screws connecting the downspout and next section to the 30' section.

I tried this setup both with and without a 30' counterpoise using the wire.

I then measured SWR at the center of each band. Here are the results:

With counterpoise:

10 Meters - 2.9 @ 28.400
12 Meters - 1.3 @ 24.960
15 Meters - 1.8 @ 21.325
17 Meters - 1.1 @ 18.140
14 Meters - 1.0 @ 14.250
40 Meters - 2.2 @ 7.200

Without counterpoise:

10 Meters - 2.9 @ 28.400
12 Meters - 1.3 @ 24.960
15 Meters - 1.7 @ 21.325
17 Meters - 1.1 @ 18.140
20 Meters - 1.0 @ 14.250
40 Meters - 2.0 @ 7.200

As you can see, there is very little difference. I opted to operate without the counterpoise.

I am astounded. I am only using the tuner on my Yaesu 991A on 10 Meters. I do not operate digital. Only voice. And I spent the past hour making contacts on 15,17,20 and 40 Meters. My last contact was with Tim in Kentucky who said he was receiving me at 5/9+20. Everyone is surprised to learn I am using a rain gutter as my antenna.

For some reason I was expecting the receive on this antenna to be noisy. Nothing could be farther from the truth. With DNR set at 1, it is very quiet.

I've attached a few photos.

As y'all know, I've always used stealthy antennas, and this is the stealthiest of them all. And works GREAT! My search is over.

For the record, Alpha Antennas sells a gutter antenna setup that includes everything you need for about the price of Chameleon Micro. It's called the Alpha HOA Buster and gets great reviews. I went this route because I had everything lying around except the spike to drive into the ground. Got it at Lowes for 98 cents.

73
Jim

 

[FlyBoy50]

Homemade radio antennas can be full of surprises sometimes to your delight. Like they say Some time you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you. LOL

Good Job !

 

[Riverman]

Homemade radio antennas can be full of surprises sometimes to your delight. Like they say Some time you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you. LOL

Good Job !

I’ve been eaten by the bear plenty. This was more than a pleasant surprise.

 

[FlyBoy50]

LOL I worked for Northrup Grumman Corp. in a facility that was super grounded because they Manf. circuit boards for defense work and you couldn't get a radio signal in there to save your butt. One day I had work to do in the shop and wanted to listen to my Boom Box so I took a piece of perforated sheet metal attached some bell wire to it and threw it outside the door on the hedge and clipped the other end of the wire to my radio antenna and was rocking all afternoon. My boss laughed because he had a electronic tech make him a scanner antenna to put up on the roof and it didn't work as good as my throw together. The bear was yummy that day but I have bite marks on my butt also ! LOL

 

[AudioShockwav]

I have been wanting to try this for some while now and finally did. Not only was I surprised at the results; I was amazed.

Setup: Chameleon Hybrid Micro mounted on a standard mirror mount attached to a 12" galvanized landscaping spike from Lowe's.

From the Micro, I ran a 14 ga copper wire to my aluminum rain gutter and attached it using a self-tapping screw. Beforehand, I drilled a small pilot hole and scraped away the paint surrounding it. I also added a tiny bit of Noalox to insure a good electrical connection.

The section of gutter it is attached to is 30' long running north/south and only 8' above the ground. There is a downspout at the end where the gutter turns west. I'm guessing the electrical connections there are poor as there are only a couple of sheet metal screws connecting the downspout and next section to the 30' section.

I tried this setup both with and without a 30' counterpoise using the wire.

I then measured SWR at the center of each band. Here are the results:

With counterpoise:

10 Meters - 2.9 @ 28.400
12 Meters - 1.3 @ 24.960
15 Meters - 1.8 @ 21.325
17 Meters - 1.1 @ 18.140
14 Meters - 1.0 @ 14.250
40 Meters - 2.2 @ 7.200

Without counterpoise:

10 Meters - 2.9 @ 28.400
12 Meters - 1.3 @ 24.960
15 Meters - 1.7 @ 21.325
17 Meters - 1.1 @ 18.140
20 Meters - 1.0 @ 14.250
40 Meters - 2.0 @ 7.200

As you can see, there is very little difference. I opted to operate without the counterpoise.

I am astounded. I am only using the tuner on my Yaesu 991A on 10 Meters. I do not operate digital. Only voice. And I spent the past hour making contacts on 15,17,20 and 40 Meters. My last contact was with Tim in Kentucky who said he was receiving me at 5/9+20. Everyone is surprised to learn I am using a rain gutter as my antenna.

For some reason I was expecting the receive on this antenna to be noisy. Nothing could be farther from the truth. With DNR set at 1, it is very quiet.

I've attached a few photos.

As y'all know, I've always used stealthy antennas, and this is the stealthiest of them all. And works GREAT! My search is over.

For the record, Alpha Antennas sells a gutter antenna setup that includes everything you need for about the price of Chameleon Micro. It's called the Alpha HOA Buster and gets great reviews. I went this route because I had everything lying around except the spike to drive into the ground. Got it at Lowes for 98 cents.

73
Jim
View attachment 72048View attachment 72049View attachment 72050View attachment 72051

Great stuff!

73
Jeff

 

[Crawdad]

I have been wanting to try this for some while now and finally did. Not only was I surprised at the results; I was amazed.

Setup: Chameleon Hybrid Micro mounted on a standard mirror mount attached to a 12" galvanized landscaping spike from Lowe's.

From the Micro, I ran a 14 ga copper wire to my aluminum rain gutter and attached it using a self-tapping screw. Beforehand, I drilled a small pilot hole and scraped away the paint surrounding it. I also added a tiny bit of Noalox to insure a good electrical connection.

The section of gutter it is attached to is 30' long running north/south and only 8' above the ground. There is a downspout at the end where the gutter turns west. I'm guessing the electrical connections there are poor as there are only a couple of sheet metal screws connecting the downspout and next section to the 30' section.

I tried this setup both with and without a 30' counterpoise using the wire.

I then measured SWR at the center of each band. Here are the results:

With counterpoise:

10 Meters - 2.9 @ 28.400
12 Meters - 1.3 @ 24.960
15 Meters - 1.8 @ 21.325
17 Meters - 1.1 @ 18.140
14 Meters - 1.0 @ 14.250
40 Meters - 2.2 @ 7.200

Without counterpoise:

10 Meters - 2.9 @ 28.400
12 Meters - 1.3 @ 24.960
15 Meters - 1.7 @ 21.325
17 Meters - 1.1 @ 18.140
20 Meters - 1.0 @ 14.250
40 Meters - 2.0 @ 7.200

As you can see, there is very little difference. I opted to operate without the counterpoise.

I am astounded. I am only using the tuner on my Yaesu 991A on 10 Meters. I do not operate digital. Only voice. And I spent the past hour making contacts on 15,17,20 and 40 Meters. My last contact was with Tim in Kentucky who said he was receiving me at 5/9+20. Everyone is surprised to learn I am using a rain gutter as my antenna.

For some reason I was expecting the receive on this antenna to be noisy. Nothing could be farther from the truth. With DNR set at 1, it is very quiet.

I've attached a few photos.

As y'all know, I've always used stealthy antennas, and this is the stealthiest of them all. And works GREAT! My search is over.

For the record, Alpha Antennas sells a gutter antenna setup that includes everything you need for about the price of Chameleon Micro. It's called the Alpha HOA Buster and gets great reviews. I went this route because I had everything lying around except the spike to drive into the ground. Got it at Lowes for 98 cents.

73
Jim
View attachment 72048View attachment 72049View attachment 72050View attachment 72051

Great stuff Jim! Now you can work the world with your house.

7 3

 

[Riverman]

Just checked 80 Meters. SWR is 2.4 at 3.800.

 

[FlyBoy50]

I opted to operate without the counterpoise.

Maybe try that counterpoise again, every little bit helps.

 

[Riverman]

Great stuff Jim! Now you can work the world with your house.

7 3

And the great thing is the garage door doesn’t open; the TV doesn’t turn on and off; and my wife doesn’t hear me in her ear buds when I transmit.

The performance is really amazing considering my gutter is LOW and the joints are poorly bonded.

 

[Riverman]

Recent contacts (voice, not digital!) include Croatia on 15 meters and Chile, South America on 20 meters! Not bad for a so-called dummy load antenna.

 

[338_MtRushmore]

Do you have a list of antennas you have tried? If you have maintained pace, I’d guess hundreds

 

[Riverman]

Do you have a list of antennas you have tried? If you have maintained pace, I’d guess hundreds

LOL. No list.
Just a lot of fun and quite a bit of ribbing. But that’s okay.
Sure am loving this one.

 

[YardDog]

You're the second person I've heard of using a gutter, pretty cool. The other one occasionally gets on 80m 3.916 for trivia with Pete Thompson. Pete loves to tell the story of how everyone was saying it won't work and all of theoretical reasons why and supposedly would fry his radio or some other catastrophe. Well the guy built his own anyway and talked around the world on it. Can't remember his callsign, but Pete just calls him Gutterman still today.

 

[Riverman]

Do you have a list of antennas you have tried? If you have maintained pace,

You're the second person I've heard of using a gutter, pretty cool. The other one occasionally gets on 80m 3.916 for trivia with Pete Thompson. Pete loves to tell the story of how everyone was saying it won't work and all of theoretical reasons why and supposedly would fry his radio or some other catastrophe. Well the guy built his own anyway and talked around the world on it. Can't remember his callsign, but Pete just calls him Gutterman still today.

All gutters are different, but mine is really working good.

I really like experimenting with antennas. However, my experimenting will be on hold for a while now. This thing is a blast.

The photos don’t show it, but I have since weatherproofed the coax and wire connection points.

 

[AudioShockwav]

I have a friend that started with a Icom 718 and a manual tuner, his carport and a good ground rod.
He used it to check in on the SSB net Friday nights and worked guys 30+ away.
I lived in an apartment for a bit and used the rain gutters for a stealth antenna.
Ft 897 and a MFJ tuner.
The down spout dropped just outside my patio ground floor and went up two stories.
Somewhere there is a experiment where someone tried to load up a tree ...
But yes lots of things can be loaded up and work, I mean look at a lowely wire dipole, it's just a wire.

from Marconi
"
We're just lucky that Mother Nature doesn't require our antenna systems to be perfect in order to work our radio."

No truer words ever written.

73
Jeff