Wyowanderer777 yup, some of the best memories of my life are my dad showing me how to use his TRS-80 computer back in the 80s, me and dad going caving and him showing me how to photograph large caverns by leaving the shutter open and walking around firing a flash unit, and any number of other great hobbies we did together! Keep it up, he will love you for it!
It's totally super that you'll have videos of you and your lad doing cool projects together!! He'll treasure these more than you could ever imagine!! Nice going, brother!! Your radio bro, Norman.
I've spent the last 30 years as a HVAC technician. Watching you solder was rather painful. A word of advice. Heat the fitting not the pipe. I wish we could have watched you bend that copper. Now that's nice looking work
I'm glad I wasn't just thinking this. I am glad to see these types of antenna projects being tried by us to at least see more that iComs and beams. Other types are buildable and just as useful for most parts.
Built a 70cm version of this antenna. Made a discovery about the mast if conductive. It is all fine but if by accident you make it some resonant length that coincides with the design frequency it can pull the tuning. The mast itself will radiate. You can check this with a Nano VNA on a wide sweep. Slide your hand along the mast and observe phantom SWR notches move about on the display. Tuning with the antenna on the ground is different than aloft on a conductive mast. My solution was to repeat the insulator section again (without the hairpin) just under the "T" fitting. Then too, a ferrite choke installed close to the feed point is a good idea. This could explain why some people have good results while not others. Just depends on their arbitrary mast length. VA7WN
Vintage Josh. Been driving all day, 22-Sep-2022, listening to UA-cam videos categorized under "ham radio." In one (I'm guessing circa 2019-- I was driving so couldn't look) Josh mentions his copper super J-pole video, so I came looking for it after work. Currently just preparing to make a roll-up, but working with copper seems fun, too. Anyway, Josh also mentioned two things in that other video I cannot grasp. First was some story he assumed we had heard before about Freddie Mercury and an Abbree antenna. Nope. Never heard it, and cannot imagine. Next, he mentions an amateur radio-related film called "Night," or "Knight." My search for such a film returns nothing. Now, off to find the first part of this video.
A tip. You can use a pair of 3/4" straps folded around the 1/2" pipe and held by a brass nut and screw to form an adjustable feedpoint. Tack solder the coax to one side of each strap tab end for the connection. Goop the coax braid to prevent rain water wicking. VA7WN
Great video man I'll be making one of these. May I give you a tip as a plumber regarding soldering. If you heat the pipe mainly not the fitting you'll have a better joint and also wait until you get a greenish hue when heating the pipe and then apply solder and then it will flow right in there. Cheers buddy. Tim (UK)
Many good comments on proper way to solder plumbing pipe and joints so I won't add to that. Thanks for the design link update. more is explained than you provided. Glad it works for you. You are correct. It would have been nice to see the tuning procedure. Don't take my criticisms to heart. I am sure that you have improved since making this video. 73 OM
I found plans for the "Cactus" antenna but, according to the plans, that specific design was meant for dual band (144/440mhz). Are your measurements specific for the 2m/144 only???. From what I understand, the upper portion/coil and top will only allow the 440mhz to radiate due to the high impedance. Thanks for sharing!.
When you put a bare copper antenna outside does the tuning/efficient change when it gets tarnished and turns green after a couple of years? What happens with RF travelling on the outer surfaces of the antenna (skin effect) now you have added resistances in the surface there were not there when it was fresh & new.
I’ve had j pole up copper for several yrs it got nice green patena on it still works great haven’t done nothing to it, but you can paint them won’t effect anything
Anyone have plans for this with ALL the measurements, including the "halo"? Video kind of skipped that part. Nice looking antenna. May qualify as yard art.
can't one make a j-pole with 2 meters on one side and 70 cm on the other??? and wouldn't it TX and RX better? I'm new to antenna making but am trying to make some so I can get on some distant repeaters.
I have my 2 meter J-pole up for four years with no problems exapt for poor matins ( op errors) just seal up the two coax leads and inspect it quarterly or yearly. but I am a "new" young ham 4 years in my first term.
It’s just a means of creating a delay so the top half of the antenna is in phase with the bottom half. If the coil wasn’t there the top half of the antenna would be 180° out of phase with the bottom half and there would be virtually no radiation from that antenna.
Hey man good video! Is there a formula or something to to how long is too long for feedlines? Like where I want to mount my antenna is like 100 feet from where my radio is.
If you are 100 ft away your loss is going to be "bad" on 2 m and horrible on 440 unless you invest is $$$ feedline. It'll still work with decent rg8 but you will have appreciable loss
I put little things on the top of my copper tubing that can slide over the tubing. They are sold to cut down on the water pipes making noise. They are bigger around than the tubing so it can slide up and down for tuning!
whats the purpose of adding the halo? how does it compare to a standard J-pole? how does it compare to a "slim-jim" -- would it be possible/practical/beneficial to add the halo to a "slim-jim", and/or would it be beneficial to add more halo's?
To make the antenna larger (1.5 wave + matching stub), you could add, on top, another phasing section (halo) and another half wave section above it (same dimensions at the current top section). You can go on adding sections like this, though mechanical strength is an issue at these wavelengths (though easier at higher frequencies!). You get diminishing returns as you add more sections.
I would have cut the 1/4" tubing and soldered it back together with a small coupling rather than try and solder next to a PVC nipple.That has a high probability of melting, even if you use heat dissipating gel. If you could have fitted a 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/4" T in there and gotten the right SWR it would have been great.
+Bartlett Mayo I have not experimented with anything other than what I showed in the video. I'd stick to the plans unless you wanted to try different things,
+hoshnasi Was that particular design for a specific purpose? Or was it just easier to create? Is there a diameter that you used to create the 'fold back or the diameter around the main antenna?
Hosh... You're in Cali so I have to assume that is not lead solder. 95/5? Does it matter what the composition of the solder is? I am a plumber who just got his tech license so I want to build this... BTW... Try wrapping a wet rag around the plastic nipple before you solder the copper. Or better yet, use a pvc union.
hi, i don't understand the J Antenna Model you short the signal power to the Ground !please explain , if i have 65 watt power output and i short it to the ground by the J antenna. thanx. all my antenna its depole. signal positif top and the ground down
Mark, I think I understand your confusion... It looks like a short because you have the center coax conductor and the coax shield connecting to a continuous copper conductor. Just remember that what looks like a short circuit to DC is not a short circuit to RF, there is enough electrical distance between the 2 connection points to allow the alternating RF energy to do its magic. I hope that helps. I think Ham universe has a good explanation on how SlimJims and J poles work. 73
The halo is to create a co-linear design on 2m. The fact is that 70cm = 3 times the frequency of 2m so many antennas on 2m will also work to some degree on 70cm. The radiation pattern may be a bit weird though.
An easier way to do the plastic insulator would be to use shark connectors you can buy the solder on ones or the double ended slide on version then just slide a piece of plastic pipe in after no heat to melt anything
Broadcasting?? Kerchunking?? What kind of amateur are you? :P Thanks for the video. I might end up trying to build one of these in the near future. I'd like to get a full-time VHF base going for monitoring/talking with the local amateurs.
Great bending of the loop, but the attachment techniques need some work. Heat the part with the greatest mass, and don't be afraid to use flux. I am a mechanical engineer/building contractor with specialties in electrical and plumbing (and a U.S. "Amateur Extra" licensee!), and the soldering (not "brazing") could use some guidance. What you did was serviceable, but why not make it "permanent and beautiful" as well?
Don't forget to polish it every week. It wouldn't be a bad idea to paint it or something to keep corrosion at bay, and seal the end of the coax or enclose it in a box. Bill, G4GHB.
@@ahuggins6 I have a 6m dipole which I was given and was corroded underneath the SO239 socket on it and so making a poor connection to the centre of the dipole. Painting it after it is assembled would help to keep out moisture, and rain if it's outdoors to help prevent corrosion forming. Corrosion because of moisture creeps up old coax cable from the cut end if you have ever seen old coax. Bill, G4GHB.
@@ahuggins6 The connector is the important bit, but you could paint the whole antenna if you wish. I remember an old radio book which said to clean the unvarnished copper long wire antenna with wire wool to keep it clean. Most amateurs use pvc covered wire these days so I guess nobody thinks of that now. I have sealed coax with bathroom sealant but I believe that contains acetic acid which could start corrosion so that's not the best idea. I've had antennas up using it for a few years though. I understand there is something called Coax-Seal but I've never seen it. On my 40m dipole I enclosed the centre connection in a plastic box to keep rain off with small holes in the bottom to allow air to circulate. I arranged the coax to point downwards to further stop moisture being pulled downwards by gravity, didn't seal the coax. It's debatable whether to seal things or not to seal things and people have different ideas on this. There's still air present in everything and condensation will form in cold weather.
.as soon as my money is straight, I'm building a super j-pole for 10-11 meters. With the lower portion below the matching hoop made with 1" copper and top with 1/2"
hoshnasi well Dave tadlock shows a standard j-pole being made for cb and it was 27 feet there abouts. So add 1/2 wave more. But his used twin lead for the lower part.
put heat on the side you want the solder to run towards. Most of the time you had the heat on the wrong side. Doing it this way will pull the solder into the joint and then you will have a solid joint. Good video otherwise .
Harley Rev The hottest point is at the tip of the cone, so hold the flame so that the tip just touches the fitting. It's not necessary to heat the copper tube directly, because the fitting quickly conducts the heat to the tube inside the joint. When the temperature of the copper reaches the solder melting point, the solder wire you're holding against the copper will suddenly liquefy and flow into the joint. Hold the solderopposite the flame, the coolest point, to make sure all parts of the joint are hot enough. Solder won't fill spots that are cooler than its melting point. www.google.com/searchhowtosolder
What Harley is saying, is to hold the flame, or in his words "heat" on the fitting, i.e the coupling, elbow, cap etc.. NOT the tube, yes Bobby you are correct in that sense, but Harley was misunderstood in the sense of reference to what point, be it the opposite or same or perpendicular etc.. side to the solder.
Sorry, but that ain't braising ! That's (sloppy) soldering (if it doesn't suck up the Tin, pushing it into the joints won't help it either..... Braise is a silver or brass alloy (hence the term "braise") as an welding material and needs red hot temperatures. Soldering is melting a tin-lead based alloy (some contain 2% silver if you go fancy ;-) but still it's melting at max 280 degrees C. if you go wild. Braising takes a good 600-800 C and up. And you'd use oxygen with the propane gas to achieve the needed temperatures.
joostle is correct. Soldering is fine for this purpose, but is very different from braising and welding. Making a technical video? Be accurate with your terminology.
Man I hate to be so hard on you but if you had took a 15-minute lesson in welding pipe I think it would have been a better video then I have never seen anyone solder braze weld or whatever is bad as what you have shown me I don't know where you got your Technique man but I hope you're better now LOL! Not trying to be a bummer dude just trying to give you a little constructive criticism LOL!
Building an antenna with your boy on your lap. Father of the year.
Thank you!
Wyowanderer777 yup, some of the best memories of my life are my dad showing me how to use his TRS-80 computer back in the 80s, me and dad going caving and him showing me how to photograph large caverns by leaving the shutter open and walking around firing a flash unit, and any number of other great hobbies we did together! Keep it up, he will love you for it!
It's totally super that you'll have
videos of you and your lad doing
cool projects together!! He'll
treasure these more than you
could ever imagine!! Nice going,
brother!! Your radio bro, Norman.
Thank you Norman! My oldest is 5 now, he is starting to show some interest. Its alot of fun!
I've spent the last 30 years as a HVAC technician. Watching you solder was rather painful. A word of advice. Heat the fitting not the pipe. I wish we could have watched you bend that copper. Now that's nice looking work
I appreciate both the constructive criticism and the compliment. 🤣👍
i fill the 1/8th inch cooper line with salt and it will bend like that without kinking.
Yeah, that loop was beautifully done!
I'm glad I wasn't just thinking this. I am glad to see these types of antenna projects being tried by us to at least see more that iComs and beams. Other types are buildable and just as useful for most parts.
technically, isn't called "sweating"?
Built a 70cm version of this antenna. Made a discovery about the mast if conductive. It is all fine but if by accident you make it some resonant length that coincides with the design frequency it can pull the tuning. The mast itself will radiate. You can check this with a Nano VNA on a wide sweep. Slide your hand along the mast and observe phantom SWR notches move about on the display. Tuning with the antenna on the ground is different than aloft on a conductive mast. My solution was to repeat the insulator section again (without the hairpin) just under the "T" fitting. Then too, a ferrite choke installed close to the feed point is a good idea. This could explain why some people have good results while not others. Just depends on their arbitrary mast length. VA7WN
Vintage Josh. Been driving all day, 22-Sep-2022, listening to UA-cam videos categorized under "ham radio."
In one (I'm guessing circa 2019-- I was driving so couldn't look) Josh mentions his copper super J-pole video, so I came looking for it after work. Currently just preparing to make a roll-up, but working with copper seems fun, too.
Anyway, Josh also mentioned two things in that other video I cannot grasp. First was some story he assumed we had heard before about Freddie Mercury and an Abbree antenna. Nope. Never heard it, and cannot imagine.
Next, he mentions an amateur radio-related film called "Night," or "Knight." My search for such a film returns nothing.
Now, off to find the first part of this video.
A tip. You can use a pair of 3/4" straps folded around the 1/2" pipe and held by a brass nut and screw to form an adjustable feedpoint. Tack solder the coax to one side of each strap tab end for the connection. Goop the coax braid to prevent rain water wicking. VA7WN
I was going to comment on the soldering, but I see 345,621 people have already done so.
Yep. So many jimmies rustled by that.
Great video man I'll be making one of these. May I give you a tip as a plumber regarding soldering. If you heat the pipe mainly not the fitting you'll have a better joint and also wait until you get a greenish hue when heating the pipe and then apply solder and then it will flow right in there. Cheers buddy. Tim (UK)
Is there any information about the bending of the part around the plastic. That looks like it could be a pain to do.
Many good comments on proper way to solder plumbing pipe and joints so I won't add to that. Thanks for the design link update. more is explained than you provided. Glad it works for you. You are correct. It would have been nice to see the tuning procedure. Don't take my criticisms to heart. I am sure that you have improved since making this video. 73 OM
I've made mine with scrap copper wire and I would like to know what is the coil purpose
This antenna is the best kept secret this thing does fantastic . If you have never built one you are missing out on some great performance.
How did you bend the tubing?
Can you please show the performance of Swr/ power meter you use i.i. Nissei. I have rs 40.any review
How well does this design work on 70 cm. ?
And about cable feed points, measurements, position?
quais as medidas da ante amigo gostaria de produzir uma aqui no brasil 73s PU7FTM
I found plans for the "Cactus" antenna but, according to the plans, that specific design was meant for dual band (144/440mhz). Are your measurements specific for the 2m/144 only???. From what I understand, the upper portion/coil and top will only allow the 440mhz to radiate due to the high impedance.
Thanks for sharing!.
Correct, this would work for both 144/440
Solder flows to the heat source. Heat the elbows, Ts etc not the tubing. The solder won’t flow like it’s supposed too.
I went to the link. Couldn't find the curved part there
Sweet antenna. Was that the scrapper repeater you were keying up on? 449.500
Is this a 50 ohm feed? If I decided to co-phase to get more direction, would I need a balun for feeding with pre existing 75 ohm coax?
Yes it’s 50 ohms. Get cheap 50ohm coax.
When you put a bare copper antenna outside does the tuning/efficient change when it gets tarnished and turns green after a couple of years?
What happens with RF travelling on the outer surfaces of the antenna (skin effect) now you have added resistances in the surface there were not there
when it was fresh & new.
I’ve had j pole up copper for several yrs it got nice green patena on it still works great haven’t done nothing to it, but you can paint them won’t effect anything
Good job,,,, i have one super j pole i made it stainless and works perfect
4 years later, still in service? performance good, other than the fun of building, reccommended?
Anyone have plans for this with ALL the measurements, including the "halo"? Video kind of skipped that part. Nice looking antenna. May qualify as yard art.
Here you go. users.marktwain.net/aschmitz/antennas/jpolecalc.html
can't one make a j-pole with 2 meters on one side and 70 cm on the other??? and wouldn't it TX and RX better? I'm new to antenna making but am trying to make some so I can get on some distant repeaters.
After having this guy up for a while, are you still using it? I'm trying to figure out if I should build a J-Pole or buy a GP-6... Any thoughts?
I have my 2 meter J-pole up for four years with no problems exapt for poor matins ( op errors) just seal up the two coax leads and inspect it quarterly or yearly. but I am a "new" young ham 4 years in my first term.
Was that Oatley solder acid core?
What does the coil add to the antenna? does it increase the gain or something? I'm kinda new to this stuff.
It’s just a means of creating a delay so the top half of the antenna is in phase with the bottom half. If the coil wasn’t there the top half of the antenna would be 180° out of phase with the bottom half and there would be virtually no radiation from that antenna.
nice video. what is your pole made out of and how did you attach the antennae to it.
?
+Bobby Minchew pole is wood. You can solder a coupler and screw it into the pole.
Ok. It looked like pvc and I was wondering if coax was inside but it must be attached/zip tied to the wood?
Would this work on any frequency between 136.00 to 174.000?
Also max power handling?
It would be resonant, but suffer swr loss. Ick your preferred frequency and build to that.
No idea on max power.
that's really cool！
Hey man good video! Is there a formula or something to to how long is too long for feedlines? Like where I want to mount my antenna is like 100 feet from where my radio is.
Great question, the short answer is IDK. I would assume you'd still have to tune the feed point once you got the full length of line on.
If you are 100 ft away your loss is going to be "bad" on 2 m and horrible on 440 unless you invest is $$$ feedline. It'll still work with decent rg8 but you will have appreciable loss
I put little things on the top of my copper tubing that can slide over the tubing. They are sold to cut down on the water pipes making noise. They are bigger around than the tubing so it can slide up and down for tuning!
whats the purpose of adding the halo? how does it compare to a standard J-pole? how does it compare to a "slim-jim" -- would it be possible/practical/beneficial to add the halo to a "slim-jim", and/or would it be beneficial to add more halo's?
+Munky332 the halo allows it to be resonant on both 2 meter and 70 cm. yeah same concept as the slim Jim. The halo is kinda like a trap.
To make the antenna larger (1.5 wave + matching stub), you could add, on top, another phasing section (halo) and another half wave section above it (same dimensions at the current top section). You can go on adding sections like this, though mechanical strength is an issue at these wavelengths (though easier at higher frequencies!). You get diminishing returns as you add more sections.
This one has four half wave sections.
www.dxzone.com/images/pics/2016/02/12/20160212235757-22755680.jpg
I would have cut the 1/4" tubing and soldered it back together with a small coupling rather than try and solder next to a PVC nipple.That has a high probability of melting, even if you use heat dissipating gel. If you could have fitted a 1/2 x 1/2 x 1/4" T in there and gotten the right SWR it would have been great.
Heat the fitting not the pipe so the solder flows into the fitting
Yup the solder will flow towards the heat.
the plans link will not open it says you don't have the right link.........can you help out? looks like a cool home brew to do. Thanks Kevin
+BassTactical101 www.kf4eok.com/forum/forum/main-forum/antennas/vhf-antennas/58-super-j-pole
how did this turn out
Does the coil have to be in the "horseshoe" pattern or can it be a standard coil? What diameter should the coil be?
+Bartlett Mayo I have not experimented with anything other than what I showed in the video. I'd stick to the plans unless you wanted to try different things,
+hoshnasi
Was that particular design for a specific purpose? Or was it just easier to create? Is there a diameter that you used to create the 'fold back or the diameter around the main antenna?
+Bartlett Mayo Yes, the design is linked in the description. Check it out.
+hoshnasi
Unfortunately all I get is:
The www.kf4eok.com page isn’t working
www.kf4eok.com is currently unable to handle this request.
+Bartlett Mayo Ah! Thanks for letting me know! Here is another link with a cool calculator. www.hamuniverse.com/superjpolecal.html
Are J-pole antennas only good for VHF or can they be used for HF frequencies?
You can make it work on whatever frequency, but on HF it will be way longer than what you see here.
great job but the best of your video is that lovely angel !!!
+litoboy5 aww. Thanks!
Pretty cool.
Hosh... You're in Cali so I have to assume that is not lead solder. 95/5? Does it matter what the composition of the solder is? I am a plumber who just got his tech license so I want to build this... BTW... Try wrapping a wet rag around the plastic nipple before you solder the copper. Or better yet, use a pvc union.
A melhor de todos os tempos antena de cobre bazuka
Did you Earth Ground this Antenna Or just let it float.??
Float
hi, i don't understand the J Antenna Model you short the signal power to the Ground !please explain , if i have 65 watt power output and i short it to the ground by the J antenna. thanx. all my antenna its depole. signal positif top and the ground down
+mark malibu the jpole is basically a dipole. Same principle.
Mark, I think I understand your confusion... It looks like a short because you have the center coax conductor and the coax shield connecting to a continuous copper conductor. Just remember that what looks like a short circuit to DC is not a short circuit to RF, there is enough electrical distance between the 2 connection points to allow the alternating RF energy to do its magic. I hope that helps. I think Ham universe has a good explanation on how SlimJims and J poles work. 73
Copper brazing 101? It looks like soldering to me.
OMG. Kiddo so young in this video. Guess it was 7 years ago. Makes sense but still caught me off guard.
Yeah and we only had the one!
😬 I'm glad the intro has changed and that the channel is more focused on radios these days
it is soldering...not brazing????
We call it "sweat soldering".
i would love to buy one but i cant find any one that sold them my antennas never turn out
Just a make a simple 70cm or 2 meter J-Pole without the twisted part at the top, much easier.
i have a antenna i just want a super j pole for portable
I don't really support the Super J for portable. If you want something mobile look at the Slim Jim antennas. www.n9tax.com/slim%20jim%20info.html
how do you build the tuning section ?
Bent the pipe around a coffee can.
what model of kenwood radio is that?
It is a TH-D72a. Its a great HT for VHF/UHF fm satellites.
Time to circle back around on this project!! Would like to see an update!!
It’s dead Jim.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse Oh no, not good or poor build quality? 😂
I guess that, and the video being 8 years old :D
Wrap a wet rag around the plastic and copper fittings before soldering the last step.
+James May not needed for this.
hoshnasi yep, I see it wasn't needed. You melted it.
Do you ground the jpole?
+Clifford Green nope. No ground needed.
hoshnasi grounding the j-pole is one of its features. It reduces noise from static, and provides lightning protection. So yes, you should ground it.
It's a good thing that antenna doesn't need to hold pressure.
thats a beautiful watch! what is it?
Maratac pilot watch
By adding the halo does that allow you to get 70cm as well as 2m?
Yes exactly! It performs quite well on 70cm.
Awesome! Thank you, I'm building one this weekend!
The halo is to create a co-linear design on 2m. The fact is that 70cm = 3 times the frequency of 2m so many antennas on 2m will also work to some degree on 70cm. The radiation pattern may be a bit weird though.
www.hamradio.me/antennas/can-a-2m-j-pole-be-used-at-440.html
I like the punk intro and then wind chimes.
At least he enjoys being with you!
the little one is having fun
Nice JOB!!!
Thank you!
Andre Aurelio Souza f
Andre Aurelio Souza
Thank you!
Sweet Child.....
An easier way to do the plastic insulator would be to use shark connectors you can buy the solder on ones or the double ended slide on version then just slide a piece of plastic pipe in after no heat to melt anything
does it work also 440 ?
Yep, that is what makes it SUPER!
super means it's collinear
Nice video, could you please share the dimensions of the "halo" I thank you in advance.
I believe that top part as mentioned in the link in the description 1/2 wavelength.
Is the spacing between the parallel portion of the halo critical?
There needs to be some kind of insulator in the middle yes.
A very cute assistant
Thank you!
The website doesn't work anymore.
Works fine for me. users.marktwain.net/aschmitz/antennas/jpolecalc.html
Broadcasting?? Kerchunking?? What kind of amateur are you? :P
Thanks for the video. I might end up trying to build one of these in the near future. I'd like to get a full-time VHF base going for monitoring/talking with the local amateurs.
Did you know what I meant though? 🤣
hoshnasi I did lol. I kind of figured you wouldn't be able to run that kind of power with an ht and no amp!
hoshnasi which brings another question. How much rf power can you pump into that thing without frying anything?
Its for VHF UHF. I wouldn't go over 50 watts.
If it’s pure copper you can go over 100 w
Great bending of the loop, but the attachment techniques need some work. Heat the part with the greatest mass, and don't be afraid to use flux. I am a mechanical engineer/building contractor with specialties in electrical and plumbing (and a U.S. "Amateur Extra" licensee!), and the soldering (not "brazing") could use some guidance.
What you did was serviceable, but why not make it "permanent and beautiful" as well?
Anyone can cobble together an antenna from measurements, but it probably won't work, unless you tune it, which is the most difficult part.
Don't forget to polish it every week. It wouldn't be a bad idea to paint it or something to keep corrosion at bay, and seal the end of the coax or enclose it in a box.
Bill, G4GHB.
Curious about this before I build one. How would a layer of corrosion differ from a layer of paint?
@@ahuggins6 I have a 6m dipole which I was given and was corroded underneath the SO239 socket on it and so making a poor connection to the centre of the dipole. Painting it after it is assembled would help to keep out moisture, and rain if it's outdoors to help prevent corrosion forming. Corrosion because of moisture creeps up old coax cable from the cut end if you have ever seen old coax.
Bill, G4GHB.
@@bill-2018 ok, so you don’t paint the whole antenna? Just the connector or somehow seal the cable?
@@ahuggins6 The connector is the important bit, but you could paint the whole antenna if you wish. I remember an old radio book which said to clean the unvarnished copper long wire antenna with wire wool to keep it clean. Most amateurs use pvc covered wire these days so I guess nobody thinks of that now.
I have sealed coax with bathroom sealant but I believe that contains acetic acid which could start corrosion so that's not the best idea. I've had antennas up using it for a few years though. I understand there is something called Coax-Seal but I've never seen it.
On my 40m dipole I enclosed the centre connection in a plastic box to keep rain off with small holes in the bottom to allow air to circulate. I arranged the coax to point downwards to further stop moisture being pulled downwards by gravity, didn't seal the coax. It's debatable whether to seal things or not to seal things and people have different ideas on this. There's still air present in everything and condensation will form in cold weather.
.as soon as my money is straight, I'm building a super j-pole for 10-11 meters. With the lower portion below the matching hoop made with 1" copper and top with 1/2"
What are your estimates on how long the segments will be?
hoshnasi well Dave tadlock shows a standard j-pole being made for cb and it was 27 feet there abouts. So add 1/2 wave more. But his used twin lead for the lower part.
I don’t think it would work over that range of frequency.
You forgot the TINFOIL! thats why it is funny!
put heat on the side you want the solder to run towards. Most of the time you had the heat on the wrong side. Doing it this way will pull the solder into the joint and then you will have a solid joint. Good video otherwise .
Yep, I always get the heat too much on the wrong side.
Harley Rev The hottest point is at the tip of the cone, so hold the flame so that the tip just touches the fitting. It's not necessary to heat the copper tube directly, because the fitting quickly conducts the heat to the tube inside the joint. When the temperature of the copper reaches the solder melting point, the solder wire you're holding against the copper will suddenly liquefy and flow into the joint. Hold the solderopposite the flame, the coolest point, to make sure all parts of the joint are hot enough. Solder won't fill spots that are cooler than its melting point. www.google.com/searchhowtosolder
What Harley is saying, is to hold the flame, or in his words "heat" on the fitting, i.e the coupling, elbow, cap etc.. NOT the tube, yes Bobby you are correct in that sense, but Harley was misunderstood in the sense of reference to what point, be it the opposite or same or perpendicular etc.. side to the solder.
soldering not brazing
Sorry, but that ain't braising !
That's (sloppy) soldering (if it doesn't suck up the Tin, pushing it into the joints won't help it either.....
Braise is a silver or brass alloy (hence the term "braise") as an welding material and needs red hot temperatures. Soldering is melting a tin-lead based alloy (some contain 2% silver if you go fancy ;-) but still it's melting at max 280 degrees C. if you go wild. Braising takes a good 600-800 C and up. And you'd use oxygen with the propane gas to achieve the needed temperatures.
Chill out dude,,,
joostle is correct. Soldering is fine for this purpose, but is very different from braising and welding. Making a technical video? Be accurate with your terminology.
9
Best ant
Not to put too fine a point on this, but soldering is not the same as brazing using a brazing alloy.....
Your welding hurts my welder soul. But like all your videos, I enjoyed it! 73 de E73HAK
LOL. I've gotten better since then.
Dude heat where you want to solder to go. The fitting not the pipe. :D
VU3FZZ -India from Kerala state.pls note gain.
That PVC pipe insulator is totally melted
I dont suppose you like diesel trucks and fishing too?? Ham Radio, Guns, Homebrewer and left handed to boot.... Coincidence?
Love fishing! But never had a diesel. 👍
Hope you’re not pressure testing that. Lol. Use flux before solder. And clean the joint area.😂😂
Ever hear of flex before you soder??? Try flexing first your soder will flow really easy
flux?
There is nothing more intelligent than soldering on a what looks like, paper covered work bench. WTH is that all about?
All that work for an antenna with zero gain
thank you
good morning18mm 22
Not helpful. You didn't show how or why you bent the copper or how long the bent copper should be.
I posted the link to the calculator. Read up buddy.
Man I hate to be so hard on you but if you had took a 15-minute lesson in welding pipe I think it would have been a better video then I have never seen anyone solder braze weld or whatever is bad as what you have shown me I don't know where you got your Technique man but I hope you're better now LOL! Not trying to be a bummer dude just trying to give you a little constructive criticism LOL!
Man I hate to be so hard on you, but if you would have taken a 15 minute grammar lesson….😂
Ken i am really sorry I hurt your feelings lol!? Well I guess all those years in parochial school didn't do me much good huh? Lol!
you need to work on your soldering dude
learn to sweat copper
Bill Thompson lol heat the fitting not the copper....