WOW!! What a great video. All you you tube video producers should watch listen and learn. 1. Great audio, nice and even and at a proper level. 2, Great subject, something people may really be intrested in. 3. To the point and not endless talking heads. 4. Showed proper assembly, quick to the point assembly instructions, not a 2 hour video of some guy who left his camera on. 5. Great presentation and commentary, not some guy saying UUh and whatnot for and hour. GREAT video keep up the good work, and Thanks. (I'm Gonna build one)
Thanks for the compliments, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. It's been my experience that there is a dearth of good amateur radio DIY videos. So I'm using my expertise in video production and experience of amateur radio to create tutorials that are interesting and well produced.
Subbed. This was probably the most concise video on building your own yagi I have seen. I pulled a hat trick on Saturday and went from unlicensed to Amateur Extra in one shot. Now I'm just waiting for a call sign.
I know it's almost a year later, but I would like to know how you passed all three exams in one shot. Did you already have some background in the field?
I have a BS - EEE, and have studied a bit, so that I'm hitting 90% on Tech practise exams, but only 65% on the General practise exams. Doing all three at once is a great achievement.
@@CycleRayinOK for sure. I decided to pace myself since it was all new subject matter for me. I studied hard for the technician license. I aced that, so they offered me the general exam. I missed it by two questions, having not studied for that one at all. No regrets though. I didn't want to overwhelm myself and fail the tech.
6 years later your video's still helping people. Built my first yagi following your directions and it works great! Hope to find a fox hunt this summer. Thank you!
@@Chalan_Chitramu I can't help you, sorry. I just followed the instructions provided in the video, and that was a year ago, so I don't recall them of the top of my head. If he doesn't provide that info in the video, I wouldn't know it anyway since that's where I got my info.
I built this antenna last month and i just sent my APRS beacon to the International Space Station with this. It works perfectly well. Thank you. TB1CLR, 73.
Great video! I did laugh out loud when you used a tape measure to measure the tape measure to cut it... I'm fairly new to ham radio, but im fascinated by antenna and antenna design. Thanks for the information...
Agree, I though that was insulting to the tape. If you have to cut up a tape for this, at least have the decency to use it to determine its own length!
I built one of these and my first attempt on 2m simplex was a brand new ham calling out! He had just got his technician license at the DARA hq just a few days ago. He was super excited to reach me as his first contact ever, and I was super excited because he proved this new antenna worked fabulously!!!! Thanks for posting!
I built one of these at a local ham club meeting. They talked about it being great for fox hunts, but nobody mentioned you could use it with an HT to hit a repeater 60 miles away! This thing may become part of my go kit, since it folds up pretty easily. Thanks for the step by step walk through... excellent video how-to! 73, Brett
You are correct‚ you can transmit with them. I did a video last month where I used mine to make a sideband contact 40+ miles away: ua-cam.com/video/uvH8NQy-T84/v-deo.html
I just wanted to say Thank you! I used your design here and substituted a wooden yardstick in place of the PVC pipe because I couldn't get PVC pipe where I was deployed. The antenna was fantastic! Using my Yaesu FT-817 I was pushing 5 watts QRP with zero watts reflected as measured on a Bird Thruline wattmeter making contacts that I never would have thought possible. Great design that has me wanting to make more antennas in the future when I get home. Thanks again. 73's KX4IG
Michael, I watched this a couple times last night (friday.) I managed to copy a rough idea of this (2 meter, tuned with the nano) and made a contact 52 miles away with a UV5R, yes you heard that right, a little 3 watt radio. I think the real lesson here can bring up a multitude of topics which I will discuss with some other people soon here: hams have the privilege of building their own stuff, our signals can travel much farther, that topic of possible interference could possibly happen if it's zipping around the earth or bouncing off of things and lastly and most importantly never underestimate the ability of underrated equipment in the right conditions. I really think this was dumb luck but I did use a Google distance calculator, a compass bearing and found a good spot. Thanks for all you are doing with this channel and being a servant to others. The information you taught might save somebody else's life one day.
A friend of mine built one of these. This is only based on a test of one antenna. I measured performance in a clear open area. Since the intended use was hidden transmitter hunting, my only concern was the antenna pattern. I found two important things with the antenna brought to me: 1.) It had terrible common mode on the coax. I could touch the VNA analyzer case, or slide my hand along the coax, and see a fairly large change in impedance. 2.) It had generally poor directivity in the 2M Ham band. It lacked a good deep null off the rear. It actually seemed to have better directivity on the weather band than2 meters. I did two things. 1.) I altered the spacing. We just swapped the director and reflector around on spacing so the reflector is wider spacing like almost all 3 element Yagis are. This improved the back null quite a bit. I made no efforts to trim elements, but suggested he make the elements slightly long in a future model so we could trim them in. 2.) I grounded the coax shield to the center point of the reflector. We had about 18 inches of coax spiraled around the boom to the hairpin match. This forms a high impedance on the shield at the hairpin. This completely eliminated the noticeable SWR changes as I moved my hands along the coax.
Your build is very similar to the way I typically make them. I like to dip the ends of each element in that liquid plastic stuff they sell at hardware store for coating tool handles. It makes the ends more visible and prevents the ends from scratching or poking anyone. Also, I always put a cross on the director end as well. Once you’re close to a hidden transmitter, it’s often easier to zero in on the location using the null on the reflector end, so the extra cross allows you to hold the antenna ‘backwards’.
Just made contact with the ISS via APRS using this tape measure antenna and my Yaesu FTM400XDR. Thank you for posting this video Michael! 73s from KI5BWY.
I built one of these over the weekend and it works very well. I got the SWRs down to 1.1:1 and instead of soldering the coax to the driven elements, I decided to use an SO-239 connector with 3 inches of wire for the center conductor and ground, each. My house is in a 100 ft valley (compared to surrounding terrain) and I am still able to talk to my brother 4 miles away on 1 watt of power. Also, I'm using RG-8X coax to connect to the antenna.
Great Ham Radio project Michael. Excellent easy to understand video. Especially like the method you use to speed up the construction portions of the project. It is refreshing for a ham to give the parts lists and step by step instructions. FIRST CLASS PRESENTATION. Very professional, I thought you must be a teacher with many years of experience. I built two of the antennas for an upcoming ham club fox hunting event. No problems, worked just as you said and showed in your video. Other Amateur Radio operators could learn many good tips and methods to present and do videos on ham radio projects if they watched your videos. Keep up the good work Michael. Great Job! Howard WB0ATB
Thanks for the compliments. I'm glad you found the video easy to follow and were able to build working antennas by watching it. I never was a professional teacher, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once :). I do have a degree in Communication Arts, so it's good to put my Liberal Arts education to use in benefitting the amateur radio community.
I am stunned by the excellent presentation on the subject. Believe that you covered all the bases of a video. Last but not least, I am amazed of you thinking out of the box using such simple materials and making a really nice Yagi. Good day too.
I just built this and it looks like I am hitting towers about 50 miles away. However, please tape up the ends of the tape measure, my ten year old son was holding the antenna while I taped the cable and he dropped it on my leg, And it cut an inch and half gash, I am headed to the clinic now to see if it needs stiches.
Hey I've been a wood flooring contractor for 32 years that little tape measure you got from Harbor Freight is one of the best tape measures you can spend three bucks on better than a Stanley I originally bought three of them one lasted like 3-4 months and it was just so dirty that It was hard to read but it still worked nice project I'm going to build me one thanks
You build the antenna yourself to learn how antennas work (and save money in the process). That is what this is about. Those who buy "off the shelf" really do not learn anything regarding Amateur Radio, only create excessive cost and no knowledge regarding antennas as a whole. We can try to build our transceivers and do a pretty good job of it, but those who build antennas really know radio.
Cool... Great presentation. As a former teacher, I can really compliment your style and AV methods. Solid and easy to understand instructions. I don't even really need one, but it looks like a fun project. I think I will build one to keep handy. I wonder how much of Harbor Freight's business is from hams? 😀
That is just plain cool! This is why I like the ham radio hobby! Simple, field expedient and gives your signal from the ht a kick in the butt!! Thank you for sharing your project!!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise with your videos. I’m just getting back into amateur radio and the new technology and information that is available is staggering and somewhat overwhelming at times. I find your videos to be clear, concise and welcoming to those of us who are new to this great hobby. Living in an apartment building makes antennae’s somewhat challenging as I have to be rather stealthy with them. Most of my activity ( when I’m licensed in the new year ) will be field transmitting and I’m gathering various radios and antenna styles to experiment with. I’m really looking forward to using my QRP radios as well as my stronger radios under field conditions. 73 John in Toronto Canada. 😀
This is a very informative and clear video. I built this antenna with one minor modification -- instead of soldering coax directly to the feed point, I instead soldered an N-type socket, and use an N-type to SMA cable to connect to my HT. (I have bad luck when it comes to stripping and separating coax. My approach ain't pretty, but it works.) I also covered the tips (last 1/2 inch) of the elements with electrical tape to avoid cuts and scratches. Analysis with a NanoVNA showed my version had an impedance of 52 Ohms and minimum SWR of 1.1:1 at 148.5 MHz. The SWR increases rapidly from that minimum, but still seems reasonable within the 2-m amateur band. On 70 cm, the antenna has an SWR of 1.6:1 at 449 MHz. I'll try playing around with the spacing of the driven elements to see if I can bring the resonant frequency/ies into the right range.
UPDATE: Picked up a MicroFox (15mw output) and built a couple of these using an active offset attenuator. I use them specifically to teach scouts for Merit Badge Requirement #9, partake in ARDF, but I also use it as a DEMO for a variety of youth events. I set the FOX a distance away, and show them how to use the setup. My attenuator offsets the main frequency by 4MHz, making it cleaner to find the fox. The original antennas still work, but I am building a couple more so multiple sets of Scouts can look at the same time. I also have a few full power HTs (6watt) that are crossband I have used for a greater distance fox hunt. However, this is still, as far as I am considered, the gold standard for the homebrew Yagi. It is simple, it is cheap, and it is fast to assemble. I used my NanoVNA and tuned it to 1.2:1 on 2Meter, and it was also 1.8:1 on 70cm I use it to contact the ISS Repeater and have had a QSO from FMo5 to EM26 through the ISS Repeater. NOW THAT WAS COOL!!! Thanks, Chris Cancilla de W4CEC
Thanks for the video. I just finished building this antenna. My regular 17in omni on 2 meter was only receiving at 1/3 scale this receives at full scale, full quieting to a repeater. I'm really amazed that this works, now I just need to tune it so I can Tx with it. Great video and thanks for the parts list on your blog, I took a picture of the list and found everything at home depot. The list does say 10Ft of PVC I got away with 2 2FT pieces, I'm not sure what the extra would be for unless you were making a stand for it.
Glad to hear the antenna is working well for you. I mentioned 10 feet of PVC in the parts list as that's the length you usually but the tubing at the home improvement store. But really any amount of scrap tubing will work, it doesn't have to be a certain thickness or diameter.
Neat trick I learned for cutting the tape measure: you don't need any tools at all! If you fold the tape back on itself inwards (numbers touching numbers), and then press the fold flat to make a crease, it will snap and leave you with a perfectly straight line! Unfortunately, I learned this too late to save myself from a half-hour long battle with my dremel (most of it searching for the pieces).
If anyone new is in doubt, cut the metal tape, tape to plywood sheet, position on wood saw horse, off the floor away from other metal, then hook up the feed line and check results on a NanoVNA! Then cut your boom material!
Built one today. I don't have the means for tuning so i just measured and assembled it as precisely as i could. I was able to receive voice from AO-92 (VHF downlink) and SO-50 (UHF down) loud and clear. However, it is not a magic wand! and I was NOT able to transmit successfully to a friend 1 mile away through medium dense forest/trees (this is not surprising). Without so many trees blocking, I was loud and clear TXing at 4 watts from 1 mile. Don't expect to beat the laws of physics or anything with this, but even without tuning you'll be able to recieve MUCH better than you might with the rubber ducky. Tune it for best possible TX capability! Thanks VBR for the awesome design! de N0CALL ;)
Just built five of these antennas with my students today and they work great! Sadly, the cost of each antenna was $40 😢 Darn inflation! Thanks for making these videos!!!
The is K4DGC Chris in Tampa Fl. I built my own 2m yagi per your instructions and it turned out great. I am the Deputy EM for Hillsborough Co ARES/RACES and I recently brought this idea to my training officer who put together a class to build and test these tape measure antennas. We were able to get a few made and tested each one and they worked perfect. The steed TS were so thrilled that they proposed a Fox Hunt with their antennas so that is in the works as well as a possible build class for a 70cm yagi. Great job sir!! 73!!
Great video, however plumbers don't use a 3/4" cpvc cross piece. So our local stores don't sell these. I had to cut down a 3/4" nipple and glue it to a "T" to make a cross piece. I haven't used it yet, so don't know how durable it is.
I used schedule 40 PVC for my mast and cross pieces. I don't believe you can get CPVC in 3/4 inch, but 1/2 inch CPVC should be sturdy enough for this antenna. But is sounds like your modifications to the mast should do the job.
I built this and got the swr down to 1.2, but I still can't get into any distant repeaters. It works with the more local repeaters, but so does the rubber duck.
Kids are wanting to try a fox hunt so we will be building this first. How narrow of a single azimuth would we be able to detect. Never done a fox hunt and wanting to understand how it correlates to map and compass navigation.
I'd love to see a build video on a larger yagi, something like 4-6 elements, something that could be hiked up to a summit but be relatively lightweight
Great Video! liked and subscribed. Your method of instruction was easy to understand even for a Newbie like me. The video was well produced and easy to follow. I built my first yagi today. Thank you KB9VBR. 73
It is unfortunate public high schools have eliminated basic electronics shops along with wood, metal and auto shops. Thank you for the videos. I don't know anything about anything related to electronics. Can I ask why are the "elements" (?) cut at such a precise length? Why are broadcasts called "2 meter"? If an antenna element had to be exactly two meters would it matter if you took the two meter antenna and rolled it into a coil? There certainly is a plethora of panel antennas and antennas of every configuration. It would be nice to have an illustrated up to date book with photos of every sort of antenna with a paragraph of the name, type and function of an antenna. Satellite and other antennas are popping up everywhere.
I'd agree with you that technical education is lacking in many high schools. Bucking the trend, our local high school just expanded its technical and industrial arts program. They did it in partnership with the area technical college. As for antennas, a 'field guide' of types of antennas would be really handy. I'll have to do some research to see if anything exists. What makes an antenna work is its resonance to a particular frequency. Radio Frequency energy travels in waves. When an antenna is resonant, it will easily transmit and receive the RF energy that is traveling at that frequency. That is why the elements of an antenna are precisely cut. These RF energy waves are described by the frequency they travel at, such at 146 MegaHertz, or by the size of their wavelength, like 2 meters. 146 Mhz is a frequency that has a wavelength of 2 meters. We could use a coil of wire to detect the radio waves, but fashioning the elements of the antenna in the style and orientation described in the video is more efficient than a coil of wire. This is a very simple explanation, but hopefully it answers your question.
Short description... 2 meter refers to a frequency band where the "center freq" is around 146 MHz (144 MHz - 148 MHz, allocated by FCC in USA for ham radio).... the length of the electromagnetic wave used to transmist and receive is around 2 meters (some calculation required). In order for the antenna to receive/transmit efficiently their lengths must be precise (although some >5% tolerance is usually accepted). Antennas are some diverse and so many.... depending mostly on applications.... The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is a good start to look for antenna books.... look in their site and in Amazon.
can you explain the purpose in simple terms, of the hairpin wire connecting the pos and negative driven elements? not all 70cm and 2m home-made yagi designs i see have them. i see people talk about they improve matching impedance, but for receive-only antennas does it matter?
Okay, stupid question, why are the transmitting elements wired together? Electrically, isn't that exactly the same as shorting the center and the shield of the coax together?
Thanks for posting this...very clear, concise and easy to follow. I do have a question thought...what would the changes be...if any...if this was made with the tape fixed at 90 degrees to how you have made it? That is, the flat side of the tape would be directed to the repeater, not the thin side of the tape as you have made it.? I'm thinking it would fold up better and be easier for transport as the tape could be folded along the boom. Just a thought. Thanks again for posting. de Ian VK3YIC
Great! I really enjoy your videos and the detail you put into them. I'm going to build one of these to try to work the FM satellites. For us new hams, can you put together a video on how to prep the RG-58 cable for a project like this?
How effective would this antenna be for satellite repeater communication of talking to the iss space station when there over my area🤔 this looks easy to build I want a Yagi antenna for satellite communication fun🤔😁
There is a link in the video description that takes you to a blog article with more information on how the measurements were derived. As for the the connecting wire, it's called a Hairpin Match. It raises the impedance of the feed point to 50 ohms so it matches the transceiver. I've got a follow-up video that better addresses your question: ua-cam.com/video/bQndXvCW54Q/v-deo.html
What an awesome yagi, but i noticed toward end of video how the tape measure fluttered in the wind/breeze! Would this affect it's performance? Cheers! VBQ543 Mick
I am planning on building a 2 meter yagi like this with tape measure that is 30 elements would I basically just make it like this one but with the added tape measure elements
Hello, love your video. I'm looking to build one for a homemade reciever in 216.055 mhz. Just curious how I would have to change the instructions yo get into that frequency? Or where I may learn that info. Thank you for the help
Can I substitute zip ties for the screw clamps, or is the metal in the clamps part of the performance of the antenna? I understand that the tape measure segments should be held firmly and straight, and aligned with each other.
Eliminating the hose clamps doesn't affect the performance. I've built these antennas with both hose clamps and self tapping screws. Zip ties should work as long as you can get them tight enough.
The connecting wire is called a Hairpin Match. It raises the impedance of the feed point to 50 ohms so it matches the transceiver. I've got a follow-up video that better addresses your question: ua-cam.com/video/bQndXvCW54Q/v-deo.html
When cutting the tape measure with tin snips, extremely sharp corners are produced. Is there any reason why those razor sharp ends can be curved or trimmed so not so deadly?
Great video. Will make one but wonder if with a 0,78 inch (1,9 cm.)wide steel tape measure would be ok? Problems in finding stell tape measure of 1 inch.Thanks from Barcelona
Yes, the .78 inch steel tape will work fine. The width of the tape really doesn't make a difference. When you measure the spacing of the elements you do it from the center, not the edge of the tape.
Thanks for clarifying measure the spacing of the elements. Frequency range of my Kenwood TM 241 is 144 to 146.Supose I will have to adjust the distance between the two pieces of the driven element. What does it mean 14 ga ?. Sorry but I have to translate inch to cm and english to spanish and as you can see I have no idea. Many thanks for your help.
Hi Michael, Nice Video. I notice at the co-axial feed point to the driven element the loop of wire connects between the 2 halves of the driven element. I thought that would short out the co-axial cable. Can you explain - I may be dumb haha.
@KB9VBR Antennas What would happen if I did put 50W into the antenna? Would it reflect most of the power, or would it work for a short amount of time before overheating?
My concern would be the hairpin match heating up since that is a pretty thin piece of wire. But other users of this antenna say they've used it with 50 watts of power, so you could certainly give it a shot.
@@KB9VBRAntennas Thanks! I'll give it a shot and tell you how it went. I have the exact same 50W dual-band radio (Yaesu FTM-400XDR) you use in your APRS videos.
Would the flexing of the measurement tape affect the SWR or the radiation pattern? Why is there a wire soldered between the drive antenna? Why is the power should be limited on this antenna? Sorry for the endless questions. lol I’m curious about building my own yagi antenna.
Stupid question. The 14 gauge hairpin match that is used...it creates a short doesn’t it? When I test the pl259 with a multimeter continuity test it beeps.
Electrically it would be a short. With antennas all a multimeter can tell you is if there is continuity. To check for SWR or resonance, you will need an analyzer or SWR bridge that can measure AC current aspect of RF energy.
Hey newbie here. What should be the dimensions if i want a center frequency of 140mhz? i rather wanna operate on that band for noaa apt satellites and iss downlink. i saw some yagi calculators but they seem complicated
Why are the element lengths so short? Each half of the dipole length is less than 18". Calculations for a 2 meter dipole would be closer to 20 inches. I can't find the answer anywhere. I looked up the original designer, but he's been an SK for years.
Great video, thanks. Can you explain the purpose of the short wire joining the two elements please? To my simple mind that looks like not having cut the tape, just like the other elements. I'm obviously missing something! [edit.... I scrolled further and found you hd answered that question for someone else, hi] 73 de Jim ZS6JMB, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Jim. Great question. The reason why the driven element is cut into pieces, is that it serves the purpose of radiating the RF energy. If you were to take away the other elements and just concentrate on the one element that's connected to the coax, you would have a simple 1/4 wave dipole antenna. One half is the radiator and the other the ground plane. That's why the element is split in that manner. Since a 1/4 wave dipole antenna is omnidirectional, adding the other elements act to focus the energy is one particular direction. They technically don't radiate, so they can be constructed as one longer piece of material. But getting back to the driven element, the short piece of wire helps change the impedance of the feed point to the 50 ohms necessary for the transmitter to operate efficiently. This is a simplistic answer, but I didn't want to go into too much detail here. I hope this helps. Michael
WOW!! What a great video. All you you tube video producers should watch listen and learn. 1. Great audio, nice and even and at a proper level. 2, Great subject, something people may really be intrested in. 3. To the point and not endless talking heads. 4. Showed
proper assembly, quick to the point assembly instructions, not a 2 hour video of some guy who left his camera on. 5. Great presentation and commentary, not some guy saying UUh and whatnot for and hour. GREAT video keep up the good work, and Thanks. (I'm Gonna build one)
Thanks for the compliments, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. It's been my experience that there is a dearth of good amateur radio DIY videos. So I'm using my expertise in video production and experience of amateur radio to create tutorials that are interesting and well produced.
i was wondering what mount u used to mount the yagi while you was testing it
Yep, and he talks at a good pace. Many times I have to crank up the speed to 1.25 because of slow talkers.
@@KB9VBRAntennas please please don’t ever stop making videos 😊
Subbed. This was probably the most concise video on building your own yagi I have seen. I pulled a hat trick on Saturday and went from unlicensed to Amateur Extra in one shot. Now I'm just waiting for a call sign.
Congrats on the license!
I know it's almost a year later, but I would like to know how you passed all three exams in one shot. Did you already have some background in the field?
@@tradedate -- Most certainly, as there's enough info at each level to prevent guessing at the answers and passing.
I have a BS - EEE, and have studied a bit, so that I'm hitting 90% on Tech practise exams, but only 65% on the General practise exams. Doing all three at once is a great achievement.
@@CycleRayinOK for sure. I decided to pace myself since it was all new subject matter for me. I studied hard for the technician license. I aced that, so they offered me the general exam. I missed it by two questions, having not studied for that one at all.
No regrets though. I didn't want to overwhelm myself and fail the tech.
6 years later your video's still helping people. Built my first yagi following your directions and it works great! Hope to find a fox hunt this summer. Thank you!
Could you give the formula for calculating the reflector and boom length @matthewnovak5440 ??
@@Chalan_Chitramu I can't help you, sorry. I just followed the instructions provided in the video, and that was a year ago, so I don't recall them of the top of my head. If he doesn't provide that info in the video, I wouldn't know it anyway since that's where I got my info.
@@matthewnovak5440 Could you suggest any book for designing the yagi uda antenna ??
I built this antenna last month and i just sent my APRS beacon to the International Space Station with this. It works perfectly well. Thank you. TB1CLR, 73.
Great video! I did laugh out loud when you used a tape measure to measure the tape measure to cut it...
I'm fairly new to ham radio, but im fascinated by antenna and antenna design. Thanks for the information...
Combustion Kills : I agree, couldn't get any easier could it???.
Agree, I though that was insulting to the tape. If you have to cut up a tape for this, at least have the decency to use it to determine its own length!
@@AlessioSangalli Heck no! That would be savagely!
I built one of these and my first attempt on 2m simplex was a brand new ham calling out! He had just got his technician license at the DARA hq just a few days ago. He was super excited to reach me as his first contact ever, and I was super excited because he proved this new antenna worked fabulously!!!! Thanks for posting!
Just made this antenna with the stuff I had in my shop. Was my first antenna build and worked great out of the box. Hit a repeater 32 miles away.
I built one of these at a local ham club meeting. They talked about it being great for fox hunts, but nobody mentioned you could use it with an HT to hit a repeater 60 miles away! This thing may become part of my go kit, since it folds up pretty easily. Thanks for the step by step walk through... excellent video how-to!
73,
Brett
You are correct‚ you can transmit with them. I did a video last month where I used mine to make a sideband contact 40+ miles away: ua-cam.com/video/uvH8NQy-T84/v-deo.html
I just wanted to say Thank you! I used your design here and substituted a wooden yardstick in place of the PVC pipe because I couldn't get PVC pipe where I was deployed. The antenna was fantastic! Using my Yaesu FT-817 I was pushing 5 watts QRP with zero watts reflected as measured on a Bird Thruline wattmeter making contacts that I never would have thought possible. Great design that has me wanting to make more antennas in the future when I get home. Thanks again. 73's KX4IG
I'm curious how far that 5 watts will reach out with this thing?
Michael, I watched this a couple times last night (friday.) I managed to copy a rough idea of this (2 meter, tuned with the nano) and made a contact 52 miles away with a UV5R, yes you heard that right, a little 3 watt radio. I think the real lesson here can bring up a multitude of topics which I will discuss with some other people soon here: hams have the privilege of building their own stuff, our signals can travel much farther, that topic of possible interference could possibly happen if it's zipping around the earth or bouncing off of things and lastly and most importantly never underestimate the ability of underrated equipment in the right conditions. I really think this was dumb luck but I did use a Google distance calculator, a compass bearing and found a good spot. Thanks for all you are doing with this channel and being a servant to others. The information you taught might save somebody else's life one day.
A friend of mine built one of these. This is only based on a test of one antenna. I measured performance in a clear open area. Since the intended use was hidden transmitter hunting, my only concern was the antenna pattern.
I found two important things with the antenna brought to me:
1.) It had terrible common mode on the coax. I could touch the VNA analyzer case, or slide my hand along the coax, and see a fairly large change in impedance.
2.) It had generally poor directivity in the 2M Ham band. It lacked a good deep null off the rear. It actually seemed to have better directivity on the weather band than2 meters.
I did two things.
1.) I altered the spacing. We just swapped the director and reflector around on spacing so the reflector is wider spacing like almost all 3 element Yagis are. This improved the back null quite a bit. I made no efforts to trim elements, but suggested he make the elements slightly long in a future model so we could trim them in.
2.) I grounded the coax shield to the center point of the reflector. We had about 18 inches of coax spiraled around the boom to the hairpin match. This forms a high impedance on the shield at the hairpin. This completely eliminated the noticeable SWR changes as I moved my hands along the coax.
Just finished building this antenna and it is amazing. Thanks for putting this video together. Made a few contacts over 50 miles away with an HT.
Good to hear that the antenna is working great for you.
Was that a simplex contact?
I could listen to funky music and watch people build antennas all day. Great stuff man. Can't wait to try this out!
The music is great for sure!
Your build is very similar to the way I typically make them. I like to dip the ends of each element in that liquid plastic stuff they sell at hardware store for coating tool handles. It makes the ends more visible and prevents the ends from scratching or poking anyone. Also, I always put a cross on the director end as well. Once you’re close to a hidden transmitter, it’s often easier to zero in on the location using the null on the reflector end, so the extra cross allows you to hold the antenna ‘backwards’.
Thanks for the great video. Thanks to this antenna I was able to participate in the ISS SSTV event this morning. Thank you
Just made contact with the ISS via APRS using this tape measure antenna and my Yaesu FTM400XDR. Thank you for posting this video Michael! 73s from KI5BWY.
Me too!
@@111TMX Did you mail in for your postcard?
I built one of these over the weekend and it works very well. I got the SWRs down to 1.1:1 and instead of soldering the coax to the driven elements, I decided to use an SO-239 connector with 3 inches of wire for the center conductor and ground, each. My house is in a 100 ft valley (compared to surrounding terrain) and I am still able to talk to my brother 4 miles away on 1 watt of power. Also, I'm using RG-8X coax to connect to the antenna.
Super brand new to this hobby.... thank you for using plan English... easy to understand
Great Ham Radio project Michael. Excellent easy to understand video. Especially like the method you use to speed up the construction portions of the project. It is refreshing for a ham to give the parts lists and step by step instructions. FIRST CLASS PRESENTATION. Very professional, I thought you must be a teacher with many years of experience. I built two of the antennas for an upcoming ham club fox hunting event. No problems, worked just as you said and showed in your video. Other Amateur Radio operators could learn many good tips and methods to present and do videos on ham radio projects if they watched your videos. Keep up the good work Michael. Great Job! Howard WB0ATB
Thanks for the compliments. I'm glad you found the video easy to follow and were able to build working antennas by watching it. I never was a professional teacher, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once :). I do have a degree in Communication Arts, so it's good to put my Liberal Arts education to use in benefitting the amateur radio community.
I am stunned by the excellent presentation on the subject. Believe that you covered all the bases of a video. Last but not least, I am amazed of you thinking out of the box using such simple materials and making a really nice Yagi. Good day too.
I just built this and it looks like I am hitting towers about 50 miles away. However, please tape up the ends of the tape measure, my ten year old son was holding the antenna while I taped the cable and he dropped it on my leg,
And it cut an inch and half gash, I am headed to the clinic now to see if it needs stiches.
Hey I've been a wood flooring contractor for 32 years that little tape measure you got from Harbor Freight is one of the best tape measures you can spend three bucks on better than a Stanley I originally bought three of them one lasted like 3-4 months and it was just so dirty that It was hard to read but it still worked nice project I'm going to build me one thanks
Never thought about using tape measure as an element. Great idea.
You build the antenna yourself to learn how antennas work (and save money in the process). That is what this is about. Those who buy "off the shelf" really do not learn anything regarding Amateur Radio, only create excessive cost and no knowledge regarding antennas as a whole. We can try to build our transceivers and do a pretty good job of it, but those who build antennas really know radio.
Cool... Great presentation. As a former teacher, I can really compliment your style and AV methods. Solid and easy to understand instructions. I don't even really need one, but it looks like a fun project. I think I will build one to keep handy. I wonder how much of Harbor Freight's business is from hams? 😀
That is just plain cool! This is why I like the ham radio hobby! Simple, field expedient and gives your signal from the ht a kick in the butt!! Thank you for sharing your project!!
Just bought a J pole from you on ebay yesterday and stubled on this video! Looking forward to using it! Great video! Small world!
Glad you enjoyed the video and thanks for your purchase.
I built this antenna today per your instructions and it turned out amazing! Thank you for the clear and concise video. 73, KF0OVB
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise with your videos. I’m just getting back into amateur radio and the new technology and information that is available is staggering and somewhat overwhelming at times. I find your videos to be clear, concise and welcoming to those of us who are new to this great hobby. Living in an apartment building makes antennae’s somewhat challenging as I have to be rather stealthy with them. Most of my activity ( when I’m licensed in the new year ) will be field transmitting and I’m gathering various radios and antenna styles to experiment with. I’m really looking forward to using my QRP radios as well as my stronger radios under field conditions.
73
John in Toronto Canada. 😀
This is a very informative and clear video. I built this antenna with one minor modification -- instead of soldering coax directly to the feed point, I instead soldered an N-type socket, and use an N-type to SMA cable to connect to my HT. (I have bad luck when it comes to stripping and separating coax. My approach ain't pretty, but it works.) I also covered the tips (last 1/2 inch) of the elements with electrical tape to avoid cuts and scratches.
Analysis with a NanoVNA showed my version had an impedance of 52 Ohms and minimum SWR of 1.1:1 at 148.5 MHz. The SWR increases rapidly from that minimum, but still seems reasonable within the 2-m amateur band. On 70 cm, the antenna has an SWR of 1.6:1 at 449 MHz. I'll try playing around with the spacing of the driven elements to see if I can bring the resonant frequency/ies into the right range.
It’s ALIVE! Followed along and built my first antenna. Thanks!
UPDATE:
Picked up a MicroFox (15mw output) and built a couple of these using an active offset attenuator. I use them specifically to teach scouts for Merit Badge Requirement #9, partake in ARDF, but I also use it as a DEMO for a variety of youth events.
I set the FOX a distance away, and show them how to use the setup. My attenuator offsets the main frequency by 4MHz, making it cleaner to find the fox.
The original antennas still work, but I am building a couple more so multiple sets of Scouts can look at the same time.
I also have a few full power HTs (6watt) that are crossband I have used for a greater distance fox hunt.
However, this is still, as far as I am considered, the gold standard for the homebrew Yagi.
It is simple, it is cheap, and it is fast to assemble.
I used my NanoVNA and tuned it to 1.2:1 on 2Meter, and it was also 1.8:1 on 70cm
I use it to contact the ISS Repeater and have had a QSO from FMo5 to EM26 through the ISS Repeater.
NOW THAT WAS COOL!!!
Thanks,
Chris Cancilla
de W4CEC
Thanks for the video. I just finished building this antenna. My regular 17in omni on 2 meter was only receiving at 1/3 scale this receives at full scale, full quieting to a repeater. I'm really amazed that this works, now I just need to tune it so I can Tx with it. Great video and thanks for the parts list on your blog, I took a picture of the list and found everything at home depot. The list does say 10Ft of PVC I got away with 2 2FT pieces, I'm not sure what the extra would be for unless you were making a stand for it.
Glad to hear the antenna is working well for you. I mentioned 10 feet of PVC in the parts list as that's the length you usually but the tubing at the home improvement store. But really any amount of scrap tubing will work, it doesn't have to be a certain thickness or diameter.
Hi from IU4OOB. I’ve just built mine and it works great! It doesn’t look as good as your but it works. Thx a lot!!
This is the best video I've seen for a beam antenna beautiful job well explained!
My 12 year old son and I just built this. Thanks for a great how to vid.
Neat trick I learned for cutting the tape measure: you don't need any tools at all! If you fold the tape back on itself inwards (numbers touching numbers), and then press the fold flat to make a crease, it will snap and leave you with a perfectly straight line! Unfortunately, I learned this too late to save myself from a half-hour long battle with my dremel (most of it searching for the pieces).
Very good video, the pace was great. Simple down and dirty Yagi and you could easily add a couple more elements for 9db of gain.
If anyone new is in doubt, cut the metal tape, tape to plywood sheet, position on wood saw horse, off the floor away from other metal, then hook up the feed line and check results on a NanoVNA! Then cut your boom material!
Built one today. I don't have the means for tuning so i just measured and assembled it as precisely as i could. I was able to receive voice from AO-92 (VHF downlink) and SO-50 (UHF down) loud and clear. However, it is not a magic wand! and I was NOT able to transmit successfully to a friend 1 mile away through medium dense forest/trees (this is not surprising). Without so many trees blocking, I was loud and clear TXing at 4 watts from 1 mile. Don't expect to beat the laws of physics or anything with this, but even without tuning you'll be able to recieve MUCH better than you might with the rubber ducky. Tune it for best possible TX capability!
Thanks VBR for the awesome design! de N0CALL ;)
Just built five of these antennas with my students today and they work great! Sadly, the cost of each antenna was $40 😢 Darn inflation! Thanks for making these videos!!!
They shouldn’t have cost that much. Harbor Frieght tape measures are cheap and work great.
The is K4DGC Chris in Tampa Fl. I built my own 2m yagi per your instructions and it turned out great. I am the Deputy EM for Hillsborough Co ARES/RACES and I recently brought this idea to my training officer who put together a class to build and test these tape measure antennas. We were able to get a few made and tested each one and they worked perfect. The steed TS were so thrilled that they proposed a Fox Hunt with their antennas so that is in the works as well as a possible build class for a 70cm yagi. Great job sir!! 73!!
That looks like too much fun. Going to Harbor Freight to get my free antenna tape measure
Just got back from harbor freight.
Good luck building. Edges are sharp
@@frankwc0o I'd go with non-metallic paint
Great video, however plumbers don't use a 3/4" cpvc cross piece. So our local stores don't sell these. I had to cut down a 3/4" nipple and glue it to a "T" to make a cross piece. I haven't used it yet, so don't know how durable it is.
I used schedule 40 PVC for my mast and cross pieces. I don't believe you can get CPVC in 3/4 inch, but 1/2 inch CPVC should be sturdy enough for this antenna. But is sounds like your modifications to the mast should do the job.
Interesting and well explained video and I am going to try and build my 2 meter beam from the instructions here.
After following your instructions it works great! Any plans to put out a video on building a 70cm Yagi?
whats the point of the front and back bits not wired up ???
I built this and got the swr down to 1.2, but I still can't get into any distant repeaters. It works with the more local repeaters, but so does the rubber duck.
I love your videos. You make them understandable! I’m working on my antenna now. I used plastidip on the ends to prevent cuts. 73 and thank you!
I thought about the plastic dip as well. I will probably also round off the sharp corners with a Dremel or a file first.
Kids are wanting to try a fox hunt so we will be building this first. How narrow of a single azimuth would we be able to detect. Never done a fox hunt and wanting to understand how it correlates to map and compass navigation.
Thank you Mike, i’m working on building my third 2m tape measure antenna, they work great!
I'd love to see a build video on a larger yagi, something like 4-6 elements, something that could be hiked up to a summit but be relatively lightweight
So what do the front and rear bits do if they are not attached to the coax?
Great Video! liked and subscribed. Your method of instruction was easy to understand even for a Newbie like me. The video was well produced and easy to follow. I built my first yagi today. Thank you KB9VBR. 73
It is unfortunate public high schools have eliminated basic electronics shops along with wood, metal and auto shops. Thank you for the videos. I don't know anything about anything related to electronics. Can I ask why are the "elements" (?) cut at such a precise length? Why are broadcasts called "2 meter"? If an antenna element had to be exactly two meters would it matter if you took the two meter antenna and rolled it into a coil? There certainly is a plethora of panel antennas and antennas of every configuration. It would be nice to have an illustrated up to date book with photos of every sort of antenna with a paragraph of the name, type and function of an antenna. Satellite and other antennas are popping up everywhere.
I'd agree with you that technical education is lacking in many high schools. Bucking the trend, our local high school just expanded its technical and industrial arts program. They did it in partnership with the area technical college.
As for antennas, a 'field guide' of types of antennas would be really handy. I'll have to do some research to see if anything exists.
What makes an antenna work is its resonance to a particular frequency. Radio Frequency energy travels in waves. When an antenna is resonant, it will easily transmit and receive the RF energy that is traveling at that frequency. That is why the elements of an antenna are precisely cut. These RF energy waves are described by the frequency they travel at, such at 146 MegaHertz, or by the size of their wavelength, like 2 meters. 146 Mhz is a frequency that has a wavelength of 2 meters. We could use a coil of wire to detect the radio waves, but fashioning the elements of the antenna in the style and orientation described in the video is more efficient than a coil of wire. This is a very simple explanation, but hopefully it answers your question.
Short description... 2 meter refers to a frequency band where the "center freq" is around 146 MHz (144 MHz - 148 MHz, allocated by FCC in USA for ham radio).... the length of the electromagnetic wave used to transmist and receive is around 2 meters (some calculation required). In order for the antenna to receive/transmit efficiently their lengths must be precise (although some >5% tolerance is usually accepted). Antennas are some diverse and so many.... depending mostly on applications.... The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is a good start to look for antenna books.... look in their site and in Amazon.
Sir what is hair pin math in the process of making antenna, why it's required ?? and how it's calculated??
Please guide me sir.
Thank you 😊.
can you explain the purpose in simple terms, of the hairpin wire connecting the pos and negative driven elements? not all 70cm and 2m home-made yagi designs i see have them. i see people talk about they improve matching impedance, but for receive-only antennas does it matter?
Okay, stupid question, why are the transmitting elements wired together? Electrically, isn't that exactly the same as shorting the center and the shield of the coax together?
I like how you you use one tape measure to measure the other tape measure.
i made this antenna a week ago and its strong its about 80km thanks KB9VBR
Why does the parts list show two 3/4 inch PVC T connectors? Now I have to make another antenna.
Doesn't this antenna need some sort of balun? One of the driven elements is directly soldered to the outer shield a 4ft long coax...
Thanks for posting this...very clear, concise and easy to follow. I do have a question thought...what would the changes be...if any...if this was made with the tape fixed at 90 degrees to how you have made it? That is, the flat side of the tape would be directed to the repeater, not the thin side of the tape as you have made it.? I'm thinking it would fold up better and be easier for transport as the tape could be folded along the boom. Just a thought. Thanks again for posting. de Ian VK3YIC
Great! I really enjoy your videos and the detail you put into them. I'm going to build one of these to try to work the FM satellites. For us new hams, can you put together a video on how to prep the RG-58 cable for a project like this?
Why is there a wire going between the two driven elements?
Yes, i feel like I am missing something.
Built one this afternoon. Thanks for the video!
How effective would this antenna be for satellite repeater communication of talking to the iss space station when there over my area🤔 this looks easy to build I want a Yagi antenna for satellite communication fun🤔😁
Hello fantastic video. It'd be cool if you explained how you got the measurements for that frequency and especially the matching circuit. Thanks!
There is a link in the video description that takes you to a blog article with more information on how the measurements were derived. As for the the connecting wire, it's called a Hairpin Match. It raises the impedance of the feed point to 50 ohms so it matches the transceiver. I've got a follow-up video that better addresses your question: ua-cam.com/video/bQndXvCW54Q/v-deo.html
@@KB9VBRAntennas thank you so much!
What an awesome yagi, but i noticed toward end of video how the tape measure fluttered in the wind/breeze!
Would this affect it's performance?
Cheers!
VBQ543
Mick
What a magic project, many thanks ~ ZL4MB - New Zealand.
I am planning on building a 2 meter yagi like this with tape measure that is 30 elements would I basically just make it like this one but with the added tape measure elements
Hello, love your video. I'm looking to build one for a homemade reciever in 216.055 mhz. Just curious how I would have to change the instructions yo get into that frequency? Or where I may learn that info. Thank you for the help
Can I substitute zip ties for the screw clamps, or is the metal in the clamps part of the performance of the antenna? I understand that the tape measure segments should be held firmly and straight, and aligned with each other.
Eliminating the hose clamps doesn't affect the performance. I've built these antennas with both hose clamps and self tapping screws. Zip ties should work as long as you can get them tight enough.
My copper J Pole stopped working, got a new one, same issue,, cut the ground wire to my TX/RX, fixed everything
A very nice build of a tape measure yagi antenna. I wanna build one myself after I get my Tech. license and a HT.
Can this be spray painted to camouflage it a bit without causing interference?
@KB9VBR CAN YOU MAKE VIDEO ON BULIDING AN ATTENUATOR FOR FOXHUNT
I'm still learning antennas. I'm curious what exactly the wire between the sides of the driven element does.
The connecting wire is called a Hairpin Match. It raises the impedance of the feed point to 50 ohms so it matches the transceiver. I've got a follow-up video that better addresses your question: ua-cam.com/video/bQndXvCW54Q/v-deo.html
How do you bare the leads and split the wire like that?
How could I turn this yagi into a 2m/70cm for working LEO satellites?
These DIY antennas are great for qrp camping or for use in direction finding fox hunts
When cutting the tape measure with tin snips, extremely sharp corners are produced. Is there any reason why those razor sharp ends can be curved or trimmed so not so deadly?
You can trim the edges. A lot of people like to put electrical tape on the edge or dip it in plasti-dip to make it a bit safer.
Sir pls say that can this antenna recieve the 2metre and 70 centimetre band sir pls say
Great video. Will make one but wonder if with a 0,78 inch (1,9 cm.)wide steel tape measure would be ok? Problems in finding stell tape measure of 1 inch.Thanks from Barcelona
Yes, the .78 inch steel tape will work fine. The width of the tape really doesn't make a difference. When you measure the spacing of the elements you do it from the center, not the edge of the tape.
Thanks for clarifying measure the spacing of the elements. Frequency range of my Kenwood TM 241 is 144 to 146.Supose I will have to adjust the distance between the two pieces of the driven element. What does it mean 14 ga ?. Sorry but I have to translate inch to cm and english to spanish and as you can see I have no idea. Many thanks for your help.
Joan Simarro 14 Gauge is the thickness of the wire. The thicker the wire to lower the gauge number. 14 gauge can be found in most extension cords.
What would the 2nd and 3rd director elements' lengths be?
Hi sir, i just want to ask why is it that many radio users used 140mhz to 149 mhz and lesser in 150mhz up freq? Why? Thank u
Hi Michael, Nice Video. I notice at the co-axial feed point to the driven element the loop of wire connects between the 2 halves of the driven element. I thought that would short out the co-axial cable. Can you explain - I may be dumb haha.
My concern as well.
Gonzo Buddy so is the “shorting wire” required? I can accept they are different, but can you tell us how and why? It still looks funny to me.
Anyone know if swr is reduced or increased by shortening the connector on the driven element?
I made this but am not getting very clean transit, how should I test it?
I think it is just acting as a dipole, not much gain in a single direction. What should I do?
@KB9VBR Antennas What would happen if I did put 50W into the antenna? Would it reflect most of the power, or would it work for a short amount of time before overheating?
My concern would be the hairpin match heating up since that is a pretty thin piece of wire. But other users of this antenna say they've used it with 50 watts of power, so you could certainly give it a shot.
@@KB9VBRAntennas Thanks! I'll give it a shot and tell you how it went. I have the exact same 50W dual-band radio (Yaesu FTM-400XDR) you use in your APRS videos.
Would the flexing of the measurement tape affect the SWR or the radiation pattern?
Why is there a wire soldered between the drive antenna?
Why is the power should be limited on this antenna?
Sorry for the endless questions. lol I’m curious about building my own yagi antenna.
Hi Michael, would I get the same results by using aluminum boom and aluminum elements?
Hi there, in the UK we fox hunt 27mhz FM. Would you have a guide to adapt the antenna for that frequency please? Regards
Would this antenna work for communicating through satellite repeaters?
Stupid question. The 14 gauge hairpin match that is used...it creates a short doesn’t it? When I test the pl259 with a multimeter continuity test it beeps.
Electrically it would be a short. With antennas all a multimeter can tell you is if there is continuity. To check for SWR or resonance, you will need an analyzer or SWR bridge that can measure AC current aspect of RF energy.
Quick question does it matter how long the coax is?
Hey newbie here. What should be the dimensions if i want a center frequency of 140mhz? i rather wanna operate on that band for noaa apt satellites and iss downlink. i saw some yagi calculators but they seem complicated
Why are the element lengths so short? Each half of the dipole length is less than 18". Calculations for a 2 meter dipole would be closer to 20 inches. I can't find the answer anywhere. I looked up the original designer, but he's been an SK for years.
Great video, thanks. Can you explain the purpose of the short wire joining the two elements please? To my simple mind that looks like not having cut the tape, just like the other elements. I'm obviously missing something! [edit.... I scrolled further and found you hd answered that question for someone else, hi] 73 de Jim ZS6JMB, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Jim. Great question. The reason why the driven element is cut into pieces, is that it serves the purpose of radiating the RF energy. If you were to take away the other elements and just concentrate on the one element that's connected to the coax, you would have a simple 1/4 wave dipole antenna. One half is the radiator and the other the ground plane. That's why the element is split in that manner. Since a 1/4 wave dipole antenna is omnidirectional, adding the other elements act to focus the energy is one particular direction. They technically don't radiate, so they can be constructed as one longer piece of material.
But getting back to the driven element, the short piece of wire helps change the impedance of the feed point to the 50 ohms necessary for the transmitter to operate efficiently. This is a simplistic answer, but I didn't want to go into too much detail here. I hope this helps. Michael
KB9VBR Antennas, wait, all I can see is the jumper shorting the center to the ground. Are there other ways to hook up a dipole?
Is it normal for the director and reflector elements to droop downward a little when you tighten them down with the hose clamps? Thank you
You might get a little droop depending on how tight the clamps are. It won't affect the antenna if they aren't perfectly straight.
Great, thank you sir. This is my very first antenna build so I am excited to see how it works 😀