Installing Big Surplus UHF Antenna On My Garage
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- Опубліковано 24 лип 2024
- A few years back I got ahold of a big UHF Folded Dipole antenna. This thing seems to be tuned for around 415-500mhz, so it should work for the amateur 70cm band as well as business band. Back in 2021 I started filming a video about it, but then left it lying on my roof for 3 years.
This appears to be something like a DB420 8-Bay antenna, about 20ft tall (plus the extension to roof level).
Now that we don't have winter any more, and it's 50F in early February, I'm sticking the thing onto my garage. I'm also attaching an old Baofeng handheld radio and the Boondock Echo answering machine device that I've mentioned before (more info here: www.crowdsupply.com/boondock-...)
The antenna seems to work really well at picking up distant ham repeaters, and will be the first part of my new antenna farm on the garage roof!
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The best thing about being a hacker is you have all these cool toys, but they are all in a million pieces!
As a steely-eyed RF guy and missile man, I can strongly assert that having an extensive "library" of RF adapters and cables will provide you with a happy, happy life :)
I don't know if it's a library so much as a drawer or two in the parts organizer... and a box of extras... and probably another box in the garage and a tray in the tackle box and... they're around here somewhere dangit!
It's what the mathematicians would call the "degenerate case" of a library :)
@@patchvonbraunit's mathematically equivalent to an organized library.
@saveitforparts
"Repository" 👍 😉
The reason you could hear the TV broadcast is because it's a rebroadcast meant for reporters in the field to use. Interestingly it's usually less delayed than the standard broadcast and sometimes will contain directions to the field crew by the producer. It's called an IFB. Check radio reference for your local frequencies
4:16 You can see the floor, it's NOT HOARDING!
no no no you have it all wrong, it is only hoarding if you cant see the cieling
It is a phased array folded dipole antenna usually used for repeaters and sometimes for FM low power broadcasts. With the antennas being in phase the output of each is added to the hole but using a significant gain increase.
It should probably be a few more wavelengths in free space too
useless unless its at least 65 feet high! Its pattern is made for 100 feet
😂"I might say things a little weird sometimes - anyHuay" hahaha love it.
That antenna would make for a great GMRS/FRS repeater station which uses frequencies in the 462/467 MHz range.
the HOG WASH sign is hilarious. I'd have it facing the road to amuse the neighborhood
4:30 trash + trash + trash = success!
winning at life!
Admittedly, I like that wireless mic. The background noise is pretty intense but it makes you sound like a radio announcer.
And it is better than using the in-camera mic from that far of a distance away, quality probably be a lot worse
99% of what you do is beyond me and my knowledge, but as someone who likes to hoard random cool stuff, I really enjoy this channel.
Looks like a DB420. I'm glad that you saved it from the trash! I would have even paid money for it. What a great find. A new one will cost you over 2k.
I HAVE 2 OF THESE, AND THEY ARE HEAVY!
HIGH WIND LOADING.
Electrical Specifications
Impedance 50 ohm
Operating Frequency Band 450 - 470 MHz
Polarization Vertical
Electrical Specifications
Frequency Band, MHz 450-470
Gain, dBi 11.3
Beamwidth, Horizontal, degrees 360
Beamwidth, Vertical, degrees 7
Beam Tilt, degrees 0
VSWR | Return loss, dB 1.5 | 14.0
Input Power per Port, maximum, watts 250
This is just below UHF TV channel 14. Some type of land mobile thing?
I am assuming the power dividers and phased jumpers are inside the mast. That way, you have 1 input and it comes out of all elements in phase.
Ahhhh…the classic old crazy neighbor with a bunch of antennae on his roof. Every neighborhood need one. Keep doin’ you! (Love the double multi-tool belt btw!)
One belt thing is a flashlight, the other is a multi-tool. Always super handy to have those ready!
Ground rods are normally ~3 feet or more long. Those bolts are not that hot. You can purchase rods at home depot.
Your neighbors must have been especially thrilled to see you on the roof with this thing. LOL. Love the channel, keep up the good work.
I loved this!
Antenna looks great
How are you not verified?
@@MoneyMitrovic333 done
I once talked with a guy who is from the USA and he told me people throw away perfectly good and working things, thanks for giving those parts a new home
Thanks for the shout-out again Gabe! It sounds like our morse decode feature will come in handy for you!
Cool lightning rod, glad you made sure it was extra grounded so the lightning has an easier path of least resistance 😆
I appreciate you; sharing your journey, bringing us along, makes me grateful.
Last time I lived near one of these it blasted through the speakers of my stereo system even with the system turned off. It happened multiple times. I thought I was hearing things until it happened when I was in the room. The coil of the speaker and stray capacitance acts as a tuned circuit, and the signal is strong enough to forward bias the power transistor that drives the speakers. It was not a faint signal, it was loud enough to hear outside if the window was open.
P.S: Yes, I could hear the operator talking.
@ndotl
This effect happens only with AM transmissions, not FM. At a frequency of 100 mhz and below.
Yeah, looks like a db420. They dont have labels on them, are held together with silver tape and are connected to each loop with little nuts and bolts.
Jesus! That looked fun. I also hoard things, practical things, like that. Fittings, connectors, bolts, nuts, wires, etc, etc. I get so much delight when I see a fellow Practical Hoarder making a Big Win! If I save myself six trips to the hardware store or wherever per year, I feel like I won big. It's generally more than that. I truly love your channel and your content. If I had any extra money I would give you some.
You are definitely the guy operating a radio station in Fallout. Thumbs up.
I always thought it was weird too that Fox 9 (KMSP) still has a analog signal for a audio out for their broadcast. First saw it as a kid with my dad’s old scanner, and was surprised in 2020 when I went to go program a new handheld I got, found out it was still there.
Personal. I think the stations was on channel 6 should be Analog.
The audio can be heard on the lowest frequency that on FM Radio.
Maybe government and PBS take channel 6. Be great for analog devices. In case for emergency and education.
You are the mad scientist genius we all aspire to be!
Ruff? Roof? I literally posted this before your follow up explanation of the pronounciation issue.. I am subbed for life. Good laughs. Love the content.
Yeah that is a nice surplus antenna from a maybe public safety UHF site ! That antenna is BUILT TO LAST !
That garage roof is ripe for a few ATT Long Line antennas :-D
Nice DB-420, have a couple up here north of St. Cloud
Another great video that basically says "Be crafty and resourceful and you'll do it eventually." Onward and upward!
i love watching the garage to turn into some cyberpunk looking scrappers yard , beautiful
GMRS guys are drooling right now lol. Awesome antenna! Usually used for repeaters.
It's not ridiculous if it works. 👍
It's used for various commercial services. I'd disconnect it during lightning storms!
Excellent work ! really enjoy your videos and presentation style - cant wait to see more !
I love it! The sphincter did tighten a bit when watching you hoisting the mast. Glad you didn't get hurt.
For a guy like me this antenna was nothing as from early 70's seen my late Dads Ham radio masts high as 50 meters with 10, 15, 20, 40 and 80 meters antennas and basically hearing all the time "CQ contest, CQ contest this is OH1VA" (Later OH4ML) he was real into it even got early 5 band DXCC award! Thanks for this as good memories!
Glad to see I'm not the only one "hording"
we hear your phone vibrating and i thought it was my phone but no it was yours! ahah!
Very swag dumpster find. Would love a commercial phased UHF antenna to pop up in the local dumpster. Have you ran SWR on the VNA yet to see how close you we're to match? I was certain at first glance it was for a 2m setup. Great find..Great Video! ✌
AXE MAN... Grew up in Saint Paul in the 80's and 90's and stopped by there with my Dad often.
this is the best channel I have ever seen. I just got a tiny SA ultra, need to learn how to use it!
I 👍 the new antenna, the audio was crystal clear!
Young man, that is probably a high-dollar UHF DB Products antenna for Repeaters of Business Band use. We use one of these on both our UHF and VHF repeaters.
looks like a comscope/decibel products DB-420. likely cut for the 450-470mhz band.
This antenna is a DB engineering antenna fir uhf. This antenna will work on uhf. Also this antenna has a ground potential which gives a non lighting attraction capability.
I'm going to use that tip on how not to blow out the back of a drill hole on many projects - thanks Leah !
Very cool. Gonna be exciting to see some experiments with it.
This is sick dude, keep up the good work!
I got one of those off one of the radio stations I work for. Mine and likely yours is common broadband 450ish range used for a business 2 way radio repeater back in the day but is now being repurposed by me as a licensed GMRS repeater for the neighborhood along with some cheap 50 watt chinese radios, duplexer and build it yourself repeater board. I just have to put all the pieces together. It will be going up this spring along with a lora/mestastic node. Few years ago town our phone exchange is in flooded and we were without phones for 2 weeks. Being able to hand out a bunch of cheap baofengs preprogrammed for the repeater or lora radios to all the neighbors if something like that happens again is the goal. A GMRS or FRS repeater using that antenna might be very useful out at your sand property.
Thank you for the video. Blessings to you.
Never been much into radio stuff, but I’m getting real interested into it!
Great video!
I know this is a couple of months old, but I don't see the requirements changing all that soon. If you're interested in radio, and are OK with being considered a federally authorized radio hacker, stop by your local library and check out the most recent ARRL Amateur Radio Technician Class License preparation guide. It will go over a lot of great information, and a few things that you're probably not going to be interested in initially. The thing is, once you've read through t hat guide, you will most likely be half way towards getting a ham radio license. There are exams held in most communities on about a monthly basis, In larger cities, you may find them even more frequently, and some of them can be done online. Which may be helpful if you are not near some place that has regularly scheduled exams in more traditional setup.
The Technician license exam is a multi-choice 35 question exam that is drawn from a pool of 350 questions. The General license exam is another 35 question exam drawn from a somewhat different 350 questions. And the Amateur Extra exam is a test of 50 questions drawn from a pool of 500 questions. At this time there is no Morse code requirement for any of these exams. If you have prepared well for the Technician exam, you are likely to also pass the General exam. People who teach exam preparation classes essentially provide an added 15-30 min of instruction for anyone interested in passing the General exam on top of preparing for the Technician exam. For any license you need to have passed the tests for lower class licenses. So to get the General class license you also need to have passed the Technician exam, and for the Extra class license you need to have passed both Technician and General class.
There is a 'nominal' fee for testing, I do not recall what that is at this time, when you schedule an exam they will advise you of that. That nominal fee is the same whether you simply take the Technician exam, or take all 3 exams the same day. If you do well on the Technician class license but haven't prepared for the General, do not be surprised if the examiner offers you the chance to take the General class license exam. I passed it the first time through, but at the time I had not been preparing for the Morse code requirement, and was only awarded the Technician class license. I still don't have the chops for Morse code, but since that's no longer a requirement, I've retaken the General, passed, then studied for and taken the Extra and passed that.
There are other things that you need to do to prepare, such as getting an FRN, however all, or most of that is covered in the preparation guides. The pool of questions is changed every 3 years in a rotating series, so you're best bet is to look for study materials that have been published less than 3 years ago. (this varies from time to time though, so it's good research material. Also the questions may change, but the general concepts are generally not going to change.)
If you want to see how prepared you already are, even before picking up and reviewing any study material, there are several sites that will provide you a sample test. ARRL.org is one, my own personal favorite is aa9pw.com operated by a ham who's showing his license plate on the site, from Wisconsin.
Amateur licenses are good for 10 years, and may be renewed without an exam. I believe the renewal now includes a nominal processing fee.
But again, nearly all of the study material is available at many libraries, and can often be found online at nearly zero cost. The only real cost is the time you spend studying.
If you're curious, it's a hobby that you can start with nearly zero cost, and go on up through buying equipment that will cost more than some people's homes. You don't have to spend the big bucks, though there are factors that may encourage you to do so.
One way to also get involved in the radio community and depending on where, with, or without a ham radio license, is to sign up to participate in the communications support team for the Twin Cities Marathon the first weekend in October. This is organized into 4 'nets' or collections of radio operators that cover different parts of the marathon. Net's 1 and 2 pretty much require having a ham radio license or that you're working with a control operator who's with you the entire time. Net 3 uses public safety radios for Ramsey county that gives the county a chance to do their annual verification of radio functionality for radios they normally keep in a locker most of the rest of they year. These don't require having a ham radio license. Net 4 uses commercial band handhelds, but a communications volunteer here may be working very different duties that don't involve using handheld radios at all. (They cover the finish line, including the family resources tent where family members can check in on how their family member(s) that are running the marathon are doing, and part of the communications team's responsibility is to be able to provide information regarding runners who have left the race for whatever reason and if they have been transported to a local hospital for some medical reason.) There's a lot more to this, but this response is already getting a bit long.
Cheers.
Hello from Mounds View. It's two antennas. Hairpin commercial type. They are all on one side so they it is directional.
I'd recommend getting an used Kenwood TMV type for your car, if you get the TMV7 there's an project for an additional spare screen.
How did he release it 1 minute ago yet you commented 2 days ago?
@@tyson-media-group
@@tyson-media-group Early view over patreon, I like this channel so I opted to support him on patreon 😀
@@orca984 Oh, I see. 👍
You are an inspiration to us all
Nice shop!
Nothing says crazy neighbor like a bunch of antennas on the roof! And that bad boy is a grand slam. Fun stuff!
That's a nice antenna!
speaking of the Baofengs durability, my 6 year old left one of my UV5r's outside for 2 days last summer after her and i were talking on them around the yard. It had rained for damn near 2 days when i realized there was a radio on top of the slide LOL the thing worked perfectly after i dried it and charged it! i was shocked! only thing that happened was 2 screws got rusty.
I dropped a Baofeng UV-5R from the table to the floor inside a Tim Horton and the LCD cracked and needed to be replaced. Talked about durability from my personal experience here.
This weekend I pulled out my NanoNVA after a few years of not using it to test some antennas... I think you read my mind for projects then you bring out a video related to that
The antenna is a phased array dipole antenna ,they use it for repeaters but also UHF data links between sites like a mesh network,it has some facing 1 way and the other way due to nulls of the folded dipole radiation pattern
Another interesting radio adventure, thank you.
An antenna or other conductive structure that falls onto a power line can result in fatal electrocution.
You might want to establish an antenna prohibition radius around any electric power lines and power line feed droppers aka power "potheads" that pass by / cross / feed your property. I think I saw a power feed line on the side of your garage.
Be safe.
actually, the roof piece to camera audio sounded fine, and the audio recorded from 2021 sounded so thin and tinny... :)
The antenna is a stacked dipole array antenna. The mostly come in 4 or 8 stacked dipoles. More dipoles more Rx/tx gain. We use a 4 Stack on our local repeater.
Interesting video, have fun with your new setup.
David M0DUU
daang...nice score. vertical folded dipole arrays are awesome!
cool. Makes me want to get into ham again.
I think the roof mic is kinda decent. In shots like that it feels immersive
Awesome video, thank you
The trees around the area are taller than the antenna. It will be fine when it comes to lightning. When it storms I always disconnect my antennas and connect two antennas together with a barrel. If your really worried about it you can get a Lightning Arrester for about $20 they work.
You'd be wise to drive a grounding rod in next to the tower and attach it with some heavy gauge cables, the last thing you want is to have to replace all your electrical if a strike arcs from the tower to the 120volt inside the garage.
Content is super cool!
That antenna is a monster!
Your roof looks like mine, 3-4 various antennas mounted everywhere.
Get that antenna grounded, it doesn’t matter if there are taller objects in the immediate area, lightning is a beast with its own mind. If you can go to your electrical supply house and purchase an 8 foot ground rod and pound it into the ground. You will need a decent clamp, not a copper strap, around that support pipe with a short run heavy copper ground line run in a straight line to the ground rod. Get some antenna mastic around that connection to the ground rod to prevent oxidation of the joint. The antenna pipe itself is a straight ground line to earth but you need that rod to get the charge dispersed into the moister soil below. If you plan on putting any repeaters if satellite dishes on the roof, they all should be grounded. As with other transmitter sites you can start placing shorter 4
Foot ground rods every six feet and connecting them to your main rod with the same heavy ground line. Eventually you want a "halo" of ground line around the garage. We do this with every stand alone structure housing "expensive" equipment.
I like seeing other youtubers who have gigabytes of years-old half finished project videos. I have a lot of projects I need to finally finish so I can upload.
I have SO MANY unfinished projects! Sometimes I don't know what to do with them, or can't make them work, or break something along the way...
A baofeng with a bent antenna is like a dirty jeep. You love to see it.
@1:56 - That sound. Sound's like the body cam recording tone that cops have.
Wait... my first was a GT3 too....hmm... you really reading my mind. I got the GT3 with an Ed Fong even before I got my license.
If I still lived in the cities I'd try to be your best friend
I smile every time you say "Axman"...I'm so grateful that place is still around
going to get even more interesting
You might finally blow up that baofeng if it actually does get struck by lightning 😂
On that note, those antennas are well designed to take direct hits. They’re DC shorted, and as long as the mast is well grounded (ideally to a perimeter grounding system bonded to mains, not just a single ground rod or water pipe) and you have an inline coaxial cable gas discharge device (like a polyphaser), it should be fine. Baofengs make great fuses though haha!
love it man keep it up
I actually like the roof mic better. It makes your voice sound fuller and rounder, and lo-fi is cool now.
That radio mic. is better than the others you have been testing recently.
Great mulltistack antenna👌 Mine is a 2 stack. Sorry about your mobileradio😐 I have been using a RT73/DB-25D for the last 3 years. (UHF/VHF & DMR) Nice compact little mobile radio.
yeah, i would check the memory battery inside the radio. its a button type battery and hopefully it will work again with a new battery.
This is a free energy video right there :) Lightning magnet. Well...sometimes, hobby means risc and I think it is worth it
Waiting for technology to be chucked out and free, that's my kind of wisdom.
Having a unfinished video since 2021 is crazy ngl
Oh I probably have older ones around... there are at least a dozen "In Progress" project video folders on my hard drive that may or may not ever get done :-P
3:17, I know you said the audio sounded terrible, however I understood everything you said with no difficulties.
Blessings From Aberystwyth . Wales
"- I'm hoping it's fine for lightning" FLW 🙂 Great video.
Here I am listening/watching while attempting to attach one piece of my junk to another. I had to pause, turn of my noise cancelling headphones, walk back to the house and show this to her. Her face was worth the price of admission.
Ha, it's gotta be bad or ginormous to get liquidated.
it would be sick to make that garage as a full studio that can track ufo's hahah
Yes, that is a high gain repeater antenna. It will work from 403 to 500 MHz I believe it’s an excellent antenna with more than 8 DB of 5:16 gain. dipole antennas are usually very broadband and will accept anything you can give it like 420 to 480 MHz I believe that that is really optimal for. I have one on my repeater system that’s up 3000 feet has more than 150 miles range.
That big anchor bolt is sort of for what you wanted to do with it BUT it goes with a 2-part epoxy kit. It's likely a Hilti anchor for concrete and you squish a 2-part goo into the concrete hole and this bolt gets locked in there with friction and epoxy.
DB 416 16 bays of commercial UHF.
"Eventually one piece of trash fits another piece of trash perfectly!" 😂😂 I love when that works out.
England. Love's you!