I used flexible corrugated plastic electrical conduit to span the gap. I used two small hose clamps to hold it in place. Works FB! I previously built a different version in 2013. During a band opening I was heard in Scotland before it faded out !
the non conductive spacer can be a piece of sprinkler pvc pipe (found at home dopie, where the sprinkler elbows and connectors are located). it fits perfectly inside a 1/2” copper pipe.
Good video. Looks like a nice antenna to try. A few tips if I may: 1. Slow down on the camera movement to give people a chance to see details. 2. Instead of drilling out the pvc, consider heating it with the torch (modestly. Keep the torch moving or it will burn) instead. Then just slide it onto the pipe. When it cools it should also secure itself to the copper and not need screws. But if you don't want to do that, you can drill holes into the pvc and thread them and use bolts as set screws. Do your other drilling inside the pvc to make it bigger, which I would do all the way through so you can slide it all the away to the side to trim the length. 3. Another omnidirectional 6m antenna is the flowerpot antenna. Something to look at if you haven't. Easy to build and very portable. 4. For people not used to sweating copper pipe, just remember the heat does the work and draws the solder through the joint. Keep the torch moving but remember to heat the far side away from where you hold the solder and when the solder melts and draws through you know everything should be good.
very nice build! for my 6meter antenna i made my own deicated delta loop which works great! a friend and i use it localy ever so often just to ragchew! 73's
Looks very much like a scaled up version of the Jaybeam 2m halo that I used /M on my BL Mini and FT290 many years ago. It worked well beyond expectations.
I know this is over a year old, but I am so glad I found it! I need to get a 6 Meter antenna up here at my home since I have the 817ND that can do 6 Meters. Yea I know it is qrp, but I still want the capability to work 6. I was just going to throw up a 6 Meter dipole, but I like this setup better!! I sub’d to your channel and am watching your other videos. Thanks for sharing! Juddie WD8WV
J & J True Outdoor Adventures Thanks so much for the sub! It’s a great antenna. If you look thru the comments, you’ll see that the ham that designed it commented on the video!
This is a very nice project!!! Very simple, clean work, good job on not overcomplicating or overanalyzing things! It would have taken me a lot more failures and fixes! So satisfying to hear some CW coming in on that test!!!
Suggestion - never "sweat" a soldered connection with the pipes in a metal vice - too much heat loss. Also with a complex shape like that it is difficult to get the finished item dead flat. Best to lay the whole assembly (with flux and fittings) on a flat non-metallic surface, (e.g.silicate board) then sweat every joint without moving anything. I like your "down-to earth" approach showing what happens as it happens - very nice!
Peter Jones Thanks Peter! I'm far from an expert at plumbing work as you can see. It was fun to do and it works great so far. Thanks for watching! 73 de K2CJB
Ernest Neijenhuis Hi Ernest!! Thanks so much for checking in! It was alot of fun to build and it works great! There was a 6m opening yesterday and I made a few contacts. Thanks again for watching the video! Best 73! K2CJB
A really nice video: informative and very entertaining! Also an interesting antenna. I built some copper J-poles for myself and for my Civil Air Patrol squadron - their VHF frequencies bracket our 2m band. As for aligning the pipe, the antennas were laid out on the garage floor and then "sweated". Figure that should work for your squalo! Thank you again de k6whp dit dit
I realize this is a few years old now but when I built one a few years ago I took a small piece of copper strap drilled a hole in the center and made a "butterfly" capacitor that went over the space in the gap I could then adjust it over a much wider range of the 6m band without needing to cut anything. using a marker ran the analyzer on it and was able to mark directly on it the aprox. position of each center frequency. it made tuning easy and no fuss. well done 73 ve3hbj
I built an extended double zepp and never got to use it much. The local group left 40/80 to meet up on 6 so I deployed the EDZ. worked well then my friend made a squalo. Now everyone is headed to build one. I was just out in the garage figuring out the measurements as you have to account for the amount the elbows set off the center of the pipe. I was interested in how you mounted yours. Also, my friend used standard 1/4" semi flex copper tubing, hammered it flat for his feed point and strap connections. That is probably what I'll do. He found that you do need to add some additional length for the center legs for mounting. I allowed for a little extra room to move the feed point and shorting strap. On the air it seems to beat the EDZ, the MFJ cobweb with 6 meters and a dipole, in our little 6 meter group anyways. Build one!
Ed Williams Thanks for checking it out! Yeah, the elbows have to be figured in. I had to do some trimming under that pvc piece and it came in to a good swr. I've used it a few times and have made solid contacts with it...relatively local though. Hoping conditions improve soon! Thanks again! 73 de K2CJB
@@k2cjbradio Hey Chris, Got me off my tail and I soldered up the 1/2" pipe this afternoon for my squalo. I used two cpvc couplers and a piece of pex for my insulator. I need to stop by the big box and get a little 1/4" copper pipe to make my feed point and shorting strap. Then hang it and dial it in. It sure works well for my buddies that have them. I will be doing an A/B test with the EDZ when I get it in the air. Happy hamming. Ed DE WB5ORT
Hi again Chris, wow! its been two years since I first watched this video. and I just watched it all the way through again. And I'm sad to say we have not gotten into each other's logs on 6m. but I'm always monitoring the band still my favorite band since 1972. I monitor 50.125 on my 160m dipole and kenwood (only does 50w) then switch to my Yaesu with 100w and 8 element yagi homebrew on 26ft boom. so make noise ! if I hear you I'll work you! thanks again and 73 gud dx de Ellis WA1RKS
Great looking! I’ll need to give this a try at some point. Would be interested to see if feeding this balanced antenna through a balun would have any significance too.
Awesome Video! I really liked the fact you were dealing with problems and making it work as the build progressed. It is a great how to video. Thanks, 8P6RC
You likely always had a 6m antenna, a 40m dipole works well on 6m openings, I have used it to make 1000km/m contacts on SSB every summer...... nice job on the squalo thanks for posting
I have a Yaesu FT-690R MK II that will love the 6M Squalo, it will complement the dipole I have at 70'. I sit at the top of a 550' hill which causes a rolloff of about 10° to the horizon (which adds about 2DBd to my signal) as it pulls the angle of attack down to the horizon at about 5 to 7°. I have some hard drawn copper pipe left from a well project (3/4") and I will try this project. Thank You! 73 de W4FJF
Followed your lead and built this antenna last weekend. Worked like a charm and happened to catch the 6 meter band open and made contacts in the Midwest from my qth in Massachusettts. Thanks for the nice video. 73 KC1NDQ
Great job on the squalo..!. I've never been on 6 meters, but I think I'm going to try and build that antler and get myself a 6m rig. I enjoyed the video, and thank you for sharing this. 73 de km4dme
Nice build, and this version is very similar to the M2 HO-Loop. In the last year since you posted this, the band has been super with a lot of the activity having moved to FT8 on 50.313 MHz and FT4 on 50.318 MHz. I run the Par loop and currently have 46 states, 34 countries and 231 grids. Got my 6 meter VUCC with the loop and 40 watts. CU on the band! De WB2VUO here near Buffalo, NY
Thanks Ron! Yeah, the SWR was so much better with it up in the air. I forgot to mention that I decided to mount it by itself rather than on the mast with the tri-bander to reduce any coupling between all the antennas. It looks to be ok so far. I was going to just leave the rig on 50.125 and see if I heard anything.
Nice job Chris. You do a really nice job making these videos. You are a good teacher! I have been using a similar squalo like that for years and when the 6 Meter openings come, it really performs well. Keep up the great work! 73, George K2WO.
This is 5 years old when I found it. Been looking for something like this for a while, and will be looking a bit deeper into building this possibly. Have looked at a few other 6m designs over the past few weeks and very possibly will be considering building this one in the near future. Are there any updates to the design & build? Cheers Mick G6ASJ.
Tnx ny friend, indeed with small antenna's on 6m you can make nice contacts during the Es-season, past year I made 70 qso's from JM08 EA5/ with a wire-dipole and my TS480 also heart but coudn't work 4X Israel ( is work by a french station) this has to be a double hop Es 73 de ON7ARQ Patrick
Hello and 73 Chris! Found your channel and this video and I'm gathering stuff to build my 6m Squalo! I haven't sweated copper in nearly ten years but no problem. Looks like a fun build and I have a location for it already. Wound up with a combo 2m/70cm stacked Squalo from a friend, and I might "stack" them all on one pole if that'll work. Thanks for the video and link, you have a subscriber in me. De KE5LIB Mark.
This was great... looks easy enough. I have a 50 watt four band mobile (10m, 6m, 2m and 70cm) I'm dying to get on the air but this virus hit as soon as I was ready to take the Technician exam and now can't find VEs who are administering the exam. I'm hoping to find someone who might test me via webcam one on one. Meanwhile i will keep listening to nets, watching videos, and learning more. I'll hit the ground running when I do get my ticket.
David Lynch Hopefully you can take your exam online!! This antenna works like a champ. It’s still up and working fine. Thanks for watching! 73 de K2CJB
Great Job Chris, if you remember from your novice days back then Cushcraft used to advertise their Squalo mobile antenna in QST,73,CQ magazines back then. I presume what you built is a spin off of that one. in any event nice job, showing all the workings in the build, gud for the new guys. and yourthought process during helps them also. I have been on 6m since 1972, love the band and the best part is almost all HF rigs now days have 6m n them. so come on all you guys make use of that band on that rig. they don't call it the "Magic Band" for nothing. try it you'll like it.!. 73 gud dx ! de Ellis WA1RKS
Do you have any update on how the squalo antenna has been performing? Thing about building one for my qth and just wondering how performance is. 73 KG9NA Tim
I built this antenna and could not get the swr reasonable 5.7 @ 50.00 to 17.5 @54.5 measured everything exactly feed and shorting strap as per plan not sure what gives
Just getting back into the hobby myself. 6 meters has always been a bit of a mystery. Thanks for explaining how to build the antenna. Also, thanks for leaving the challenges in your video! 73s N0ORF
Intersting in socallfornia there is a2mtr rptr which links to 10 6 2and 70 cm i use my dipole its easier to get on the air and less of a eye sour kg6mn
I've built my 6m squalo antenna based on your information. Thank for the nice job presenting all the information. MY SWR is very high. I've never sweat pipe before so I am double checking the joints. Feed line was okay I thought. 3 feet initial, but I am gong to make it loinger test out in the open today. Moving the short and/or feedpoint don't have much affect on the swr. Any pointers? Hope you are well.
You may have to check the length at the open end. I had to make a few adjustments there. Check your connections at the feed point too. That matching section can be a little tricky to get right.
@@k2cjbradiothanks for the quick reply. I went over all the solder joints and mounted it on a speaker stand at about 7 feet up outside. Moving the matching system while hooked up to a nanovna along with feed point adjustments, the swr is now under 1.25 at the low end of the 6m band. This antenna is going to be great as the sun cycle shifts. My house has an old satellite dish mount. Dish off squall on. Thanks for the great video and help at the end. 73. Joe KC1NNR
Sir, I enjoyed making this antenna. I am wondering if I need some sort of choke on the feedline or balun. It tuned on 50.200 1.5:2 but I notice swr jumps around while tx. I tx at 100w. Thanks, AI5CA/Bob.
I don’t have a balun on mine but it’s progress a good idea to add one. That might help. It is a fun antenna to build. We moved almost 2 yrs ago and it’s now on my new QTH. Works fine!
Hello K2CJB, I am now interested in this 6m antenna, last Sunday passed my Technician License test, will receive my Call sign in about 2 weeks. :-) Heading to store to get supplies, what I was curious about was maximum watts it can handle, and did you find it to be directional? If so what point is forward? Will set mine at about 25 ft.
Bryan Vincent Congrats! Welcome to ham radio! The antenna “might” be directional like a dipole, but I can’t say for sure. As for power, it’s copper pipe so it can probably handle a lot. I run my FTDX3000 into it at 100 watts with no trouble. Good luck with it! It’s a little finicky to tune up, but once you get it, it works fine.
It’s a fun project! And the antenna does work. Sometimes I’ll leave the rig on the national calling frequency and hear when the band opens. Those windows are rare, but when it opens, it’s amazing how this little antenna works!
A squalo is great for SSB CW or AM...the weak signal modes use horizontal polarization. FM is vertical...a simple 1/4 wave gnd plane works...also a Larsen NMO150 on a decent gnd plane..
Somewhat of a newbie to antenna theory, but my question is, how is that not a dead short where the coax is connected by the shorting wire? Please forgive my ignorance in advance, as I would very much like to learn more about antenna theory. 73, KI5HXQ, Bob Deitz
Bob Deitz From a DC standpoint, it is a short. If you put a meter on it, it’s zero ohms. But the length of tubing at 50Mhz presents an impedance that, when combined with the rest of the antenna, presents a 50 ohm impedance to the radio.
John Peterson Thanks! Well, I used regular plumbing flux and solder. Another viewer said I shouldn’t have. The antenna works fine still, so not sure if it makes a difference.
Hi Chris! Great video on the squalo, I like how you take the extra time to show and explain details, parts list and field test with the Rig Expert. Where did you post the antenna drawing as I’d like to print it please? Hope to work you on 6M, been a great E season so far. 73 es DX, Chris K4PC
Thanks for the hands on build video. I’m new to the self-made, self installed antenna world and have a quick question; How do you ground the antenna for a potential lightning strike?
Patrick Corso This May sound terrible, but I have never grounded an antenna. I hang my head in shame. I’m sure there is a way to do it properly, but, I never did it. Now you have me thinking I should do it in my next QTH.
Chris, I’m thinking of using an inline “Polyphaser IS-B50HU-C0 Coax Grounding Block” for the antenna/coax, and a grounding clip attached to the mast. Both will be wired with 12-18 AWG ground wire to a grounding rod separate from the electrical service meter.
Nice build; did you seal the coax at the feed point to prevent water intrusion into the coax? Also do you have those antennas grounded? I will check out those plans.
Mike C Thanks Mike! Actually I was out of coax seal the day the antenna went up. I can run back up and seal it up when I get some. As for grounding the antennas, I dont't have any ground connection directly from the antenna mounts to ground. In the 40+ years I've been a ham, I've never run a direct ground connection from the antennas. Of course now that I say that, something catastrophic will probably happen! 😃. Thanks for checking it out and have fun if you build one. It works great! 73 de K2CJB
Hi there, I'm KN4GCQ a ham in Fl state that don't have a radio, Was wondering if once in a while you see one of them really expensive ones like the one you have for an affordable price? I mean every single radio that I think is worthed... its price is beyond ridiculous!!! "Hey I don't have nothing to loose asking... hope to hear from you.
Sorry for the late response. Ham radios are not cheap unfortunately. I think once they start running hamfests again you might have a shot there. Ebay is always a risk. Check with a local radio club maybe?
Low SWR is fine and dandy, but does the antenna resonate? And please tell me you used rosin core solder and RA flux, and NOT plumbing solder and acid flux?
Mike Harnett Hi Mike, yeah, the antenna does resonate. I have made a few contacts with it in 10-30 mile range. Looking forward to betee conditions. Yes, I did sweat the pipe using plumbing solder. Seems to work ok.
Hallo K2CJB! My name is Fabio and I'm from Brazil (My callsign is PU3DSP). Can you tell me if this antenna is good for DX? What's her gain? One last question, is her behavior ohmnidirectional? Great video! 73!
Chris, I know this is a couple years old but I am trying to build your 6 meter squalo antenna per your video. I have it all constructed and put together per your plans. Problem is , No matter what I do I can not get the SWR down. I have been working for over two weeks now with no luck. It is driving me crazy. I have measured and remeasured to insure I have them per the drawing. No matter what I do The SWR will not tune below 5.1to 1. Please do you have any advise as to what I can do. I am trying to get it tuned for 50.313 FT8 work. Thank you so much for the video.. Steve, N7WEJ
Sorry for the late response. Hopefully yo figured it out. The middle section where the coax connects is probably what you want to keep fiddling with. I did shorten mine a bit at the open end under the pic pipe.
Hi Chris, why is one leg on your inverted vee wire longer than the other? I am new on HF and just bought a HF rig setup like this, (this is my first HF rig) one leg is about 45' and the other is about 88'. I thought both sides were supposed to be even? Thanks for the video!
gadgetkat It's an off-center fed dipole otherwise known as a Carolina Windom. I chose that antenna for two reasons: first, it would fit in the yard and second, the ftdx3000 built in tuner will not tune a G5RV. it tunes the ocf dipole fine for 40 and 80.
Hi, I recently found your channel. Now that you have had some time with the antenna I wondered how it is working out. Have you made many 6m contacts wih the antenna? Looks like an interesting project. Like you, I have been interested in trying this band, but don't currently have an antenna for it. I don't actually know if the level of activitiy on 6m makes the effort worthwhile or not. I enjoy your channel, keep up the good work. 73 KD9IBH
JNetBelch Thanks for the kind words! I made one contact when I checked into a 6m net. Listen around on 6m but haven’t heard anything yet. To be fair I haven’t been on all that much lately. I hope to get some operating time in soon. Thanks again and best 73 de K2CJB!
6m is open in the summer between May and Sept The hotter the better just try it and listen I talked to New York Jersey area from Chicago and some folks around here. If you have a SDR Stick with HDSDR you can view the band quickly.
I used flexible corrugated plastic electrical conduit
to span the gap. I used two small hose clamps to hold it in place. Works FB!
I previously built a different version in
2013. During a band opening I was
heard in Scotland before it faded out !
the non conductive spacer can be a piece of sprinkler pvc pipe (found at home dopie, where the sprinkler elbows and connectors are located). it fits perfectly inside a 1/2” copper pipe.
@Alton Custer nobody cares about your sad relationship with your ratchet ass girlfriend.
Good video. Looks like a nice antenna to try. A few tips if I may:
1. Slow down on the camera movement to give people a chance to see details.
2. Instead of drilling out the pvc, consider heating it with the torch (modestly. Keep the torch moving or it will burn) instead. Then just slide it onto the pipe. When it cools it should also secure itself to the copper and not need screws. But if you don't want to do that, you can drill holes into the pvc and thread them and use bolts as set screws. Do your other drilling inside the pvc to make it bigger, which I would do all the way through so you can slide it all the away to the side to trim the length.
3. Another omnidirectional 6m antenna is the flowerpot antenna. Something to look at if you haven't. Easy to build and very portable.
4. For people not used to sweating copper pipe, just remember the heat does the work and draws the solder through the joint. Keep the torch moving but remember to heat the far side away from where you hold the solder and when the solder melts and draws through you know everything should be good.
very nice build! for my 6meter antenna i made my own deicated delta loop which works great! a friend and i use it localy ever so often just to ragchew! 73's
Looks very much like a scaled up version of the Jaybeam 2m halo that I used /M on my BL Mini and FT290 many years ago. It worked well beyond expectations.
I know this is over a year old, but I am so glad I found it! I need to get a 6 Meter antenna up here at my home since I have the 817ND that can do 6 Meters. Yea I know it is qrp, but I still want the capability to work 6. I was just going to throw up a 6 Meter dipole, but I like this setup better!! I sub’d to your channel and am watching your other videos. Thanks for sharing! Juddie WD8WV
J & J True Outdoor Adventures Thanks so much for the sub! It’s a great antenna. If you look thru the comments, you’ll see that the ham that designed it commented on the video!
That's a great tripod. I've been using it for years and it still looks like the day I bought it.
Thanks for the instructional video. You are an excellent teacher, and missed your calling.
George K Thanks! My xyl has said for years i should be a teacher!
@@k2cjbradio she lied
In Chicago 1963 there were abt 100 am stations 5 watts and a regen txcvr i loved it wn9eox
This is a very nice project!!! Very simple, clean work, good job on not overcomplicating or overanalyzing things! It would have taken me a lot more failures and fixes! So satisfying to hear some CW coming in on that test!!!
And the antenna is up in my new QTH (2 yrs now) and still working!
Hi Chris, I build a few of these and also yagi beams, i found that the shorter the tails on the coax before connection the better VSWR I achieved.
senseislayer Thanks! Interesting. I didn’t give that a whole lot of thought...
Suggestion - never "sweat" a soldered connection with the pipes in a metal vice - too much heat loss. Also with a complex shape like that it is difficult to get the finished item dead flat. Best to lay the whole assembly (with flux and fittings) on a flat non-metallic surface, (e.g.silicate board) then sweat every joint without moving anything. I like your "down-to earth" approach showing what happens as it happens - very nice!
Peter Jones Thanks Peter! I'm far from an expert at plumbing work as you can see. It was fun to do and it works great so far. Thanks for watching! 73 de K2CJB
Great job, Chris!! I really enjoyed watching your story on building your squalo. Nice to see people getting inspired by my blog :-)
73, Ernest PA3HCM
Ernest Neijenhuis Hi Ernest!! Thanks so much for checking in! It was alot of fun to build and it works great! There was a 6m opening yesterday and I made a few contacts. Thanks again for watching the video! Best 73! K2CJB
Great Job on this. I can't wait to get set up. Studying for now.
Joe Kolohe Thanks and good luck!
A really nice video: informative and very entertaining! Also an interesting antenna. I built some copper J-poles for myself and for my Civil Air Patrol squadron - their VHF frequencies bracket our 2m band. As for aligning the pipe, the antennas were laid out on the garage floor and then "sweated".
Figure that should work for your squalo!
Thank you again
de k6whp
dit dit
Thanks! The antenna still works fate a few years and a QTH move. It was fun to build!
I realize this is a few years old now but when I built one a few years ago I took a small piece of copper strap drilled a hole in the center and made a "butterfly" capacitor that went over the space in the gap I could then adjust it over a much wider range of the 6m band without needing to cut anything. using a marker ran the analyzer on it and was able to mark directly on it the aprox. position of each center frequency. it made tuning easy and no fuss. well done 73 ve3hbj
I built an extended double zepp and never got to use it much. The local group left 40/80 to meet up on 6 so I deployed the EDZ. worked well then my friend made a squalo. Now everyone is headed to build one. I was just out in the garage figuring out the measurements as you have to account for the amount the elbows set off the center of the pipe. I was interested in how you mounted yours. Also, my friend used standard 1/4" semi flex copper tubing, hammered it flat for his feed point and strap connections. That is probably what I'll do. He found that you do need to add some additional length for the center legs for mounting. I allowed for a little extra room to move the feed point and shorting strap.
On the air it seems to beat the EDZ, the MFJ cobweb with 6 meters and a dipole, in our little 6 meter group anyways.
Build one!
Ed Williams Thanks for checking it out! Yeah, the elbows have to be figured in. I had to do some trimming under that pvc piece and it came in to a good swr. I've used it a few times and have made solid contacts with it...relatively local though. Hoping conditions improve soon! Thanks again! 73 de K2CJB
@@k2cjbradio
Hey Chris,
Got me off my tail and I soldered up the 1/2" pipe this afternoon for my squalo. I used two cpvc couplers and a piece of pex for my insulator. I need to stop by the big box and get a little 1/4" copper pipe to make my feed point and shorting strap. Then hang it and dial it in. It sure works well for my buddies that have them. I will be doing an A/B test with the EDZ when I get it in the air. Happy hamming.
Ed DE WB5ORT
Ed Williams Fantastic! Would love to hear how it performs!
Hi again Chris, wow! its been two years since I first watched this video. and I just watched it all the way through again. And I'm sad to say we have not gotten into each other's logs on 6m. but I'm always monitoring the band still my favorite band since 1972. I monitor 50.125 on my 160m dipole and kenwood (only does 50w) then switch to my Yaesu with 100w and 8 element yagi homebrew on 26ft boom. so make noise ! if I hear you I'll work you! thanks again and 73 gud dx de Ellis WA1RKS
Great looking! I’ll need to give this a try at some point. Would be interested to see if feeding this balanced antenna through a balun would have any significance too.
Awesome Video! I really liked the fact you were dealing with problems and making it work as the build progressed. It is a great how to video.
Thanks,
8P6RC
Robert Chambers Thanks! It was fun to build and it works great!
You likely always had a 6m antenna, a 40m dipole works well on 6m openings, I have used it to make 1000km/m contacts on SSB every summer...... nice job on the squalo thanks for posting
Good to know!
Nice job. I just moved into a neighborhood with dreaded HOA so no beams but think I will give this a try thank you.
wa7ups
I have a Yaesu FT-690R MK II that will love the 6M Squalo, it will complement the dipole I have at 70'. I sit at the top of a 550' hill which causes a rolloff of about 10° to the horizon (which adds about 2DBd to my signal) as it pulls the angle of attack down to the horizon at about 5 to 7°. I have some hard drawn copper pipe left from a well project (3/4") and I will try this project. Thank You! 73 de W4FJF
Glad this helps!
Followed your lead and built this antenna last weekend. Worked like a charm and happened to catch the 6 meter band open and made contacts in the Midwest from my qth in Massachusettts. Thanks for the nice video. 73 KC1NDQ
Great job on the squalo..!. I've never been on 6 meters, but I think I'm going to try and build that antler and get myself a 6m rig. I enjoyed the video, and thank you for sharing this. 73 de km4dme
Angel Cintron Thanks! The squalo works great. Best way to get into 6m is to find a local net to check into. That will get you started. 73 de K2CJB
@@k2cjbradio 73 de km4dme
@@k2cjbradio Awesome... Thank you.!
I love the video. Im brand new into the hobby and am interested in a 6m band antenna. Glad I found this.
Nice build, and this version is very similar to the M2 HO-Loop. In the last year since you posted this, the band has been super with a lot of the activity having moved to FT8 on 50.313 MHz and FT4 on 50.318 MHz. I run the Par loop and currently have 46 states, 34 countries and 231 grids. Got my 6 meter VUCC with the loop and 40 watts.
CU on the band! De WB2VUO here near Buffalo, NY
Nice! I've seen the plans for those and almost built one too. Glad to see it worked out for you!
Thanks Ron! Yeah, the SWR was so much better with it up in the air. I forgot to mention that I decided to mount it by itself rather than on the mast with the tri-bander to reduce any coupling between all the antennas. It looks to be ok so far. I was going to just leave the rig on 50.125 and see if I heard anything.
Here's a resource! www.k9mu.com/map/
Ron C That's great! I found the beacon I heard!
Nice job Chris. You do a really nice job making these videos. You are a good teacher! I have been using a similar squalo like that for years and when the 6 Meter openings come, it really performs well. Keep up the great work! 73, George K2WO.
k2wo1 Thanks so much for the encouragement! I was just tuning around 6m and put a few calls out...nothing. But, ya never know. Thanks again! 73!
Just went and got the stuff to build this one. Thanks for the video. 73
Have fun!!
That pvc connector if you heat some copper and push it into the pvc will adj the size for you no drilling no glue nothing else needed :)
I think if I rebuild it I’ll do that for sure!
Wow nice job 73!
Thanks for checking it out and for subscribing!! It was a fun project!
Heat the PVC pipe end to expand it a bit and push the copper pipe into the PVC the proper amount and when it cools, it will be locked in!👍
Yeah, they say I did it isn’t the best but it’s still holding together.
Great job!..Everything looks fantastic! 73's from Luis NP4KB
So glad I found this. Excellent construction video. You've inspired me to build one!
Don Mosley Thanks!! It works great!
11:20 , you can heat the pvc pipe on hot water (Or a torch) , and then pvc become soft you push cooper piper,
Yep. I learned that technique after the fact
@@k2cjbradio tnx for your reply ! hugs from brazillian fan
This is 5 years old when I found it. Been looking for something like this for a while, and will be looking a bit deeper into building this possibly. Have looked at a few other 6m designs over the past few weeks and very possibly will be considering building this one in the near future. Are there any updates to the design & build?
Cheers Mick G6ASJ.
Cool that you found it. No changes since I built it. Still working fine!
you did a fine jog on 6m. 1/17/2021
THanks!!
Nice build! Maybe you want to try a lambda loop also fed with a J-feed. I made some interesting experience with that on higher frequencies.
I’ll have to check that out!
@@k2cjbradio 👍.. there is a number of videos about build, test, design, and simulation!
What an awesome project! Thank you for sharing your experience building this very interesting antenna. 73 de KC9MAQ
oncydium Thanks! It works great and is still up!
Tnx ny friend, indeed with small antenna's on 6m you can make nice contacts during the Es-season, past year I made 70 qso's from JM08 EA5/ with a wire-dipole and my TS480 also heart but coudn't work 4X Israel ( is work by a french station) this has to be a double hop Es 73 de ON7ARQ Patrick
Hello and 73 Chris! Found your channel and this video and I'm gathering stuff to build my 6m Squalo! I haven't sweated copper in nearly ten years but no problem. Looks like a fun build and I have a location for it already. Wound up with a combo 2m/70cm stacked Squalo from a friend, and I might "stack" them all on one pole if that'll work. Thanks for the video and link, you have a subscriber in me. De KE5LIB Mark.
Mark Hall Just saw your comment! How did it go?
Great video! It's been 5 years now, how is the 6 meter experience? Many contacts?
Haven’t been on 6 all that much but I can say that the antenna is holding up just fine! Thanks for watching!!
Can you do a SWR scan of the entire 6M band, would like to see how it performs on repeater frequencies, what is SWR at top of band?
Good idea. I have installed at my new QTH so I can do a quick scan on it.
nice project I think I'll give this a try for my station. I quit Diet Coke it was making my joints hurt and it stopped tasting good.
Donnie Biederman ...yeah, I'm hooked on it...
It gave me headaches and insomnia...
de WB5ITT
nice job chris!
Richard E Thanks! Still up and works like a champ!
Thanks now 1.3 to 1 midrange frequency thanks KC1UCW
This was great... looks easy enough. I have a 50 watt four band mobile (10m, 6m, 2m and 70cm) I'm dying to get on the air but this virus hit as soon as I was ready to take the Technician exam and now can't find VEs who are administering the exam. I'm hoping to find someone who might test me via webcam one on one. Meanwhile i will keep listening to nets, watching videos, and learning more. I'll hit the ground running when I do get my ticket.
David Lynch Hopefully you can take your exam online!! This antenna works like a champ. It’s still up and working fine. Thanks for watching! 73 de K2CJB
You can now take it online! I'm doing it in a few days. blog.hamstudy.org/2020/06/so-you-want-to-take-a-remote-exam/
Cool antenna. Hope to work you soon.
Great Job Chris, if you remember from your novice days back then Cushcraft used to advertise their Squalo mobile antenna in QST,73,CQ magazines back then. I presume what you built is a spin off of that one. in any event nice job, showing all the workings in the build, gud for the new guys. and yourthought process during helps them also. I have been on 6m since 1972, love the band and the best part is almost all HF rigs now days have 6m n them. so come on all you guys make use of that band on that rig. they don't call it the "Magic Band" for nothing. try it you'll like it.!. 73 gud dx ! de Ellis WA1RKS
I don't remember it but did read quite a few articles about it when I came across the squalo plans. Thanks for watching!
I'm about to get this 6m squalor in my life.
It’s fun to build. I still have it and it’s working fine.
Great job Chris that was some nice work !
73
Mike N2MWL
you did a fine job on 6m 1/17/2021
I have done this sort of assembly before. When I looked at all your fittings it occurred to me that a pipe bending tool might be something to try.
True. I had all of that stuff on hand.
Great job 👍🏽
Grey Ghost Thanks!
Great video, thanks for sharing the actual build process
Mike Darling Thanks for watching and subscribing!
Do you have any update on how the squalo antenna has been performing? Thing about building one for my qth and just wondering how performance is. 73 KG9NA Tim
I built this antenna and could not get the swr reasonable 5.7 @ 50.00 to 17.5 @54.5 measured everything exactly feed and shorting strap as per plan not sure what gives
Check the distance between the open ends where I put the pvc. Might need to trim each side a little bit.
Just getting back into the hobby myself. 6 meters has always been a bit of a mystery. Thanks for explaining how to build the antenna. Also, thanks for leaving the challenges in your video! 73s N0ORF
Great Video and project
Intersting in socallfornia there is a2mtr rptr which links to 10 6 2and 70 cm i use my dipole its easier to get on the air and less of a eye sour kg6mn
Love 6 Meters
Rohn Daughtry And it is that time of year where 6 opens up. I have to remember that and leave the rig tuned to 50.125 to see what pops up!
where you have it mounted to the mast pole, is it insulated against it? or is the copper pipe right against the mast? thanks
It's clamped to the pole since that section is shorted out by the matching slider assembly. Hope that helps!
What are the characteristics of this antenna? Is orientation important? Is it directional at all?
It’s essentially a folded dipole so it is somewhat directional. Thanks! K2CJB
All you have to do is heat the copper and force it into the PVC
Eight Ball Talkin' I hadn’t thought of that... Thanks for the tip!
I've built my 6m squalo antenna based on your information. Thank for the nice job presenting all the information. MY SWR is very high. I've never sweat pipe before so I am double checking the joints. Feed line was okay I thought. 3 feet initial, but I am gong to make it loinger test out in the open today. Moving the short and/or feedpoint don't have much affect on the swr. Any pointers? Hope you are well.
You may have to check the length at the open end. I had to make a few adjustments there. Check your connections at the feed point too. That matching section can be a little tricky to get right.
@@k2cjbradiothanks for the quick reply. I went over all the solder joints and mounted it on a speaker stand at about 7 feet up outside. Moving the matching system while hooked up to a nanovna along with feed point adjustments, the swr is now under 1.25 at the low end of the 6m band. This antenna is going to be great as the sun cycle shifts. My house has an old satellite dish mount. Dish off squall on. Thanks for the great video and help at the end. 73. Joe KC1NNR
fascinating video, really enjoyed it and will follow this design!
Cant see any link to the build plans
Forgot to add it. Here it is www.pa3hcm.nl/?p=312
Sir, I enjoyed making this antenna. I am wondering if I need some sort of choke on the feedline or balun. It tuned on 50.200 1.5:2 but I notice swr jumps around while tx. I tx at 100w. Thanks, AI5CA/Bob.
I don’t have a balun on mine but it’s progress a good idea to add one. That might help. It is a fun antenna to build. We moved almost 2 yrs ago and it’s now on my new QTH. Works fine!
Why not solder a bit of wire for the shorting strap?
I wonder if this could be made in a way that was adjustable for some of the other frequencies.
Good question. I have seen them for 2m but they use a different matching section
Great job I’m thinking about making one myself. Does it make a difference what type of mast you attach it too? Metal/PVC.?
wildbill1 I don’t think so. Mine is on a metal mast and all the pics I saw online were metal.
Hello K2CJB, I am now interested in this 6m antenna, last Sunday passed my Technician License test, will receive my Call sign in about 2 weeks. :-) Heading to store to get supplies, what I was curious about was maximum watts it can handle, and did you find it to be directional? If so what point is forward? Will set mine at about 25 ft.
Bryan Vincent Congrats! Welcome to ham radio! The antenna “might” be directional like a dipole, but I can’t say for sure. As for power, it’s copper pipe so it can probably handle a lot. I run my FTDX3000 into it at 100 watts with no trouble. Good luck with it! It’s a little finicky to tune up, but once you get it, it works fine.
Thanks for the video!! I have an Azden 6M FM this would be great for. Also it will hide well in the attic because of HOA.
73 de N9TZG Pat
It’s a fun project! And the antenna does work. Sometimes I’ll leave the rig on the national calling frequency and hear when the band opens. Those windows are rare, but when it opens, it’s amazing how this little antenna works!
A squalo is great for SSB CW or AM...the weak signal modes use horizontal polarization. FM is vertical...a simple 1/4 wave gnd plane works...also a Larsen NMO150 on a decent gnd plane..
What radiation angle does that squalo has? it needs to flat for long distance transmissions.
Good question! Not sure.
I have heard that 6 meter band antennas work well in the 10 meter band too...??
J.Arnold Cotton Hmmm. That might be if the 6m antenna is cut for the high end of the band. I would imagine with a good tuner it might work.
Somewhat of a newbie to antenna theory, but my question is, how is that not a dead short where the coax is connected by the shorting wire? Please forgive my ignorance in advance, as I would very much like to learn more about antenna theory. 73, KI5HXQ, Bob Deitz
Bob Deitz Great question! As I understand it, that section “behind” the coax connection is a tuning stub for the antenna.
@@k2cjbradio Does the amount of power being applied to the antenna cause it to not short?
Bob Deitz From a DC standpoint, it is a short. If you put a meter on it, it’s zero ohms. But the length of tubing at 50Mhz presents an impedance that, when combined with the rest of the antenna, presents a 50 ohm impedance to the radio.
@@k2cjbradio I think I understand. Since it's an alternating current being applied, that's what makes the difference?
Bob Deitz Exactly. With AC at RF frequencies impedance becomes more complex
Fantastic video. I’m headed to Home Depot this weekend to get some copper pipe !! Any recommendations for flux and solder ?
John Peterson Thanks! Well, I used regular plumbing flux and solder. Another viewer said I shouldn’t have. The antenna works fine still, so not sure if it makes a difference.
K2CJB Radio thanks I’ll give it a shot.
John Peterson Good luck and have fun!
good job you did ok from jp8318 plumber
Dennis ke0hce Thanks! I’m definitely no plumber! But the antenna works great! 73 de K2CJB
Hi Chris! Great video on the squalo, I like how you take the extra time to show and explain details, parts list and field test with the Rig Expert. Where did you post the antenna drawing as I’d like to print it please?
Hope to work you on 6M, been a great E season so far. 73 es DX, Chris K4PC
Chris Penick Thanks!! I forgot where I found those plans. The link is www.pa3hcm.nl/?p=312
Thank you. N0QFT
Thanks for the hands on build video. I’m new to the self-made, self installed antenna world and have a quick question; How do you ground the antenna for a potential lightning strike?
Patrick Corso This May sound terrible, but I have never grounded an antenna. I hang my head in shame. I’m sure there is a way to do it properly, but, I never did it. Now you have me thinking I should do it in my next QTH.
Chris, I’m thinking of using an inline “Polyphaser IS-B50HU-C0 Coax Grounding Block” for the antenna/coax, and a grounding clip attached to the mast. Both will be wired with 12-18 AWG ground wire to a grounding rod separate from the electrical service meter.
Nice build; did you seal the coax at the feed point to prevent water intrusion into the coax? Also do you have those antennas grounded? I will check out those plans.
Mike C Thanks Mike! Actually I was out of coax seal the day the antenna went up. I can run back up and seal it up when I get some. As for grounding the antennas, I dont't have any ground connection directly from the antenna mounts to ground. In the 40+ years I've been a ham, I've never run a direct ground connection from the antennas. Of course now that I say that, something catastrophic will probably happen! 😃. Thanks for checking it out and have fun if you build one. It works great! 73 de K2CJB
Hi there, I'm KN4GCQ a ham in Fl state that don't have a radio, Was wondering if once in a while you see one of them really expensive ones like the one you have for an affordable price? I mean every single radio that I think is worthed... its price is beyond ridiculous!!! "Hey I don't have nothing to loose asking... hope to hear from you.
Sorry for the late response. Ham radios are not cheap unfortunately. I think once they start running hamfests again you might have a shot there. Ebay is always a risk. Check with a local radio club maybe?
Low SWR is fine and dandy, but does the antenna resonate? And please tell me you used rosin core solder and RA flux, and NOT plumbing solder and acid flux?
Mike Harnett Hi Mike, yeah, the antenna does resonate. I have made a few contacts with it in 10-30 mile range. Looking forward to betee conditions. Yes, I did sweat the pipe using plumbing solder. Seems to work ok.
One thing I always asked my self.. why cant you use an antennetuner to fix the swr above swortwave frequenties? 😕
I'm sure you can actually. When I operate 6m through the squalo, I use the antenna tuner in the radio
@@k2cjbradio so the highest frequency is 50mhz to tune (?) thanks in advance for your kind answer
What length did you end up with on the "Adjust to balance" pieces?
The Lightning Stalker I forget actually...
I found this video while in the middle of my build. I used 16 inch length for the 2 pieces in the middle and a 2 inch muffler clamp.
Hallo K2CJB! My name is Fabio and I'm from Brazil (My callsign is PU3DSP). Can you tell me if this antenna is good for DX? What's her gain? One last question, is her behavior ohmnidirectional? Great video! 73!
Chris, I know this is a couple years old but I am trying to build your 6 meter squalo antenna per your video. I have it all constructed and put together per your plans. Problem is , No matter what I do I can not get the SWR down. I have been working for over two weeks now with no luck. It is driving me crazy. I have measured and remeasured to insure I have them per the drawing. No matter what I do The SWR will not tune below 5.1to 1. Please do you have any advise as to what I can do. I am trying to get it tuned for 50.313 FT8 work. Thank you so much for the video.. Steve, N7WEJ
Sorry for the late response. Hopefully yo figured it out. The middle section where the coax connects is probably what you want to keep fiddling with. I did shorten mine a bit at the open end under the pic pipe.
Hi Chris, why is one leg on your inverted vee wire longer than the other? I am new on HF and just bought a HF rig setup like this, (this is my first HF rig) one leg is about 45' and the other is about 88'. I thought both sides were supposed to be even? Thanks for the video!
gadgetkat It's an off-center fed dipole otherwise known as a Carolina Windom. I chose that antenna for two reasons: first, it would fit in the yard and second, the ftdx3000 built in tuner will not tune a G5RV. it tunes the ocf dipole fine for 40 and 80.
Thanks Chris, a lot of this stuff is new to me. Thanks for the videos!
Very nice job on the build and a great result.
73
wd4dda
Preston Shute Thanks!!
Keep the videos coming Chris. Bren 2E0RIJ
Bren Wyatt Thanks! Doing my best!
Hi, I recently found your channel. Now that you have had some time with the antenna I wondered how it is working out. Have you made many 6m contacts wih the antenna? Looks like an interesting project. Like you, I have been interested in trying this band, but don't currently have an antenna for it. I don't actually know if the level of activitiy on 6m makes the effort worthwhile or not. I enjoy your channel, keep up the good work. 73 KD9IBH
JNetBelch Thanks for the kind words! I made one contact when I checked into a 6m net. Listen around on 6m but haven’t heard anything yet. To be fair I haven’t been on all that much lately. I hope to get some operating time in soon. Thanks again and best 73 de K2CJB!
6m is open in the summer between May and Sept The hotter the better just try it and listen I talked to New York Jersey area from Chicago and some folks around here. If you have a SDR Stick with HDSDR you can view the band quickly.
Donnie Biederman Looking forward to working 6!
Actually, I do have a tuner here. Maybe I need to upgrade my computer...
Computer? I'm an old ham but new to UHF
Squalo = Square Halo
You keep saying on center. Center of what?????
To the center of the elbows
Your hair is cool
Hate Coke, love Pepsi.
George [Noteverette] Ewing. hahahaha!
"Sodder?" I assume you mean solder, with an L in the word?
Mike C Hahaha. That’s my NY accent coming through!
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