Tape a effective 2 meter Slot Antenna to Your Vehicle: Ham radio stealth
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- Опубліковано 23 лип 2024
- Support me here / hamradiorookie
In this video, I dive deep into the creation and testing of a unique stealth foil antenna, for amateur radio, designed for my car's sunroof using a slot antenna style and 1" copper tape. From fine-tuning the frequency and impedance to achieving successful repeater hits. Special shoutout to John Portune for his invaluable resources on slot antennas. His insights have truly revolutionized my approach to ham radio. Whether you're an antenna enthusiast, ham radio operator, or simply curious, this video offers a blend of technical insights and personal experiences. Discover how simple antennas can bring joy and a sense of accomplishment!
Slot Antennas for Ham Radio: The Forgotten Antenna: amzn.to/40cHjwH
1" Copper tape: amzn.to/3Fzb7di
Transfer tape: amzn.to/3MfE9m2
Klein Pliers/Crimper: amzn.to/3ZXlhy3
Crimper: amzn.to/3Ql2SI4
Crimps: amzn.to/3QkCNsN
BNC Panel mounts: amzn.to/3M6EJmh
Wire: amzn.to/3Z8qylM
Video for the BNC Connector: • Easy Magnetic BNC Conn...
John Portune's UA-cam videos I recommend:
Slot antennas: • Slot Antennas with Joh...
Skin Effect: ua-cam.com/users/liveQs1gHVfi...
Practical Foil Antennas: ua-cam.com/users/live7MA4dIla...
Stealth Attic Antennas: ua-cam.com/users/livesyYa2CNk... - Наука та технологія
Glad you are finding something that re-lights the fires after your health issues. It makes me smile every time you get so excited for figuring out new and different ways to make things work. Keep up the good work.
Thank you. Yes this is quite therapeutic for me.
Foil antennas are a real thing. I've made them as dipoles taped inside my office window where I couldn't put up any antennas outside...it worked great. Also made them inside the airplane wing before the layers of fiber glass were added. Works great and no antennas out in the airstream to create drag. Be careful about sticking these on windows (especially rear windows) where there exists heat wires for defrosting. That may cause some problems.
Noted and thank you for your thoughts. I am the rookie and taking all the advice and coaching I can get.
Looks like an awesome way to stick antennas in my stang without wrecking the stock look. Thanks for posting this!
Love it! let me know how it works for you
Well done sir! I ended up being just as impressed by your reaction. I'm glad to see you get so much true joy from your accomplishment! Keep up the great work! - 73
Thank you! 73
Speaking of 6 meters and below, I suppose you could do a slot antenna using duck tape and hang it vertically (like hanging from a tree).
Basically combine your duck tape j-pole and this slot antenna into a horizontally-polarized antenna.
BTW my understanding is that while a slot antenna "flips" the polarization (a horizontal slot = vertical polarization and vice-versa) the radiation pattern does not "flip" -- a horizontal slot would still have a figure-8 pattern and a vertical slot still has an omni pattern, even if the polarization is opposite of what you'd expect with a regular dipole.
This could have interesting implications.
Yes directionality!
Thank you so much for this video I'm going to use this to make a slot antenna on my window to defeat my HOA problems!
Awesome
Awesome! I love your excitement and thank you for showing the rest of the community that ham radio is about experimentation.
More to come! I love experimenting
@@VE6SFX_HamRadioRookie so technically on the sunroof it’s horizontal, maybe on rear window it would work better as its vertical, just a thought
It's great to see you so excited about something
Yes, it feels good. I need to get back to my other channel and get stuff there but I get far more traction here than there.
Well done sir what a great idea. It's great when experimental antennas work, it was great seeing your excitement keep up the good work
Many thanks! 73
Well done, thanks for all you creative work.
Many thanks!
I was not familiar with slot antennas, thanks for sharing! I did get some foil tape but haven’t started any projects yet. Keep sharing! I love it!
Thank you!
Excellent! Thanks for sharing this idea with us. Also, thanks for referring to John’s book on slot antenna. It’s a hidden gem.
Absolutely a hidden gem. 73
Great work Ben I'm really enjoying your videos.
Glad you like them! 73
Glad that you’re enjoying the hobby. Nice to see people experimenting with antennas.
They are a fun and constant puzzle to solve. I love a good puzzle.
Love your videos! Great tutorial. Was fun to watch! I felt the joy of making it work, I might try it on my apartment window!
Yes! totally add it to a apartment window
This is awesome! The kid, KO6BTY, and I often comment that one day our rig will be more tape than radio. We once patched an antenna connector with washi tape and then had a quite successful POTA activation in at LA State Historical Park. But, an antenna made from tape? That's cool! You may have given us a reason to finally pick up an HT!
Truth. Heck you can get flexible pcb’s with adhesive so effectively tape circuits.
Another top video Ben. Hey it doesn't matter how long it takes dude. You are doing it and having fun. Fantastic work 👏🏾
73
Thank you 73
What a delightful video. I got started in ham radio experimenting with HF antennas, but that was decades ago. This sounds like a wonderful way to do some home brewing! Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it! 73
Great video and presentation. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for watching! 73
This video made my night. Thank you.
I'm so glad. Have fun making one
I've already ordered and started the book. Antennas just resonate with me(pun intended). I was thinking about starting to play around with designing some but I wasn't feeling very inspired until I watched this.
Its a perfect fit for my apartment as well.@@VE6SFX_HamRadioRookie
Love to hear this!
Awesome idea!
One note about back window antennas, that may not be such a good idea if you have a rear defog system, but there is always the side windows :)
Agreed.
Sharing your struggles and the joy of antennas was really heartwarming. I watched this video and some of your others a few months ago and then tonight I saw Ham Radio Tube K8MRD share that you have your Fara-J antenna for sale and was so happy for you. I was like I think this is the same guy who did the duck tape antenna and stealth foil antenna. This particular video really stuck out to me when you shared your joy. Thanks for the inspiration and for sharing your product with the community! I’m on the waitlist!
Thank you!
I really liked your previous tape antena. But this one was pretty cool, I was looking for a solution to my car also, will definitely try it. Thanks for the inspiration. Will wait impatiently the tape yagi antenna
Awesome. And thank you. 73
Great video, given me some ideas i’d never have thought off . Keep at 😃
Glad to hear it! I love it when you see something then a world of possibilities opens up because of it. Love to hear about what you build. We can all inspire each other that way. 73
One can also make a slot antenna out of a single piece of foil tape. These are particularly useful in upstrairs windows in HOA land, as a horizontal slot is vertically polarized. All one needs is a ruer and an exacto knife to cut the slot in the tape. You can steal the rough idea from the W6NBC slot antenna.
Yes that is where I got this idea. John (W6NBC) is a great guy
Awsome antenna idea. love the channel like the antenna ideas
Thank you! Also don’t hesitate to let me know what you don’t like. I can’t get better without some constructive feedback. Appreciate you watching the videos. 73
Very cool! Going to try this out
Please do! Also because this is something that will change from car to car can you report back your findings? Best place to do that will be at HamRadioRookie.com in the contact me page.
John Portune and his work interests me too, I have plans for doing his kite and/or inverted delta soon, including buying a remote antenna tuner. I had not thought of using the tape to tape the bnc to the antenna, I have not looked that close at this antenna though. It is good to see someone express the joy I also feel when I build things.
Thank you for watching. The taping of the connection is quite good!
Sounds like it would make a great receive only antenna like for SDR or something
It transmits ok. I am thinking I can do better
Excellent work.
Thank you! Cheers!
Great work Ben! Keep it up! 73
Many thanks!
Enjoying the “Tapetenna” videos. I am going to try and see what my success is with this one. Not keen of putting a standard antenna on my new car.
Ya I’m not a fan of the porcupine ham cars. This is my motivation
Great video sir!!! Very cool idea, thank you for sharing! 73
Thanks for watching! 73
This is cool! I've got plenty of copper tape and might need to try something similar.
You should! Let us know how it works
Your video and comments have inspired me. In my flat I can't have visual antenna. Never thought of a tape Di pole or tape window antenna. Um must experiment
This is great to hear!
Awesome job.
Thanks! 73
🤣😁Good job. Like you I'm having some eye-hand coordination problems, and Parkinson's, And the first thing I thought when I saw your antenna being a 3ex Burglar alarm installer was using alarm window foil tape. My good wishes to you and I hope that you get well soon. NO3NO
Having worked with my hands all my life this is a BIG change for me. But I am getting there. I just wish the Dr's could figure out what this is. I do have meds that are working about 80% of the time but the remaining 20 is so frustrating. Thanks for the watch! 73
That's an awesome idea!
Glad you think so! 73
Good for you! I've been wanting to try the duct tape jpole but have not yet. Having lived with prostate cancer treatment since 2016 and the last year long covid or whatever your comment on doing something again hit home. I have enjoyed watching your videos... thank you de ki7cia
Yes get making. Even if it is slow. The medicinal value of these antennas are huge for my mental health
Cool idea. Thanks for your video!
73 Stephan
73 and thank you
Great idea & well done! 73
Many thanks! 73
Very cool idea.
Thank you 73
Pretty sure there are aerosol temporary spray adhesives you could use instead of the sticky film. You could spray a piece of paper as a base for the tape. Check your local art supply store or online. Great video, I will get John Portune's book and build a slot antenna for GMRS
Never thought of doing this. Great idea. Thanks!
I lived in a house that there wasn't a way to have an antenna up, I used the gutter and a piece of wire to make a skeleton slot for 40m along the longest side of the house. The roof was metal so it worked out really well and with a tuner worked all bands with a decent noise floor.
Love it.
@@VE6SFX_HamRadioRookie You should definitely try it, out of all the hundreds of antennas I made over the years that one was night and day compared to loading up a gutter and equaled my 1/2 wave end fed.
Beautiful 73.
Thank you so much sir! Appreciated
sunroof good, side door windows good, rear side windows good.... tailgate window generally bad (the heater elements criss-crossing it tend to screw things up.... but having said that some dc blocking capacitors on the co-ax & some rf chokes in the rear window supply & earth have been used to actually use the heated rear screen as the antenna in itself).
Noted! 73
Thank you. Started on a slot antenna, but set it aside. Time to get back to it again. N0QFT
Yes! Let us know how it works out.
Great antenna design. I can now hide an antenna in wife’s car. We should compare notes. At 59 it’s hard to keep food on a fork sometimes let alone write.
Thank you and sorry you struggle with hand control as well.
I'm only hearing audio on my left headphone for the talking head portions. Small quibble, I know, but I found it quite distracting. Other than that, this is a great explanation of an interesting concept. Looking forward to the tape yagi video!
Apologies I messed up on the video render and that is on me. Hope to not repeat this. Thanks for sticking around.
Damn that's cool. You should name it the F117
Love it. How about old school and say ‘ox cart’ :)
Great video on a very fun topic!!! I understand your battle with your health issues. I have lupus and several other autoimmune diseased and I am very limited in life. I pretty much just do ham radio from my bedroom shack but I try to stay happy doing what I can do. Keep at it!!! I just subscribe to your channel and look forward to more fun videos!!! Robert K5TPC (this is my wife's account).
Thank you!
Love it! Super practical and fun. Keep it up! I love the creativity and your excitement when you make a successful contact. Looking forward to see what other crazy ideas you come up with next! Wall picture antenna? Cooler lid? Window curtain? Tent antenna (Tentenna would actually be pretty useful for my pop-up) or even last years political sign! You could do all kinds of ridiculous things. What a fun concept.
Thank you! Tentenna is a great idea! Just don’t be inside when transmitting:)
@@VE6SFX_HamRadioRookie how about just keeping the Tentenna on the transfer tape? Portable, rollable, backpackable, hangable. Doesn't necessarily need to be physically applied to the tent... 73 DE N9THH
My office is in downtown Chicago on the 14th floor, and my window gives me a west-facing view of most of the metro area...
tape directly to the window!
Love the videos. The intro segment (at least) has a problem with the stereo audio. Only hearing left channel in headphones. Thought you'd want to know. Cheers and 73
Yes that was bad editing on my part and I will learn from this. Cheers back 73
Slot antennas are a hard taskmaster, we build them for 160/80/40m. Looks like yours is too narrow. Try 1/2y long, 1/7y wide, and feedpoint 1/10y from the end. If you want to experiment with them, choose the 23cm band as the antenna is the size of a slice of bread and you can make it with single strand copper wire, cutters, soldering iron. Once you have some experience, scale them up to other bands. Prepare to be amazed at HF slots..
Thank you for the advice. Quick claification, 'too narrow' of a gap, or narrow tape width? Already gobsmacked with this one and I want to see what a well built one can do.
@@VE6SFX_HamRadioRookieToo narrow a gap, see dimensions above, or google images search "hentenna". I haven't played too much with larger diameter conductors - all our HF slots are made from 1.6mm galv steel wire, goes super well. It's definitely possible to get these matched perfectly, better than 30dB RL.
Interesting because all my research into this with John Portune and other videos tell me the gap in a slot is not as significant ua-cam.com/video/NMZNG9qZMYg/v-deo.htmlsi=tlvHr-W2VqD1r6ej , ua-cam.com/video/1fOLLuAjuwM/v-deo.htmlsi=npnd5TmOiYfbMS5h , ua-cam.com/video/dI6e4ZR9Oi8/v-deo.htmlsi=h0gLNkyEKfEGVW9p , ua-cam.com/video/dI6e4ZR9Oi8/v-deo.htmlsi=yNdcGsYpbtQazA0l some even go as far as to say a hentanna is a different type of antenna entirely. When driven, it radiates like a dipole antenna. It is also open to different feeding methods. Like waveguide, coplanar waveguide, coaxial, slot line, or microstrip. "11.4.2 Slot Antenna The slot antenna, consisting of a narrow slit in a ground plane, is a very versatile antenna. " www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/slot-antenna#:~:text=The%20slot%20antenna%2C%20consisting%20of,of%20wireless%20and%20radar%20applications
The main problem with experimenting at 23 cm is finding someone to talk to...
Great video. If your NanoVNA is functioning, can you see if the 2M design has any resonance on (or near) 70cm? A 2M dipole often does, although the pattern will come out at an angle instead of being basically broad-side. This is a great antenna idea for apartment dwellers that can't stick anything out of the windows too!
73,
--E
de W6EL
Yes taping to windows is something I’ll be trying. The issue is keeping it stealth from the wife ;)
This appears to be a variant of a folded “slim jim”
I am guessing you might be able to make a “skinny” one for the upper edge of a windshield.
I’d like to try this on my fiberglass Jeep Freedom Top.
I am not sure a folded slim Jim is a loop like this but possibly. I’ll have a look and see. 73
Did that S11 port break off? Nice design!
Yes! Luckily it was a bad solder joint from the factory and the pads did not rip off. I have since soldered the hell out of this and it’s fixed.
Hey, I think I will be trying an J pole foil tape for my windshield. As I am typing this, it occurs to me ....I wonder what frequencies are resonate on various rear defrost copper grids....if you disconnect both the power and ground.
Good question. Definately worth a try
Do you know anything about making an antenna possibly like this that can pick up FM (possibly AM, too) frequencies? I am very new to the world of antennas lol
For just receiving this antenna will pick up those frequencies if you mean FM and AM commercial bands just fine. The length becomes more critical when transmitting than just receiving.
Do you think that the little wires in a window for defrosting will affect the antenna
Yes they would. This choosing a window without the wires.
How did your RF Exposure calcs come out???
Given this is further away from my head than any rubber ducky and I’m only using a HT I did not do any. Great question though
This is reminiscent of the antennas on the door of family dollar as a product anti theft system
Yes it is :)
Once you get the dimensions more or less right you can try pinch bending instead of cutting the foil, at least most of the circuit, so you have a continuous foil. Also, pinching could make a better pigtail connection, it can perhaps be soldered. Is there no real metal vynil?
What do you mean by pinch bending?
@@VE6SFX_HamRadioRookie I mean not cutting but tuckin it in like you do on bed sheets
Isn't that slot mainly going to radiate straight up and down?
Great question and no it will not. The radiation pattern is vertically polarized. Horizontal can be two different orientations. As long as the plain the slot is on is horizontal it will end up with a vertical polarization. TV stations use this to get horizontal polarisation with a vertical slot but the bonus is that in that configuration it is omni directional. You can assume the same here that it is all vertical but its radiation patter makes this one directional.
Very good idea, congratulations! I will try it too.
Do you know that in this position your antenna is horizontally polarized?
A slot antenna with a horizontal design cut into a vertical plane has vertical polarized. Your antenna is turned 90 degrees on the axis of the slot, so the slot is in the horizontal plane, therefore the antenna is horizontally polarized.
73DX! HA0NC
I’ll need to check on this. I am not fully convinced that is the case. But something to dive into for sure
@@VE6SFX_HamRadioRookie - The complementary equivalent of the horizontal dipole antenna is the horizontal slot antenna cut in the vertical plane. The difference between them is that the horizontal dipole is horizontally polarized and its corresponding slot antenna is vertically polarized.
But there is a simple method to determine the polarization of traditional dipoles, closed loop antennas and slot antennas:
Mentally connect the two feeding points of the antenna with a straight line! This line shows you the polarization of the antenna! If it is vertical, the antenna is vertically polarized. If it is horizontal, the antenna is horizontally polarized. This method also applies to slot antennas! Even if you bent the slot antenna at right angles.
I wonder what the radiation pattern looks like from this thing. Pretty neat.
You and me both. I suspect it is somewhat directional due to the car body. But something I am not able to measure.
I can imagine that people with only the right functioning ear cannot hear your comments as you choose to make it in mono left. Btw Is there any added value for using mono instead of stereo microphone?
Or using a stereo mic and not being able to mix audio properly? I just messed up my final render out settings. Nothing to do with a mono mic
What can you do with this? What's the range?
So far about 8km I need to revisit this build to optimize it
@@VE6SFX_HamRadioRookie km ? Are you Canadian?
Yes I am
My Frend, I enjoyed your Video, but i need to warn you of the dangers of RF burns even while using only 5 watts. There are some places along you antenna that carry very high voltages and will burn you if you touch it while transmitting not to mention that your antennas radiarion pattern is pointing up at the sky and down at you. you. God forbid you run 50 watts into it . Better that you attach your antenna in a vertical position on the back window of you car further away from people and linit your power according to the FCC guid lines.
Im glad your enjoying Ham Radio have fun but please be carful. RF burns are more than skin deep, the burn go's all the way to the bone. 73's
Thank you for your concern. I do appreciate it, truly. However can you then explain to me why a rubber ducky inches from ones face is ok at 5-10W but then this is not?
Be advised, window tint could pose a big problem with this. Certain tints are metallic.
Yes this is a risk for sure. Given the antenna costs a couple dollars I think it’s worth the risk
Why does the monolog only have right audio?
Bad editing on my part sorry!
No worries. I wouldn't know how to do that even if I tried! @@VE6SFX_HamRadioRookie
Yeah , it can made in home any of antenna for radio and TV too even more! . I been thought about build one my own antenna for my studying reasonable and I thought just use little thick paper or plastic with foil aluminum to use as antenna build out than buying antenna for it because if antenna not fitting of needs don't wants waste money to buy high price of antenna to build projects but rather use paper little thick than thin plus test them out before build out blue print to send to companies build out for me a solid module circuit board of antenna.
Most likely not this time building next level, right now I am at other projects I had several things to do projects it damn I had only one brain and two hand to be catch up a projects before next level. Ha! Ha! I only had two hands and one brain!😅😊😂😊
I think I need to do a terrestrial tv antenna video for the masses. You are right it should be easy
I am not one of those who, ahhhh who am I kidding; I TOLD YOU SO. Preempted a video about an antenna to show us a video about your newest antenna. BTW, you can load up the front window drame dor 10/11 meters. Still have a couple of match boxes, one de-soldered and one useable. Bought them in the bi-90s last century. They don`t work with the heater tape de-ice.
You need to get a field strenght meter to check out the pattern of that thing. You could salvage everything you need from a dead (or not) boom box with LED meters. Wait. Forget I said that. NO you can't build it. IMPOSSILE.
You are on the road to one addiction, no need to add diy test gear to that. There is a japanese ham that has some simple qrp rf test gear projects. I'd post a link but YT "dunna wanna shoe da links." Got to go now, my test gear group session is about to zoom 😮
Now the engineer in me kicked in and you are right I can manually map the pattern. Not only that but I am a king at microcontrollers. I know how to not just LED view it but have a microcontroller map to a table with a gps attachment for sone solid empirical data. Great feedback. Tank you
Ok, did you do the FCC radiation test on this indoor antenna? I feel like somebody will hook this up to a high-power radio and be in danger of the radiation. Thats ok as long as you get views, right? 2 meters can be very dangerous. You are going to get someone hurt.
I have not done a FCC obviously, and using a HT is hardly going to be a issue here as the rubber ducky antenna on the HT is much closer to your head at the same power. Regardless I will be doing some testing as it is prudent. I hardly think I will get anyone hurt at anything under 50-100w which is the standard mobile vehicle setup, keep in mind the whip antennas for these radios use your rooftop as a ground plane and they are at the same height and distance from your head and in your eyes should be just as dangerous if not more given they are the return path for the current of the antenna. Given your point, I see you are very concerned and given your concern about this please make one and do some testing and show the world how horrible I am, and how dangerous it is. Until then these are just postulations.
@@ROMAN138 I appreciate your comment, but verbal slights really have no place here. I would love to hear what he has to say about this if there is any validity to his point.
LOL. If 2m is so dangerous, be careful with that 5w antenna 3” from your forehead.
I can just picture a REAL rookie hooking this up to an 80 watt Yaesu, and have a couple inches of snow/ice on top of his sunroof. You better believe that can be dangerous. Mr. radio rookie, IM sorry I hurt your butt with my verbal slights, but sometimes the truth hurts. Honestly I figured you would shadow ban before you pinned, so good for you. You impressed me.😁Dont expect more comments from me, I have better things to do.
@@extreme978Found the sad ham, you spoil sports are everywhere. I think you should check your blood pressure now to be "safe". 😂
thats really neat N9IZX
Thank you