Tip about soldering, heat the metal and wire a few seconds before you apply the solder. Keeping the iron applied while feeding the solder, the solder should flow into the wire and connector. Keep the iron on it to ensure the solder is absorbed. You should have a nice smooth finish with no lumps.
I always would tin the wire, apply solder to the pin, then insert wire into pin (while solder is hot). There should not be much, if any, solder on the outside of the pin. Also, if you file the nickel plating off of the shell of the connector it is pretty easy to solder to it.
I just saw this. I am somewhat impressed with the construction and the process. I am quite a purist but look at the practical and quite frankly, this process would produce a very good antenna on any frequency up to about 900 MHz of course using a different connector and feedline for anything above 30 MHz or over 100w. There i would move into RG8x, RG8, then LMR as frequency and power increase. At 27 MHz RG58 is fine unless the run is terribly long, over 100 ft. I would agree with one poster about doing it in free space - but probably not anything significant although i would personally have tried to get it up close 15 feet from the ground on a mast - I do doubt much difference. I do not know if you are planning to use it vertical or horizontal, most look at diploes as horizontal. If your primary conversation is base to base, horizontal seems best for several reasons. One, a dipole does have some directional component - off the sides - and if the communications are to mostly the same places, orienting it will help, in fact off the ends there is a significant null. If you are talking mainly to mobiles go vertical, there is about 20 DB loss in a vertical to horizontal path, that is over 3 S units - 18 db. dipoles can be mounted vertical if the feed comes off at 90 degrees and there is a way to go down the lower part using coaxial cable as the lower half of the dipole. i did build a dipole for 2 meters using PVC about 10 years ago - we had a friend who was in a nazi prisoner of war camp (an HOA) and could not put up an antenna, we put in in an arborvitae about 5 feet off the ground. He could hit every repeater within 50 miles with 50 watts. I have also used thin wall PVC as a radome for 2m slim jims, I built 6 for an event, tuned the first one outside the PVC than put it in and it was long. The slim is about 50 inches long, i had to cut off about 3/4 inch. I have since learned the reason on a fan dipole for 20/17/15 meters i built with speaker wire, two winters got to it and I rebuilt it with bare wire. The bare wire was set to the same measurements and was bout 6-8 inches short. We all work with velocity factor on coaxial cable but it also applies to antenna wire. Introducing a insulating jacket makes the wire seem longer to electricity. It is only about 3-7 percent depending on the insulation composition and thickness but it is there. If you work with an antenna modeling program like exnec it will show that. Ralph Brandt K3HQI (Extra Class) WRPG834 KAOR6315(old CB CALL) AFA3HQI (expired AF MARS)
This was one of my first antenna builds and I was happy with the results despite my soldering skills at the time. I chose this design for its dx properties as well as it was pretty simple design to construct. I mounted it horizontally with it orientated north/south. I placed it on top of my RV which was not the optimal height at around 10 feet. I was surprised how well it performed. In the two years I used it, I talked all the way to Australia and with all 50 states. The coax run was 36 feet. Thanks for watching and the comment!
I wanted to add this and missed it. Try an inverted v some time. A dipoli has nulls off the ends and brst signals off the sides. Those nnulls can be about 30 db and about 20 db at 5 degrees off the line of the antenna. An inverted v is cut anout the same as a dipole but the center is pulled high, the envs sloping down. My 80 meter 128 ft long was a dipole running NW to SE when i drooped the ends i started working the Carribean and never had a vontact there before.
Just came across this I would like to try and make this my question is how much did you cut approximately to get of each wire end to get to the swr down also do you think I could mount this in my loft as high as possible thanks in advance.
If I had it to do over again, I would just bend the ends of the wire over so you would not have to cut them. I would start with folding them over a quarter inch each side if the antenna is too long till you get the desired SWR. I have read that people have had success with mounting a dipole in their loft. Let us know how it goes. 73s from 595 Lake Tahoe Nevada!
I made a improvement on the antennae. I drilled small holes on the endcaps of the PVC pipe, attached weed whacker line to the ends of the dipole wires and fed them through the endcaps. This allows me to keep the wires straight and taut and allows flexibility of the PVC pipe without ripping the wires off of their connections.
I recently found this video (2023) and I can tell you this is the most detailed, easy-to-follow instructive video I have found yet. I went out and bought the supplies I need and I will be making this, hopefully within the coming week! Thank you for this video! BTW...I'm an older CBer from the late 60's and 70's. I love sideband and was thrilled to find one on Amazon for my home. I already have a plain Cobra 40 channel for the car. Things have sure changed over the past 50 years or so! But I'm happy to see that CB radio survived, and kept the band alive!
II had it up for 2 years and it worked great. I reached 49 states and as far away as Australia. I just replaced it this week with the Solarcon A-99. Thanks for watching and 73s from 595 Lake Tahoe Nevada!
Yes I made it! Works like a charm! Great reception, and I have made many contacts in the US with it. Now using it every day since the last 2 months. SWR consistent at 1.1 across the band. Works great on sideband too. @@minisprouls
@@greghill254 How did you mount it? Horizontal or Vertical? I did the same as you ordered the so259 and I have the other parts.. Will be building when the part gets here.
The antenna should be adjusted in free space. Feedpoit impedance will vary close to objects and also between horizontal to vertcal mount. Also use a Nano VNR for more accurate readings. Also transmitting horizontal to hit a vertcal antenna will give approx. 20 db loss in signal (both ways). A good video and nice construction. Keep at it. 73...
Thanks for the suggestions, I've read about the signal loss between antennas when they are orientated different. I went with a horizonal mount for better skip. The feed point impedance would explain why my SWR changes when I move the antenna around. I really appreciate the advice from people like you with experience. I've learned a lot about antenna properties that I would never have known about. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
@@RidgeHikerAdventures Actually a vertical antenna has a lower radiation angle especialy at sun up and sun down. In other words greyline conditions. Probably around 20 degrees or something like that. Not sure. I have worked a lot of dx, states, south america, asia… with a homemade groudfed verical setup here in norway. Maybe a look at the Dx commander channel can shed some light on this matter. GL…
@@RidgeHikerAdventures 73s, my friend. Hope to see more from your builds in video format. Very intertesting. PS! We all learn from eachother! No matter how long we have worked on antennas and other stuff. CU...
I agree that proximity of of antenna elements to some materials will affect impedance match so what is the logic of trimming the antenna in free space only to thread it into 17 feet of PVC? It would make more sense to adjust it under as close to it's operating conditions as possible. It would seem to me that doing it your way would be akin to matching a mobile antenna to a car in the middle of an open field then driving it into a metal garage and expecting the match to remain the same. Not trying to be a dick, just sayin'.
What was the final wire length? About 102" on each side, I'd imagine. The thicker the conductor, the shorter the antenna. A vertical dipole will outperform an A-99 every time. The A-99 has a LOT of loss in the matching network, a dipole needs no matching network. As a bonus, no radials are needed as both "halves" of the antenna are present. Antennas like the A-99 use the coax shield and mast, etc as the other half. The only thing I would add to this antenna is several wraps of the coax on, say, an inch and a half form to be an effective RF choke and keep and unwanted current off the coax shield. Nice job 👍🏼
Thanks for the advice, I still have a lot to learn about antennas. I've noticed that moving the loose coax around outside, will change the SWR readings. I'll have to try the wrapping the coax as you suggested. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
"The thicker the wire, the shorter the antenna." A negligible effect. There may be some change in the resonant point for a given frequency between 24g and 12g stranded copper as resistance and reactance change, but nothing to consider. Engineering an UHF/VHF blade antenna for an F/A-18? Deploying an HF antenna from the space shuttle? OK. A crappy, homebrew, spray and pray dipole for the CB band? Nope. Why mention it? I am positive you don't choose a thicker gauge wire so you can shorten the overall length of your antennas.
@@patring620 negligible? If model a 5/8 wave antenna for 11 meters using 14awg wire, then using 1/2 aluminum tubing reduces it's size by two feet! Just using insulated wire (as opposed to bare copper) shortens an antenna by 5% .
Mount Verticle with the POSITIVE on top and do not use metal mast pipe so the antenna id=s close to the pipe will kill your swr reading but a good job thank you for sharing.
The top scale on your meter is in watts. The scale below it is SWR. Your first match was closer to 4.5:1. Pro tip: Grab a standard calculator and enter the following: 234 / 27.205, (Ch.20), = 8.6 feet. .6 X 12 = 7 inches so each leg of your dipole will be 8' 7" This will save you 12 of your 13 trips out to the yard. If you are making a vertical dipole, use the above formula but add 5% to the bottom wire. 8'7" = 103" X 5% = 108" for the bottom leg. This should make the dipole a little more broad banded to flatten your match between 1 and 40. I haven't used PVC but be aware that proximity of an antenna element to metal structures or even some plastics or Bakelite can reflect the signal and affect the match. If you are a true purist, you can also figure in the velocity factor of your coax. ALWAYS use the minimum amount of coax necessary to do the job. Having a 30 foot coil of extra inline coax laying on the floor of your shack makes an electrical choke which absorbs power that you could otherwise be radiating into the air. Velocity factors of the most popular coax as follows: RG-58U = .66 RG-58AU = .66 RG-8 = .66 RG-8X = .73 234 / 27.205 = 8' 7" X .66 = 68" or 5' 8" for RG-58U, RG-58AU and RG-8 cables 234 / 27.205 = 8' 7" X .73 = 75" or 6' 3" for RG-8X cable When measuring your coax, take the 5' 8" or 6' 3" figures, depending on your cable type. Measuring your cable requirements, use odd multiples of the above figures. Example: If you are using RG-8X and need about 50 feet of coax, 50' X 12" = 600" 600" / 75" = 8 X 75" lengths but this requires odd multiples so you either round up to 9 lengths or round down to 7 lengths depending on your requirements. If you are using RG-58U, RG-58AU or RG-8 coax @ 50 feet. 50' X 12" = 600" 600" / 68" = 8.8 lengths so for odd multiples you can round up to 9 lengths or down to 7 lengths depending on your requirements. This shouldn't require saying but obviously you do not cut your coax to these lengths but measure it out to these equivalents. I convert these measurements to inches so as to not have to convert decimal fractions of feet to inches later for simplicity sake. All of the above formulas work for any frequencies. Just substitute the center frequency of your band of interest in place of the 27.205 center frequency of the 11 meter CB band. Example: 2 meter ham band = 144 to 148 Mhz center frequency is 146 Mhz. Just be aware that with higher frequencies comes tighter tolerances. Where you may measure or trim inches off a wire type CB antenna, you may be measuring or trimming millimeters at 2 meters or 70 centimeters, (The 440 Mhz ham band.)
Wow, thanks for the information! When I made this antenna, I had zero experience with antenna construction. I appreciate the constructive criticism. You have given me a lot of information to digest. I realized later after making a few videos that I was reading the SWR meter wrong. I was also horrible with my soldering skills when I look back. The past year I have been reading up on antennas and made my first vertical dipole for my 2-meter radio. You are correct, adjusting the length on the 2-meter antenna was very precise. Thanks again for the information and 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
@@RidgeHikerAdventures Happy to help. Pro tip: The next time you want to solder to ground on an SO-239 antenna socket, File the chrome off from the area that you're soldering to. Solder prefers to stick to the underlying brass rather than chrome.
You know your stuff! Stuck in a second story apartment. Would I get any use from this antenna, if mounted vertically against but extended 3" - 8" out from a brick wall or column? Local CB commination is what I'm after. Thank you!
@@laraza4trump130 Unless you have 16+ foot ceilings, the dipole antenna in the video won't work well for you. If you could see the signal coming out of, say, a mobile antenna, you would see a radio wave emanating from the shaft in an up and down wave and a magnetic wave coming from it from side to side. 99.9% of CB antennas are "VERTICALLY POLARIZED" this way. If you constructed that dipole and hung it horizontally on your wall, you would reverse your polarization. This isn't necessarily a bad thing if the people that you want to communicate with have their antennas polarized the same way. If not, you won't transmit or receive very far. Horizontal polarization will inherently receive less noise and static but at the cost of who you can effectively talk to. This is because most radio noise is also vertically polarized. What I would suggest is an inverted "V" antenna. A child of 5 could build it, (No offense intended. They're just that simple to build), and they are vertically polarized. The simplest way to build one is to cut any kind of copper wire into 2 lengths 103 inches long, connect one leg to the center conductor of your coax and the other to the shield braid. Hang the end of the coax with the 2 legs connected as high as possible on the wall. Extend the other end of the 2 legs out and down at a 45 degree angle at the ends and pin them to the wall. You must let the coax hang in the center down to the floor. Plug it in and you are on the air. You would be smart to take a small piece of plywood like 2 X 4 inches, drill a hole on each end and two in the middle like a criss, cross so that you can wire tie the 2 legs and the coax to it for strain relief then hang the piece of wood on the wall with the top hole. If you are using RG-58U coax, the center conductor is pretty delicate. If it breaks and you don't know it, keying up your radio can blow the final transmitter transistor. RG-8X is a few cents more per foot, not much bigger than the 58U and is a lot more robust with a stranded center conductor rather than a single brittle strand. It is always a good idea to check your antenna with an SWR meter. You can trim this antenna for a better match if need be. Check it on channel 20 to start. If it is above 2 to 1, you can trim off 1/4 of an inch at a time ON BOTH LEGS and TRIM THEM THE SAME. If you get it below 1.5 to one on channel 20, 1 and 40 will take care of themselves. If you trim it too much, your match will begin to rise and will really go up on the bottom channels. You should NEVER key up with a match of 3 to 1 or higher or risk damage to your radio. BE AWARE. The inverted "V" antenna is vertically polarized but very directional. If you have it hanging on a north facing wall, your best transmission / reception will be north and south BROADSIDE of the antenna. East and west means east and west. KNOW THIS. You can NOT build 2 of these and hang them north and east and connect them together. You can, however, build to of these, hang them north and east with separate coax and plugs and feed them from your radio through an ANTENNA SWITCH. All you need is a 2 way switch. You can pick one up at a CB or ham radio shop. It will have 3) SO-239 CB type antenna sockets on the back. Two will be for the antennas and the 3rd for a short jumper to the back of your radio. I haven't bought one in decades but they aren't too expensive, adjusted for inflation. If you do this, when you get someone's attention, as they are talking, switch back and forth between the 2 and which ever is louder, stick with that one. I have used these many times on the pirate bands to talk to South America and Europe on single sideband at 200 watts with no problem. If you have a standard CB, you may get around town a few miles or so as long as "town" isn't down town Manhattan. Good luck my friend. I can tell by your handle here that we don't agree on politics but we can agree on radio.
@@jeffmccrea9347 Inverted V is a fantastic option but I don’t have the room and it’s a concrete box. I’ll experiment with one and want to make one to test in open air. Great information a two-antenna switching setup would be fantastic. I’ve got a 80’ish exterior 2’x2’ brick support column, probably steel core. Management already agreed to a ½ wave dipole, mounted vertical, externally to that column up to 1 foot away. It’s relatively free of RFI and is part of my balcony, which is abnormally large. It seems like a good choice for a ‘low’ RFI environment. It’s large enough to build a faraday cage. *Chuckles* I’m on the first two floors and mounting it at ¼ wave height or higher is no problem. I can't do the ground plane radial setup. My real concern is if I’ll receive anything… with that type of setup. Oh the nick! Forgot I was still using it. Came up with it, in 2016 to tease folks that bought the racist MSM narrative that Hispanics wouldn't vote from Trump. Poking fun at the hypocrisy of it all. I’m a “Tasty Canadian” as Art Bell used to say. Lots of us come equipped with a bent sense of humor. 😊 At this point I might as well just ask to stick a SDR, utility computer and DX commander on the roof, and remote into the system from my unit
I watched your Video. Built a Dipole antenna similar to yours. Hung it inside my detached 2.5 car garage. Straight horizontal line about 14 feet above the ground. My SWR’s are about 1.2 across the channels. First day I spoke to Austin Texas for about 20 minutes on LSB channel 38. WOW. I built a second one to hang outside. SWR Readings we’re in the 7’s. I think it’s a bad Connector. I will send an update when I get more connectors for my outside Dipole
Interesting antenna I don't think I have ever seen a PVC plastic pipe Di-pole done before and it's all new to myself and I was just wondering if I could make a similar antenna but for the 2/70 amateur radio frequencies and if I actually made one then it would be interesting to try it out on the 2/70 bands and just see how far I can get with just 25 watts so I'll give it a try one day and I'll let you know how I got on making the antenna and I can get all the bits from my local DIY shop and it should be cheap enough to buy in the shop so anyway that's my plan. Thanks and best 73's for now cheers. Stephen M3SNV 73's.
Good attempt but you need to brush up on your antenna theory. You’ve made your antenna resonate in situ, meaning it resonates where you’ve physically located it during the process of the tuning procedure. Once you mount it at any appreciable height above ground your VSWR will be completely different than what you’ve initially trimmed it at. You need to tune your antenna in the position and height it’s going to be used in, not near the floor in your workshop.
You can if you want to. A 1:1 current balun is the most effective. It will not make you match better but it can reduce RFI/TVI on transmit and RFI on receive. 8 to 10 turns of RG-58 or RG-8X wound on a 12" diameter piece of PVC pipe or another material will work well. While not 12" diameter, I have used a large Crisco container as the coil form and it worked well with 12 turns of RG-8X (smaller coil form, more turns). Also, remove the PVC as at RF frequencies and power levels it can heat up and melt.
Speaker wire works great. If you are running lots of wattage through the antenna, you would want a higher gauge wire. I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner; I missed seeing this comment. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
I have tried copper,aluminum and metal auto wire and the auto wire seem to perform the best...not sure of the theory behind it but the results were noticable ⚡
For those of you who don't know...the antron 99 and imax 2000 are modified endfed vertical dipoles. You lose around 20db being horizontal polarized if you use a reg dipole on cb and talk to someone vertical. Keep that in mind. Best to be vertical polarized on cb
@@napomania man made noise is normally vertically polarized. A vertical on the lower bands below 14mhz makes it pretty obvious. I prefer a vertical for 14mhz to gigahertz. Noise is less of a factor it seems at 14mhz and higher. Some people run stuff like the old moonraker 4 and maco shooting star that vertical and horizontal polarized elements. You can also use 2 antenna at once with different polarity and it will eliminate phase shifting and make it easier to hear. You can learn alot building antennas. It also helps if you have a antenna analyzer or a nano vna to check it
This is brilliant, thanks. I am getting back into CB after an absence of almost 50 years, and am in the process of buying a Cobra 146 GTL this antenna suits me perfectly as I was wobbling between a 1/4 wave and a 1/2 wave and I just so happen to have not one but two busted ball valves about the same size ( I truly have no idea why I was keeping two broken ball valves). I am going to copy your design and method of tuning and am also thinking of mounting horizontally as I live on a sandstone plateau and am interested is seeing how it skips.
Build a One ☝️ Element and hurry back to CB aM ch 28 or maybe 🤔 ch 11 and serious 🧐 CB ch 6 and the need for a better antenna? Make one Salvage one ☝️ recycle ♻️ parts for ant 🐜 TeN nA
His design here is what u used for some time. … highly directional antenna my wire strung out in the tree 🌳 talk to Hawaii island 🏝 from California Dreamin USA 🇺🇸
I did not go to his extent to build a wire dipole but a better antenna than this is Stupid Stick and a 10 plastic pipe used and recycle ♻️ wire recovered from the trash 🗑 pile
Just a tip on soldering. Heat the part you are soldering with the iron. Holding the tip of the iron on one side of part and solder in another spot when the part reaches the proper temp the solder will liquefy and get into all spaces where your flux is. This way all parts will be at the same temp and become one unit .
I was unaware of baluns when I constructed the antenna. When I have time, I'll need to go back and add one to the antenna and check the results. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
Why not just test the swr on ch 20, or if you want to use other bands like lo-mid-hi use the centre channel or frequency and cut for lowest swr ? 73's Andy M6APJ
"Why not just test the SWR on channel 20...?" Nope, one needs to 'see' the curve. So it's important to check the SWR at the top, middle, and bottom of the band, in order to visualize the curve over the band. Once the dip is within the band, then one can also search around for the channel with the lowest SWR, and then do some simple math to (slowly and carefully) move that lowest point to where you want it. Final check is to check around the middle to confirm the dip and slight rise. Maybe a final end to end check. Or just spend $50-$100 for a NanaVNA and you can directly *SEE* what is going on. Makes the whole thing visible !!
I have never made one I think I’m going to try to make one for a friend that is getting back into the CB hobby in your opinion which would be better solid or stranded wire and I think I’ll try 10 gauge not sure what the difference would be on the gauge of the wires my guess would be may be a little more bandwidth
From what I have researched, the difference in conductivity between braided and solid wire is too small to be noticed in a 10-meter dipole antenna. Braided wire is probably better to use as it would not break as easily with flexing from the wind. As for bandwidth, you would not notice an increase in bandwidth till you started using an antenna constructed with 1-inch diameter or larger tubing. Let us know how your dipole turns out. 73s from Norther Nevada!
People that operate Amateur radio (ham) build an antenna like this for their first antenna build. It all depends on frequency/length of the wires. Simple and very effective! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the tip, I've been using rosin core since making this video. I appreciate comments like yours to point out areas I can improve on. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
I use Kester 60/40 rosin core but i also brush on extra flux, it aides in helping clean older connections which may be somewhat dirty and dusty especially found when making repairs to older equipment or outdoor antenna repairs. You can never go wrong with some extra flux.
Ridge Hiker, if you're still out here, not only was this the most informative video for homemade CB antta's. but as a video producer I appreciated your camera skills by not hand-holding and panning all over to make us dizzy. This is the antenna I'm going to try making! Looks really good! 73's! (I'm also old school CB'er. 1980's)
loved this . building 1 . and as for you rain mac tech heads . new comers to the hobby are going to be like wtf . guys just build 1 forget about the flashermac radio ham crew . it works guys saves you money gets you on air
Great question! Over here in the states we were just approved by the FCC to use FM in which I have no experience with. From what I understand, the antennae is tuned to the frequency (27 MHz) and the CB mode should not have any effect on the tuning of the antennae. My radio has AM and SSB in which both modes, the antenna works great. When tuning my antennae with a SWR meter, I adjust it on AM as SSB does not have a carrier wave. AM has a carrier that gets modulated to a peak wattage where FM is all carrier wattage, with no swing just constant carrier. Long story short, the antenna should perform the same regardless of being on AM or FM. Please make sure to tune your antennae with an SWR meter before you use your radio to avoid damaging the radio. Someone else with more experience want to chime in with their opinion. Please let us know how it goes if you choose to construct the dipole.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures FM is actually the best mode for tuning an antenna as it puts out full power without modulation where as AM power is subject to fluctuations when audio is added to the carrier.
The UK FM 40 are higher in frequency, so that antenna is slightly shorter. If you use just FM THEN tune shorter, if both the US/EU 40 then better tune for the middle or channel 1 UK FM, if tuned at 27,500 the middle of the 2 groups of 40 the SWR might be some higher on US channel 1 or UK FM channel 40. The A99 tuned at 27,500 will be broad banded enough for both. UK 40 CB27/81 Radio Channels[2] Channel Frequency [MHz] Channel Frequency [MHz] 1 27.60125 21 27.80125 2 27.61125 22 27.81125 3 27.62125 23 27.82125 4 27.63125 24 27.83125 5 27.64125 25 27.84125 6 27.65125 26 27.85125 7 27.66125 27 27.86125 8 27.67125 28 27.87125 9 27.68125 29 27.88125 10 27.69125 30 27.89125 11 27.70125 31 27.90125 12 27.71125 32 27.91125 13 27.72125 33 27.92125 14 27.73125 34 27.93125 15 27.74125 35 27.94125 16 27.75125 36 27.95125 17 27.76125 37 27.96125 18 27.77125 38 27.97125 19 27.78125 39 27.98125 20 27.79125 40 27.99125 US 40 US 26,965 TO 27,405
i built one just like this and while ive got it horizontal ive got an even 1 on channel 1 and 1 to 3 on 40 but once i mount it vertical my swr goes up to 1to 6 on channel one and an even 2 on channel 40 so any suggestions ?
@@RidgeHikerAdventures yes thanks I've been looking at them and my house is actually a survival house built out of steel conex shipping containers so I think that's my issue.I think I might be better off building some kind of ground plane antenna 73s
Best antenna I ever made started with a carbon arc rod while in the navy. I made it for a am/fm radio. I was picking radio stations on both bands from over 50 miles while midship of an aircraft carrier right below the flight deck. I thought about trying it with a cb radio to see what kind of reception/transmission I could get. Never made it to a shop that sells carbon arc rods.
You don't mention that you had to readjust the SWR when you erected the antenna! Horizontal and 3' off the ground would throw it out. The wire being inside the tubing would again throw it out. Height of the antenna above ground in it's final position would yet again change the SWR. Also thin wire has a narrower bandwidth than say 1/2" tubing. I learned all the above 45 years ago 🙂
Hi, I did not have a Balun on the dipole and I wish that I would have analyzed the antenna to see how it matched with the coax now that I have an analyzer. The antenna always performed well with a low SWR. Thanks for watching!
Hello! After you finished running the wire thru the PVC pipe did you recheck the SWR. By inserting the wire thru the PVC pipe you changed the resonance of the Antenna. Ed Fong the developer of the Ed Fong J-Pole Antennas has put a lot of theory into using a certain type of PVC pipe on the 144, 220, and 440mhz bands. This would also apply to what you did for the 27mhz band. 73 de Steve KB6HOH
Hi Steven, thanks for the comment! After I ran the wire through the PVC pipe and placed the antenna where I wanted it, I rechecked the SWR and had to readjust the wire length. I have found that even rotating the antenna in a different direction will change the SWR probably due to changing the properties of the signal from nearby environmental obstructions around the antenna. I have found the sweet spot where the SWR ranges from 1 to 1.2 in the 11 meter band. The antenna is not very high, but I'm amazed by how well it performs. Thanks for sharing the info on Ed Fong, I checked out his UA-cam channel and saw some interesting videos I will want to watch. I've always wanted to build a J-pole antenna but never thought of using PVC pipe. If I calculated correctly, the antenna would be pretty massive for 11 meters (around 26 feet in length) versus 5 feet long for 2 meters. I might give it a try for my 2 meter radio. Thanks again for sharing the information on Ed Fong. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
Yes, but to mount it vertical ,you don't want to have your coax running parallel to your antenna. You may want to run about 4 foot of PVC out the side at your feed point and tape it down. That's what I had to do for a dipole I made . The bottom element is about 5 feet off the ground and it still works great. Look around on here and ask an Elmer to make sure. Good luck .
@@gotman4409 Try 9 turns of coax around a bleach bottle as a form, back at the shack. Then the coax can droop down at about 45 deg to the vertical dipole. The coax shield may become part of the antenna but only back to the air choke, so keep that outside. It might even be a great idea to put the choke 1/4 wavelength from the antenna feed point as well. This is the poor mans air choke and works very very well for me. I have a vertical dipole that has a 1 all the way across the CB band (according to a NanoVNA and my radios' SWR meters agree) and is so wide banded I could go all the way to 26 to 28 mhz and stay under 1.5. Use metal pipes for your radiators, not wire inside of a pipe and it will lower you Q by so much you'll barely have to tune for 11m.
@@deankoerner2436 Well maybe something smaller like 1/2" or 3/4" pipe, but if you have a large piece of pipe laying around try it and see what you get. With larger diameter pipes it works really well.
PVC should have no effect on SWR, but I never took a reading outside of the pipe. SWR was very easy to set on this antenna and has been very stable for the two years I had it up. 73s from 595 Lake Tahoe Nevada!
Hi, I have purchased a lora 868mhz 8dbi dipole antenna, shows short, no resistance at all, is this normal ,the one i have 4dbi shows open circuit, i know the some of antennas grounded but how will i know that?Cheers
Many antenna designs are DC grounded, meaning they'd show a dead short with a DVOM. Might as well not bother using a DVOM. Look up NanoVNA, some are $50 price class. You'll have to learn how to use it, but it's a "DVOM for antennas". Great fun and educational.
I don’t think it really matters, unless you are going to run a lot of power through it. In that case, you would want a heavier gauge. I believe the wire I used can handle 100 watts. I would probably use solid strand if i didn’t have any wire on hand and needed to purchase some. Thanks for watching!
Not only is it satisfying to construct your own antenna, but it's also way cheaper. This was my first ever antenna attempt, and it still performs great. Thanks for commenting! 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
HEY! Holy crap, I have that same "JC Penny's" CB Base Station (23 channels), bought it new in the late 70's or around 1980!! And, it still works! Always wondered who made it for JC Penny. You found any way to have it upgraded to the full 40 channels? Thanks for the Dipole Antenna tips, at 73 I need to make something cheap.
I have the mindset that it's much cheaper and more enjoyable to make your own antennas. I swear by my homebuilt dipole. It may not get out as far as some of the fancier and more expensive antennas, but it gets the job done. It's great for skip talking which is my favorite. I've read that
@@darrellcollins877 I choose to tune the radio to 27.205 MHz (channel 20) which is right in the middle of the 11 meter band. That makes each leg 8.602 feet and a total length of around 18.077 feet. Your results will differ slightly by where you mount the antenna and take your SWR readings. If you can get your hands on an antenna analyzer, it makes the job much easier. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
@@RidgeHikerAdventures Thanks, i am attempting to make something similar, using channel 20 lengths , as my results are horrible, which is why i am curious as to your length of wire.
@@darrellcollins877 I found that when I tuned the antenna a few feet above the ground and got low SWR readings, the readings would change when I placed it at its current position. I retuned and all was good or so I thought. I found that moving the coax around, would also change my SWR readings. What I believe was happening was that RF current was running back to my radio. My coax was becoming part of my Antenna. I made an an "air choke" or sometimes called a "dirty balun". A balun is used to balance both currents in the arms of the antenna. I'm running 36 feet of coax to my antenna. Where the coax connects to the antenna, I made about 6 loops in the coax and zipped tied the loops together. It seems to work well for my antenna. I've hooked an antenna analyzer to my dipole and have great readings in the 11 meter range.
I have the dipole resting on the roof of my RV. I notice that the SWR will slightly change when I change the orientation of the antenna. I'm not sure if this is due to the orientation or that the pipe slightly bends at different angles. I didn't notice a change when I encased the wire in the pvc pipe.
@LiL The RV is all fiberglass, that's one of the reasons I choose the location as it was simple to place and move around. Ideally I would like it higher, but I'm surprised how well it works at its current height. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
I would regularly talk with a friend about 14 miles away (barefoot). Horizonal orientation is not optimal for local communication but is better for talking skip. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
I found that out after I moved it around. I should have folded the wire ends down to be able to adjust it in case I decide to move it around. There is a lot to learn on antenna concepts. Thanks for watching! 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
Great question! I tuned the antenna with the wire inside the PVC pipe, so I’m not sure if changes in resonance occurred. From what I have read, the materials used in the construction of the pipe should have minuscule effects on the resonance of the antenna. I used schedule 40 PVC in the construction of the antenna. I’m still learning about the properties of antennas so it would be interesting to have others chime in with their opinions and experiences. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
Never mind. I see that the same question was asked about 5 months ago and you clarified the question there. Thanks anyways. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Hi Jay, yes correct on screwing the wire onto the plate. To solder the wire onto the plate, I've been told that you should rough up the surface first. Thanks for watching, 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
Helo! Não consigo baixar a swr !fiz como o filme mostra cortando bocados de condutor do positivo e negativo e não baixa swr 2.2! Será por estar a testar em casa derivado á RF ?
Olá, demorou um pouco para eu ter a leitura ideal do SWR. Coloquei a antena na posição final de montagem e verifiquei o SWR. Lembre-se que se o seu SWR é mais alto no canal 40 do que no canal 1, sua antena é muito longa e você precisa apara-la igualmente em cada lado. Se a leitura SWR for maior no canal 1 do que no canal 40, sua antena é muito curta. Depois de cada leitura de SWR, eu pegava a antena e apareia um pouco de cada extremidade colocava a antena de volta e tirava uma leitura novamente. Eu provavelmente fiz isso uma dúzia de vezes até que eu tinha o comprimento correto. Eu aparei muito pouco de cada extremidade porque eu não queria fazer a antena muito curta. Você também pode dobrar as extremidades da antena se não quiser cortar os fios. Basta gravar as extremidades dobradas com fita elétrica quando você tiver o comprimento correto. Descobri que você quer verificar swr no local permanente da antena porque SWR pode mudar com diferentes posições e locais. Boa sorte, 73s de 595 norte de Nevada!
I’ve read for the best performance to use copper wire from 10 to 18 gauge. I even read about a radio operator who used down rigger stainless steel fishing line with success.
Depends on how much power you are running. Most hams running 100 watts or more will use 14 to 12 AWG stranded hard drawn copper wire for their wire antennas.
How long was each wire after all your cutting .. I really waited and waited to hear you say it but you never did :-) same me a tone of work if you would tell me ..
For the dipole to resonate at channel 20 (27.205 MHz) which is in the middle of the band, each dipole leg would need to be at 8.602 feet long. I started at 9 feet for each leg. With the antenna placed at the location I wanted; I trimmed each end equally till I had the lowest SWR reading at channel 1 and 40. I did not take a final measurement after trimming the wires, but I would imagine that I was at around 8.6 feet long for each leg. I have noticed that my SWR changes when I orientate the antenna differently. I have read that placing a 1:1 current balun could resolve this issue. One thing I would have done differently, is to fold the tips of the wires over to shorted them instead of cutting them when adjusting the antenna length. Good luck with your antenna!
@@RidgeHikerAdventures A common misconception with the 1:1 current balun is that it will fix a mismatch. A current balun will help remedy RFI/TVI problems but not VSWR problems!
There is no positive or negative connection on an antenna. Antennas radiate power and the current at both ends of the antenna switches from positive to negative very quickly. I think you are asking where you connect both wires on the SO239 connector. One wire is connected to the center post and the other needs to be connected anywhere on the base plate (don't pay attention to the colors of the wire). Rough up the spot you are going to solder the wire to. I found it easier with my soldering skills to wrap the exposed end of the wire around one of the attaching screws when you tighten down the plate. Thanks for watching and 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
No, CB radio runs on 27 MHz where digital TV runs between 54 MHz and 695 MHz (in the United States). For best TV performance, you will need an antenna that is specifically made to receive these frequencies. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada
Very good. Looks like you have tuning the antenna down. If you fold the wire back on itself it is the same as cutting it. That way you only prune it once. To each their own. I have a lot of those rigs. You should make a 5/8 wave end fed. You could use a shunt match, ring match or loading coil. You could make it out of aluminum or wire. 73
Thanks for the tip (that would have saved considerable time). I’m new at antenna construction and appreciate any advice. I’ll take a look at the 5/8 wave. 73’s from Northern Nevada!
@@RidgeHikerAdventures your video help out the video you seen on my homemade antenna on my foxman362 worldradio on youtube when trim to 103 inches it was 1.3 swr channel 40 and 1.2 channel 1 when trim it down near 102 i got around 1.1 swr on channel 1 and 1.2 swr on channel 40 i lay it on 3 plastic trash cans did blue tape thing like you did in your video i ran 49ft rg58 cable you can get cheaper on ebay.
That looks like plumbing flux that you were using. That is absolutely the WRONG THING TO USE. Plumbing solder will lead to your connections corroding and should NEVER be used for electrical or electronic soldering. Solder designed for electronics has a rosin core flux. There is also liquid flux for electronics work, but you won't need that in this application. As for the solder not sticking on you connector: Solder will not stick to chrome plated objects. Use a small file or emery paper to remove the chrome before soldering. Be sure to clean the part thoroughly after filing or sanding.
I cringe now when I watch that part in my video. That was literally one my first attempts at soldering. Since then I now use rosin core solder. I have about 6 radios I’ve recapped and I’m slowly getting better with my soldering skills. I did not know about solder not sticking to chrome. Thanks for the advice! I appreciate comments that are productive and not attacking my skill level (or lack of). 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures Solder does not bond to chrome. I would solder a ring lug to the wire. The mounting screw holding the PL259 will provide enough clamping force to make a good connection. You could also use some conductive paste to insure a good connection and keep out corrosion.
@@jamesmoffat9754 Hi James, That's what I ended up doing minus the conductive paste. I don't think I showed that in the video. I've never heard of conductive paste. Thanks for the tips! I'm learning more about soldering thanks to comments like yours. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures The plating is unlikely to be chromium; more likely nickel. Nickel will solder with difficulty. I always file down to the brass and apply flux and solder to that. Soldering to a corner is easiest, since the heat won't be sucked away as quickly as it would near the center. I use a Weller iron with a 430°C tip.
@@Prariedog Hi, if you are putting extra watts through the antenna, you probably would want the wire to be thicker. Running stock, I have heard of people using steel fishing line in their dipoles. Thanks for watching, 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
I mounted this antennae facing north south vs. east west of the other antenna. It's also about 2 feet higher with no obstructions. I had to trim quite a bit off of each ends as the SWR was higher in this location. I'll run a distance test soon to see if there is a difference.
Another antenna tip make a full wave loop ssh 😢don't tell one the tomcats big cb antennas will tell you high it will blow away a 99 away homebrew antenna is the best listen people using quads or beams contestant turning there antenna build a loop or dipole antenna simple dimple 😅😅
I'm stumped. I built a 11 meter dipole in pvc pipe. I put a 6 foot jumper on it to test. Had it laying in a tree fork about 10 feet off ground. Swr tested great. Under 1.2 Left it there but ran rg8x into shop and swr too high 2.5-3. Added a 1:1 balun at antenna, still high. Retested with jumper, antenna is great. What's causing my issue? May try different new cable tomorrow. First long rg8x was new as well. What am I missing?
That’s strange, adding length to the coax should not increase your SWR. With the balun installed, you should have a balanced transmission line. I’m not a antenna expert but I think trying different coax sounds like a good idea. That’s where I would start. Let us know what happens.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures I tried a different brand-new 50 ft section of a 8x today and the SWR was up to 3.5 to 4..... idk... not running power, just barefoot. What gets me is with a 6-foot number it is perfect flat swr..
@@RidgeHikerAdventures it was actually slightly lower with 100 ft coax but still unacceptable. Got to be something simple that I'm not latching onto. I ohmed out the coax and they didn't have a short.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures I have (2) 6 ft jumpers. They both act the same. Connected them with balun in middle. Swr was slightly higher that way. Balun is in series with pl259 connections. I ohmed all the wires including jumpers. Maybe there's a short I'm not detecting yet. I figured it was possibly in the 100 ft but when hooked to antenna no jumper or balun high swr, with 100ft balun and jumper it's high. I'll ohm all again and twist and bend. That's all I can think of, a short somewhere.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures a dipole shud be a full wave link up 11meter so about 36 feet If lower it make fire most signal strait up N put solder iron under n the heat will rise up n the solder flow down n never use silicon that smells like vinger it will cord copper go to auto part store get car silicon is easys way get the right stuff i leard the hard way on that one I enjoy make my antennas ben doing it 35 years Good video 73 n good dx hope hear you on the band n9prf 2fb2112 JOE
@@joerowland7350 Thanks for the tips, I'm looking to mount an antenna in one of our tall trees on our property. I'm still working on my soldering skills. 73s from Northern Nevada!
@@RidgeHikerAdventures i will take a look. beacause i wonder how long the coax need to be and how big.. i have a huge coax li 2 or 3 time bigger than a normal coax.. is it good? cant find my answer anywhere on the internet
@@jean-michelb7290 I'm running about 36 feet of coax. The longer the coax length, the more signal lost you will incur. How many feet of coax are you going to run? 73s from 595 Northern Nevada
@@jean-michelb7290 I'm not an expert on coax, but reading CB forums, some people love using RG-8U while others bash it. From what I can see it has a diameter of .4 inches, which might make it a little larger than other types of coax, but it should get the job done. Personally, I like to use what I have at hand as long as it was designed for the task and will perform to my expectations. Just make sure your connections are tight and to check your SWR once you have everything in place. Let me know how it goes. I've been thinking of mounting a dipole in one of my tall trees. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
I learned that the first time I tuned it on some sawhorses. I had a near perfect SWR and when I moved it on to the roof, it was way off. I also learned to keep my coax cables in the house straight and not wrapped around each other near the connection to the radio. Have a great weekend!
We cb folks can make contacts amp building 🏢 professional swr TECs 😂 can't hear nothing cb friend went over to a guys house I can't hear nothing caused your coax 😭 is rotten 😭
You need to realize when you make, the antenna higher it is, it needs to be longer so you might have been better to leave it alone after being 1.2, certainly no better performance after that. I am a little surprised it went that low. A vertical dipole is natively 70 ohms so either the coax is lossy or you were just lucky. IF YOUR RADIO has higher or lower channels, it might be fun to see what the SWR is in both higher and lower, also if it seems really broad band, again the coax may be lossy or very long? Like A BIRD SPREADING ITS WINGS TO FLY, the higher you mount it the longer it might need to be?
I think I was really lucky with this placement and SWR. I'm using 36 feet of coax and I have run the antenna through an antenna analyzer. It performs amazingly for DX. Locally it gets out pretty well considering it's vertically polarized and mounted so low. When I DX, I sometimes wonder if my elevation (4700 feet) and the fact that I'm completely surrounded by mountains helps with the contacts especially when the area is covered in snow. Thanks for the comment! 73s from 595 northern Nevada.
when soldering only use rosin flux! and heat the work with the iron then touch the solder to the work it should melt on the work. like \o/ work is the o the solder gos to one side and heat to other! have fun 73 good dx!
Thanks for the tip! That was my first soldering project. I used plumbing flux which was the worst flux I could have chosen. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
This antenna has been amazing, it's still going strong after two years!
Tip about soldering, heat the metal and wire a few seconds before you apply the solder. Keeping the iron applied while feeding the solder, the solder should flow into the wire and connector. Keep the iron on it to ensure the solder is absorbed. You should have a nice smooth finish with no lumps.
Thanks for the tip, this was my first attempt at soldering. I'm been improving with experience. Thanks for watching!
I always would tin the wire, apply solder to the pin, then insert wire into pin (while solder is hot). There should not be much, if any, solder on the outside of the pin. Also, if you file the nickel plating off of the shell of the connector it is pretty easy to solder to it.
I just saw this. I am somewhat impressed with the construction and the process. I am quite a purist but look at the practical and quite frankly, this process would produce a very good antenna on any frequency up to about 900 MHz of course using a different connector and feedline for anything above 30 MHz or over 100w. There i would move into RG8x, RG8, then LMR as frequency and power increase. At 27 MHz RG58 is fine unless the run is terribly long, over 100 ft. I would agree with one poster about doing it in free space - but probably not anything significant although i would personally have tried to get it up close 15 feet from the ground on a mast - I do doubt much difference. I do not know if you are planning to use it vertical or horizontal, most look at diploes as horizontal. If your primary conversation is base to base, horizontal seems best for several reasons. One, a dipole does have some directional component - off the sides - and if the communications are to mostly the same places, orienting it will help, in fact off the ends there is a significant null. If you are talking mainly to mobiles go vertical, there is about 20 DB loss in a vertical to horizontal path, that is over 3 S units - 18 db. dipoles can be mounted vertical if the feed comes off at 90 degrees and there is a way to go down the lower part using coaxial cable as the lower half of the dipole. i did build a dipole for 2 meters using PVC about 10 years ago - we had a friend who was in a nazi prisoner of war camp (an HOA) and could not put up an antenna, we put in in an arborvitae about 5 feet off the ground. He could hit every repeater within 50 miles with 50 watts. I have also used thin wall PVC as a radome for 2m slim jims, I built 6 for an event, tuned the first one outside the PVC than put it in and it was long. The slim is about 50 inches long, i had to cut off about 3/4 inch. I have since learned the reason on a fan dipole for 20/17/15 meters i built with speaker wire, two winters got to it and I rebuilt it with bare wire. The bare wire was set to the same measurements and was bout 6-8 inches short. We all work with velocity factor on coaxial cable but it also applies to antenna wire. Introducing a insulating jacket makes the wire seem longer to electricity. It is only about 3-7 percent depending on the insulation composition and thickness but it is there. If you work with an antenna modeling program like exnec it will show that.
Ralph Brandt K3HQI (Extra Class) WRPG834 KAOR6315(old CB CALL) AFA3HQI (expired AF MARS)
This was one of my first antenna builds and I was happy with the results despite my soldering skills at the time. I chose this design for its dx properties as well as it was pretty simple design to construct. I mounted it horizontally with it orientated north/south. I placed it on top of my RV which was not the optimal height at around 10 feet. I was surprised how well it performed. In the two years I used it, I talked all the way to Australia and with all 50 states. The coax run was 36 feet. Thanks for watching and the comment!
I wanted to add this and missed it. Try an inverted v some time. A dipoli has nulls off the ends and brst signals off the sides. Those nnulls can be about 30 db and about 20 db at 5 degrees off the line of the antenna. An inverted v is cut anout the same as a dipole but the center is pulled high, the envs sloping down. My 80 meter 128 ft long was a dipole running NW to SE when i drooped the ends i started working the Carribean and never had a vontact there before.
Just came across this I would like to try and make this my question is how much did you cut approximately to get of each wire end to get to the swr down also do you think I could mount this in my loft as high as possible thanks in advance.
If I had it to do over again, I would just bend the ends of the wire over so you would not have to cut them. I would start with folding them over a quarter inch each side if the antenna is too long till you get the desired SWR. I have read that people have had success with mounting a dipole in their loft. Let us know how it goes. 73s from 595 Lake Tahoe Nevada!
I made a improvement on the antennae. I drilled small holes on the endcaps of the PVC pipe, attached weed whacker line to the ends of the dipole wires and fed them through the endcaps. This allows me to keep the wires straight and taut and allows flexibility of the PVC pipe without ripping the wires off of their connections.
I recently found this video (2023) and I can tell you this is the most detailed, easy-to-follow instructive video I have found yet. I went out and bought the supplies I need and I will be making this, hopefully within the coming week! Thank you for this video! BTW...I'm an older CBer from the late 60's and 70's. I love sideband and was thrilled to find one on Amazon for my home. I already have a plain Cobra 40 channel for the car. Things have sure changed over the past 50 years or so! But I'm happy to see that CB radio survived, and kept the band alive!
Let me know how it goes, thanks for watching!
Did you make it yet? And did it work??
II had it up for 2 years and it worked great. I reached 49 states and as far away as Australia. I just replaced it this week with the Solarcon A-99. Thanks for watching and 73s from 595 Lake Tahoe Nevada!
Yes I made it! Works like a charm! Great reception, and I have made many contacts in the US with it. Now using it every day since the last 2 months. SWR consistent at 1.1 across the band. Works great on sideband too. @@minisprouls
@@greghill254 How did you mount it? Horizontal or Vertical? I did the same as you ordered the so259 and I have the other parts.. Will be building when the part gets here.
The antenna should be adjusted in free space. Feedpoit impedance will vary close to objects and also between horizontal to vertcal mount. Also use a Nano VNR for more accurate readings. Also transmitting horizontal to hit a vertcal antenna will give approx. 20 db loss in signal (both ways). A good video and nice construction. Keep at it. 73...
Thanks for the suggestions, I've read about the signal loss between antennas when they are orientated different. I went with a horizonal mount for better skip. The feed point impedance would explain why my SWR changes when I move the antenna around. I really appreciate the advice from people like you with experience. I've learned a lot about antenna properties that I would never have known about. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
@@RidgeHikerAdventures Actually a vertical antenna has a lower radiation angle especialy at sun up and sun down. In other words greyline conditions. Probably around 20 degrees or something like that. Not sure. I have worked a lot of dx, states, south america, asia… with a homemade groudfed verical setup here in norway. Maybe a look at the Dx commander channel can shed some light on this matter. GL…
@@RidgeHikerAdventures 73s, my friend. Hope to see more from your builds in video format. Very intertesting. PS! We all learn from eachother! No matter how long we have worked on antennas and other stuff. CU...
I agree that proximity of of antenna elements to some materials will affect impedance match so what is the logic of trimming the antenna in free space only to thread it into 17 feet of PVC? It would make more sense to adjust it under as close to it's operating conditions as possible.
It would seem to me that doing it your way would be akin to matching a mobile antenna to a car in the middle of an open field then driving it into a metal garage and expecting the match to remain the same.
Not trying to be a dick, just sayin'.
can i ask you for some advices?
What was the final wire length? About 102" on each side, I'd imagine.
The thicker the conductor, the shorter the antenna.
A vertical dipole will outperform an A-99 every time. The A-99 has a LOT of loss in the matching network, a dipole needs no matching network. As a bonus, no radials are needed as both "halves" of the antenna are present.
Antennas like the A-99 use the coax shield and mast, etc as the other half.
The only thing I would add to this antenna is several wraps of the coax on, say, an inch and a half form to be an effective RF choke and keep and unwanted current off the coax shield.
Nice job 👍🏼
Thanks for the advice, I still have a lot to learn about antennas. I've noticed that moving the loose coax around outside, will change the SWR readings. I'll have to try the wrapping the coax as you suggested. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
"The thicker the wire, the shorter the antenna." A negligible effect. There may be some change in the resonant point for a given frequency between 24g and 12g stranded copper as resistance and reactance change, but nothing to consider. Engineering an UHF/VHF blade antenna for an F/A-18? Deploying an HF antenna from the space shuttle? OK. A crappy, homebrew, spray and pray dipole for the CB band? Nope. Why mention it? I am positive you don't choose a thicker gauge wire so you can shorten the overall length of your antennas.
@@patring620 negligible?
If model a 5/8 wave antenna for 11 meters using 14awg wire, then using 1/2 aluminum tubing reduces it's size by two feet!
Just using insulated wire (as opposed to bare copper) shortens an antenna by 5% .
Do you wrap wire, 1.50 inches from the end or closer to the center
Mount Verticle with the POSITIVE on top and do not use metal mast pipe so the antenna id=s close to the pipe will kill your swr reading but a good job thank you for sharing.
Yes I found that out cant mount it on metal pipe but horizontally in loft beams great for ssb
I put my Dipole at 45 degrees works well out my two story apartment window only on the weekend and at night. LOL
Murphy’s law demonstrated very well. Whenever you solder, smoke always goes directly toward the persons face doing the soldering.
LOL. Yes, an undisputed fact !!
The top scale on your meter is in watts. The scale below it is SWR. Your first match was closer to 4.5:1.
Pro tip: Grab a standard calculator and enter the following:
234 / 27.205, (Ch.20), = 8.6 feet.
.6 X 12 = 7 inches so each leg of your dipole will be 8' 7"
This will save you 12 of your 13 trips out to the yard.
If you are making a vertical dipole, use the above formula but add 5% to the bottom wire.
8'7" = 103" X 5% = 108" for the bottom leg. This should make the dipole a little more broad banded to flatten your match between 1 and 40. I haven't used PVC but be aware that proximity of an antenna element to metal structures or even some plastics or Bakelite can reflect the signal and affect the match.
If you are a true purist, you can also figure in the velocity factor of your coax.
ALWAYS use the minimum amount of coax necessary to do the job. Having a 30 foot coil of extra inline coax laying on the floor of your shack makes an electrical choke which absorbs power that you could otherwise be radiating into the air.
Velocity factors of the most popular coax as follows:
RG-58U = .66
RG-58AU = .66
RG-8 = .66
RG-8X = .73
234 / 27.205 = 8' 7" X .66 = 68" or 5' 8" for RG-58U, RG-58AU and RG-8 cables
234 / 27.205 = 8' 7" X .73 = 75" or 6' 3" for RG-8X cable
When measuring your coax, take the 5' 8" or 6' 3" figures, depending on your cable type. Measuring your cable requirements, use odd multiples of the above figures.
Example: If you are using RG-8X and need about 50 feet of coax,
50' X 12" = 600"
600" / 75" = 8 X 75" lengths but this requires odd multiples so you either round up to 9 lengths or round down to 7 lengths depending on your requirements.
If you are using RG-58U, RG-58AU or RG-8 coax @ 50 feet.
50' X 12" = 600"
600" / 68" = 8.8 lengths so for odd multiples you can round up to 9 lengths or down to 7 lengths depending on your requirements.
This shouldn't require saying but obviously you do not cut your coax to these lengths but measure it out to these equivalents.
I convert these measurements to inches so as to not have to convert decimal fractions of feet to inches later for simplicity sake.
All of the above formulas work for any frequencies. Just substitute the center frequency of your band of interest in place of the 27.205 center frequency of the 11 meter CB band.
Example: 2 meter ham band = 144 to 148 Mhz center frequency is 146 Mhz.
Just be aware that with higher frequencies comes tighter tolerances. Where you may measure or trim inches off a wire type CB antenna, you may be measuring or trimming millimeters at 2 meters or 70 centimeters, (The 440 Mhz ham band.)
Wow, thanks for the information! When I made this antenna, I had zero experience with antenna construction. I appreciate the constructive criticism. You have given me a lot of information to digest. I realized later after making a few videos that I was reading the SWR meter wrong. I was also horrible with my soldering skills when I look back. The past year I have been reading up on antennas and made my first vertical dipole for my 2-meter radio. You are correct, adjusting the length on the 2-meter antenna was very precise. Thanks again for the information and 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
@@RidgeHikerAdventures Happy to help.
Pro tip: The next time you want to solder to ground on an SO-239 antenna socket, File the chrome off from the area that you're soldering to. Solder prefers to stick to the underlying brass rather than chrome.
You know your stuff! Stuck in a second story apartment. Would I get any use from this antenna, if mounted vertically against but extended 3" - 8" out from a brick wall or column? Local CB commination is what I'm after. Thank you!
@@laraza4trump130 Unless you have 16+ foot ceilings, the dipole antenna in the video won't work well for you.
If you could see the signal coming out of, say, a mobile antenna, you would see a radio wave emanating from the shaft in an up and down wave and a magnetic wave coming from it from side to side. 99.9% of CB antennas are "VERTICALLY POLARIZED" this way.
If you constructed that dipole and hung it horizontally on your wall, you would reverse your polarization. This isn't necessarily a bad thing if the people that you want to communicate with have their antennas polarized the same way. If not, you won't transmit or receive very far. Horizontal polarization will inherently receive less noise and static but at the cost of who you can effectively talk to. This is because most radio noise is also vertically polarized.
What I would suggest is an inverted "V" antenna. A child of 5 could build it, (No offense intended. They're just that simple to build), and they are vertically polarized.
The simplest way to build one is to cut any kind of copper wire into 2 lengths 103 inches long, connect one leg to the center conductor of your coax and the other to the shield braid. Hang the end of the coax with the 2 legs connected as high as possible on the wall. Extend the other end of the 2 legs out and down at a 45 degree angle at the ends and pin them to the wall. You must let the coax hang in the center down to the floor. Plug it in and you are on the air.
You would be smart to take a small piece of plywood like 2 X 4 inches, drill a hole on each end and two in the middle like a criss, cross so that you can wire tie the 2 legs and the coax to it for strain relief then hang the piece of wood on the wall with the top hole. If you are using RG-58U coax, the center conductor is pretty delicate. If it breaks and you don't know it, keying up your radio can blow the final transmitter transistor. RG-8X is a few cents more per foot, not much bigger than the 58U and is a lot more robust with a stranded center conductor rather than a single brittle strand.
It is always a good idea to check your antenna with an SWR meter. You can trim this antenna for a better match if need be. Check it on channel 20 to start. If it is above 2 to 1, you can trim off 1/4 of an inch at a time ON BOTH LEGS and TRIM THEM THE SAME. If you get it below 1.5 to one on channel 20, 1 and 40 will take care of themselves. If you trim it too much, your match will begin to rise and will really go up on the bottom channels. You should NEVER key up with a match of 3 to 1 or higher or risk damage to your radio.
BE AWARE. The inverted "V" antenna is vertically polarized but very directional. If you have it hanging on a north facing wall, your best transmission / reception will be north and south BROADSIDE of the antenna. East and west means east and west.
KNOW THIS. You can NOT build 2 of these and hang them north and east and connect them together. You can, however, build to of these, hang them north and east with separate coax and plugs and feed them from your radio through an ANTENNA SWITCH. All you need is a 2 way switch. You can pick one up at a CB or ham radio shop. It will have 3) SO-239 CB type antenna sockets on the back. Two will be for the antennas and the 3rd for a short jumper to the back of your radio. I haven't bought one in decades but they aren't too expensive, adjusted for inflation.
If you do this, when you get someone's attention, as they are talking, switch back and forth between the 2 and which ever is louder, stick with that one.
I have used these many times on the pirate bands to talk to South America and Europe on single sideband at 200 watts with no problem. If you have a standard CB, you may get around town a few miles or so as long as "town" isn't down town Manhattan.
Good luck my friend. I can tell by your handle here that we don't agree on politics but we can agree on radio.
@@jeffmccrea9347 Inverted V is a fantastic option but I don’t have the room and it’s a concrete box. I’ll experiment with one and want to make one to test in open air.
Great information a two-antenna switching setup would be fantastic.
I’ve got a 80’ish exterior 2’x2’ brick support column, probably steel core. Management already agreed to a ½ wave dipole, mounted vertical, externally to that column up to 1 foot away. It’s relatively free of RFI and is part of my balcony, which is abnormally large. It seems like a good choice for a ‘low’ RFI environment. It’s large enough to build a faraday cage. *Chuckles* I’m on the first two floors and mounting it at ¼ wave height or higher is no problem. I can't do the ground plane radial setup.
My real concern is if I’ll receive anything… with that type of setup.
Oh the nick! Forgot I was still using it. Came up with it, in 2016 to tease folks that bought the racist MSM narrative that Hispanics wouldn't vote from Trump. Poking fun at the hypocrisy of it all. I’m a “Tasty Canadian” as Art Bell used to say. Lots of us come equipped with a bent sense of humor. 😊
At this point I might as well just ask to stick a SDR, utility computer and DX commander on the roof, and remote into the system from my unit
CB people are funny as hell. You tune the antenna at channel for the best at channel 20, then live with what you get at 1 and 40.
Why? When you can make it better everywhere. Why “settle in “ when better is obtainable
👍
chanel 21 is the middle of the band , great there is good at the far ends
Ham operator?
@@rustyholt6619 Chanel 21 is not the middle there are hidden channels and skipped frequencies in the 1 to 40 channels, dunderhead. Dither 1&40!
I watched your Video. Built a Dipole antenna similar to yours. Hung it inside my detached 2.5 car garage. Straight horizontal line about 14 feet above the ground. My SWR’s are about 1.2 across the channels. First day I spoke to Austin Texas for about 20 minutes on LSB channel 38. WOW. I built a second one to hang outside. SWR Readings we’re in the 7’s. I think it’s a bad Connector. I will send an update when I get more connectors for my outside Dipole
I forgot to mention I spoke to Austin Texas from my home base in Upstate NY
You should of showed us you talking to some one on the CB to see how far the antenna gets out.
My other dipole reaches out about 6 to 8 miles. I will do a test with this antenna soon and post a video about it. Thanks for watching!
Interesting antenna I don't think I have ever seen a PVC plastic pipe Di-pole done before and it's all new to myself and I was just wondering if I could make a similar antenna but for the 2/70 amateur radio frequencies and if I actually made one then it would be interesting to try it out on the 2/70 bands and just see how far I can get with just 25 watts so I'll give it a try one day and I'll let you know how I got on making the antenna and I can get all the bits from my local DIY shop and it should be cheap enough to buy in the shop so anyway that's my plan. Thanks and best 73's for now cheers. Stephen M3SNV 73's.
Good attempt but you need to brush up on your antenna theory. You’ve made your antenna resonate in situ, meaning it resonates where you’ve physically located it during the process of the tuning procedure. Once you mount it at any appreciable height above ground your VSWR will be completely different than what you’ve initially trimmed it at. You need to tune your antenna in the position and height it’s going to be used in, not near the floor in your workshop.
Do you need to use a balun?
You can if you want to. A 1:1 current balun is the most effective. It will not make you match better but it can reduce RFI/TVI on transmit and RFI on receive.
8 to 10 turns of RG-58 or RG-8X wound on a 12" diameter piece of PVC pipe or another material will work well. While not 12" diameter, I have used a large Crisco container as the coil form and it worked well with 12 turns of RG-8X (smaller coil form, more turns).
Also, remove the PVC as at RF frequencies and power levels it can heat up and melt.
What size wire do you recommend, does it have to be speaker wire or could it be automotive wire.thx
Speaker wire works great. If you are running lots of wattage through the antenna, you would want a higher gauge wire. I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner; I missed seeing this comment. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
I have tried copper,aluminum and metal auto wire and the auto wire seem to perform the best...not sure of the theory behind it but the results were noticable ⚡
102 inches would be the length! and on your setup you only need to cut the red wire!
For those of you who don't know...the antron 99 and imax 2000 are modified endfed vertical dipoles. You lose around 20db being horizontal polarized if you use a reg dipole on cb and talk to someone vertical. Keep that in mind. Best to be vertical polarized on cb
yes, and someone says that orizzontal takes too much noises..
@@napomania man made noise is normally vertically polarized. A vertical on the lower bands below 14mhz makes it pretty obvious. I prefer a vertical for 14mhz to gigahertz. Noise is less of a factor it seems at 14mhz and higher. Some people run stuff like the old moonraker 4 and maco shooting star that vertical and horizontal polarized elements. You can also use 2 antenna at once with different polarity and it will eliminate phase shifting and make it easier to hear. You can learn alot building antennas. It also helps if you have a antenna analyzer or a nano vna to check it
Lose 20lb what on my fm dipole kit pulls in station all over 🎉
you dont have to cut the wire off , just fold them over , its all about the length after all
" In the middle "...try channels 19 AND 20..Then you are set
JC Penny...I like your style
I also had a bunch of them over the years, starting in the early 70s! Still have a few and they still work!
This is brilliant, thanks.
I am getting back into CB after an absence of almost 50 years, and am in the process of buying a Cobra 146 GTL this antenna suits me perfectly as I was wobbling between a 1/4 wave and a 1/2 wave and I just so happen to have not one but two busted ball valves about the same size ( I truly have no idea why I was keeping two broken ball valves).
I am going to copy your design and method of tuning and am also thinking of mounting horizontally as I live on a sandstone plateau and am interested is seeing how it skips.
Build a One ☝️ Element and hurry back to CB aM ch 28 or maybe 🤔 ch 11 and serious 🧐 CB ch 6 and the need for a better antenna? Make one Salvage one ☝️ recycle ♻️ parts for ant 🐜 TeN nA
Build a Moon 🌙 sHine XXX and cB wHoooo Weeee might be the best one yet in the ant 🐜 farm
His design here is what u used for some time. … highly directional antenna my wire strung out in the tree 🌳 talk to Hawaii island 🏝 from California Dreamin USA 🇺🇸
I did not go to his extent to build a wire dipole but a better antenna than this is Stupid Stick and a 10 plastic pipe used and recycle ♻️ wire recovered from the trash 🗑 pile
Stupid Stick would hear 👂 and talk and incredible SWR
This antenna will beat a 99 😅tv antennas horizontal 😅
Just a tip on soldering. Heat the part you are soldering with the iron. Holding the tip of the iron on one side of part and solder in another spot when the part reaches the proper temp the solder will liquefy and get into all spaces where your flux is. This way all parts will be at the same temp and become one unit .
doesnt hurt anything, but dont need nearly that much flux
Why are you not using a 4:1 Balun?
I was unaware of baluns when I constructed the antenna. When I have time, I'll need to go back and add one to the antenna and check the results. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
You should of measured the final length to save us all from having to do what you did thought that was why you were doing the video.
Does it matter what size PVC you use? Thanks 502Michigan
You can use any diameter PVC pipe; the signal will go right through the pipe. Thanks for watching!
@@RidgeHikerAdventures okay cool thanks!! And I really enjoy your videos!
I would like to know what kind of range you are getting. I made a dipole antenna but can only get maybe 3 miles at best.
😂😂 something wrong with your antenna
What was the final exact length of each cable? Thanks!
102.1 inch
Wandeful nice work !! What was the final length of the wires !!??🏍️
I didn't do a final measurement, but I'm guessing it was around 8.5 feet. Next time I move it, I will measure it. Thanks for watching.
Why not just test the swr on ch 20, or if you want to use other bands like lo-mid-hi use the centre channel or frequency and cut for lowest swr ? 73's Andy M6APJ
Great idea, I appreciate all the feedback, I've been out of the hobby for quite a while and still have much to learn. Thanks for watching.
"Why not just test the SWR on channel 20...?" Nope, one needs to 'see' the curve. So it's important to check the SWR at the top, middle, and bottom of the band, in order to visualize the curve over the band. Once the dip is within the band, then one can also search around for the channel with the lowest SWR, and then do some simple math to (slowly and carefully) move that lowest point to where you want it. Final check is to check around the middle to confirm the dip and slight rise. Maybe a final end to end check. Or just spend $50-$100 for a NanaVNA and you can directly *SEE* what is going on. Makes the whole thing visible !!
I have never made one I think I’m going to try to make one for a friend that is getting back into the CB hobby in your opinion which would be better solid or stranded wire and I think I’ll try 10 gauge not sure what the difference would be on the gauge of the wires my guess would be may be a little more bandwidth
From what I have researched, the difference in conductivity between braided and solid wire is too small to be noticed in a 10-meter dipole antenna. Braided wire is probably better to use as it would not break as easily with flexing from the wind. As for bandwidth, you would not notice an increase in bandwidth till you started using an antenna constructed with 1-inch diameter or larger tubing. Let us know how your dipole turns out. 73s from Norther Nevada!
Use 1/2" copper or galvanized conduit, or even 3/4" diameter. You will not regret how well it will work.
People that operate Amateur radio (ham) build an antenna like this for their first antenna build. It all depends on frequency/length of the wires. Simple and very effective! Thanks for sharing.
When soldering electrical connections you should use rosin core solder. No other flux is required.
Thanks for the tip, I've been using rosin core since making this video. I appreciate comments like yours to point out areas I can improve on. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
I use Kester 60/40 rosin core but i also brush on extra flux, it aides in helping clean older connections which may be somewhat dirty and dusty especially found when making repairs to older equipment or outdoor antenna repairs. You can never go wrong with some extra flux.
Use 102 inches
Ridge Hiker, if you're still out here, not only was this the most informative video for homemade CB antta's. but as a video producer I appreciated your camera skills by not hand-holding and panning all over to make us dizzy. This is the antenna I'm going to try making! Looks really good! 73's! (I'm also old school CB'er. 1980's)
Will this work for uhf aswell sorry new to this
It's built for 11 meters. I have built one that I use for 2 meters which is much shorter.
let me guess its around 102 inches right?
Correct! Thanks for watching. 73s from 595 Lake Tahoe Nevada.
loved this . building 1 . and as for you rain mac tech heads . new comers to the hobby are going to be like wtf . guys just build 1 forget about the flashermac radio ham crew . it works guys saves you money gets you on air
I am from UK. Will this work on 27mhz on FM ? Or is this purely for AM only ? Many thanks.26DR190.
Great question! Over here in the states we were just approved by the FCC to use FM in which I have no experience with. From what I understand, the antennae is tuned to the frequency (27 MHz) and the CB mode should not have any effect on the tuning of the antennae. My radio has AM and SSB in which both modes, the antenna works great. When tuning my antennae with a SWR meter, I adjust it on AM as SSB does not have a carrier wave. AM has a carrier that gets modulated to a peak wattage where FM is all carrier wattage, with no swing just constant carrier. Long story short, the antenna should perform the same regardless of being on AM or FM. Please make sure to tune your antennae with an SWR meter before you use your radio to avoid damaging the radio. Someone else with more experience want to chime in with their opinion. Please let us know how it goes if you choose to construct the dipole.
@LiL Quite a few use FM where I am at (Cape Cod, MA) even before the FCC approved it's use.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures FM is actually the best mode for tuning an antenna as it puts out full power without modulation where as AM power is subject to fluctuations when audio is added to the carrier.
@@jfrphoto01 Thanks for the correction, I’m not very familiar with FM. I need to think more globally. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
The UK FM 40 are higher in frequency, so that antenna is slightly shorter. If you use just FM THEN tune shorter, if both the US/EU 40 then better tune for the middle or channel 1 UK FM, if tuned at 27,500 the middle of the 2 groups of 40 the SWR might be some higher on US channel 1 or UK FM channel 40. The A99 tuned at 27,500 will be broad banded enough for both.
UK 40 CB27/81
Radio Channels[2]
Channel Frequency [MHz] Channel Frequency [MHz]
1 27.60125 21 27.80125
2 27.61125 22 27.81125
3 27.62125 23 27.82125
4 27.63125 24 27.83125
5 27.64125 25 27.84125
6 27.65125 26 27.85125
7 27.66125 27 27.86125
8 27.67125 28 27.87125
9 27.68125 29 27.88125
10 27.69125 30 27.89125
11 27.70125 31 27.90125
12 27.71125 32 27.91125
13 27.72125 33 27.92125
14 27.73125 34 27.93125
15 27.74125 35 27.94125
16 27.75125 36 27.95125
17 27.76125 37 27.96125
18 27.77125 38 27.97125
19 27.78125 39 27.98125
20 27.79125 40 27.99125
US 40 US 26,965 TO 27,405
I made this antenna today just like you did man it is awesome was a lot of fun making it too thanks man for the video.
Nice video. Would it not be easier to twist the 2 wires together and then solder them to the connector? Just saving a step.
can the antenna be made smaller ???
The antenna needs to be this length to be a half-wave dipole antenna. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
NICE VIDEO and RADIATOR (antenna. lol)
i built one just like this and while ive got it horizontal ive got an even 1 on channel 1 and 1 to 3 on 40 but once i mount it vertical my swr goes up to 1to 6 on channel one and an even 2 on channel 40 so any suggestions ?
I would try a balun. My friend built his own and had good results.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures can i build one ?
@@bobbyt3451 I've seen people build their own on other UA-cam channels. 73s.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures yes thanks I've been looking at them and my house is actually a survival house built out of steel conex shipping containers so I think that's my issue.I think I might be better off building some kind of ground plane antenna 73s
Best antenna I ever made started with a carbon arc rod while in the navy. I made it for a am/fm radio. I was picking radio stations on both bands from over 50 miles while midship of an aircraft carrier right below the flight deck. I thought about trying it with a cb radio to see what kind of reception/transmission I could get. Never made it to a shop that sells carbon arc rods.
Going to make mine for mobile use
How did it turn out?
You don't mention that you had to readjust the SWR when you erected the antenna! Horizontal and 3' off the ground would throw it out. The wire being inside the tubing would again throw it out. Height of the antenna above ground in it's final position would yet again change the SWR. Also thin wire has a narrower bandwidth than say 1/2" tubing. I learned all the above 45 years ago 🙂
Thanks for the comment, you are correct, I had to fine tune the SWR once I had placed the antenna in its final position. 73s from 595 Lake Tahoe NV!
Finally you adjust your camera 😳
Thanks for showing the cuts!
Hi Ridge Hiker. Did you need a Balun for the dipole is it matching well with the 50ohm Coax cable?
Hi, I did not have a Balun on the dipole and I wish that I would have analyzed the antenna to see how it matched with the coax now that I have an analyzer. The antenna always performed well with a low SWR. Thanks for watching!
Hello! After you finished running the wire thru the PVC pipe did you recheck the SWR. By inserting the wire thru the PVC pipe you changed the resonance of the Antenna.
Ed Fong the developer of the Ed Fong J-Pole Antennas has put a lot of theory into using a certain type of PVC pipe on the 144, 220, and 440mhz bands.
This would also apply to what you did for the 27mhz band. 73 de Steve KB6HOH
Hi Steven, thanks for the comment! After I ran the wire through the PVC pipe and placed the antenna where I wanted it, I rechecked the SWR and had to readjust the wire length. I have found that even rotating the antenna in a different direction will change the SWR probably due to changing the properties of the signal from nearby environmental obstructions around the antenna. I have found the sweet spot where the SWR ranges from 1 to 1.2 in the 11 meter band. The antenna is not very high, but I'm amazed by how well it performs. Thanks for sharing the info on Ed Fong, I checked out his UA-cam channel and saw some interesting videos I will want to watch. I've always wanted to build a J-pole antenna but never thought of using PVC pipe. If I calculated correctly, the antenna would be pretty massive for 11 meters (around 26 feet in length) versus 5 feet long for 2 meters. I might give it a try for my 2 meter radio. Thanks again for sharing the information on Ed Fong. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
Mount this vertically and you"ll increase your contacts exponentially
Yes, but to mount it vertical ,you don't want to have your coax running parallel to your antenna. You may want to run about 4 foot of PVC out the side at your feed point and tape it down. That's what I had to do for a dipole I made . The bottom element is about 5 feet off the ground and it still works great. Look around on here and ask an Elmer to make sure. Good luck .
@@gotman4409 Try 9 turns of coax around a bleach bottle as a form, back at the shack. Then the coax can droop down at about 45 deg to the vertical dipole. The coax shield may become part of the antenna but only back to the air choke, so keep that outside. It might even be a great idea to put the choke 1/4 wavelength from the antenna feed point as well. This is the poor mans air choke and works very very well for me. I have a vertical dipole that has a 1 all the way across the CB band (according to a NanoVNA and my radios' SWR meters agree) and is so wide banded I could go all the way to 26 to 28 mhz and stay under 1.5. Use metal pipes for your radiators, not wire inside of a pipe and it will lower you Q by so much you'll barely have to tune for 11m.
You mean make the dipole like a field goal pole ?
Rich man poor man doesn't matter as long as you get results
@@deankoerner2436 Well maybe something smaller like 1/2" or 3/4" pipe, but if you have a large piece of pipe laying around try it and see what you get. With larger diameter pipes it works really well.
So what, if any, effect did it have on SWR once you put the wires inside the PVC tubes? Doesnt it affect the velocity factor somewhat?
PVC should have no effect on SWR, but I never took a reading outside of the pipe. SWR was very easy to set on this antenna and has been very stable for the two years I had it up. 73s from 595 Lake Tahoe Nevada!
Hi, I have purchased a lora 868mhz 8dbi dipole antenna, shows short, no resistance at all, is this normal ,the one i have 4dbi shows open circuit, i know the some of antennas grounded but how will i know that?Cheers
Many antenna designs are DC grounded, meaning they'd show a dead short with a DVOM. Might as well not bother using a DVOM.
Look up NanoVNA, some are $50 price class. You'll have to learn how to use it, but it's a "DVOM for antennas". Great fun and educational.
What is the ideal thickness of the copper wire? Is a solid strand or multiple starnd best?
I don’t think it really matters, unless you are going to run a lot of power through it. In that case, you would want a heavier gauge. I believe the wire I used can handle 100 watts. I would probably use solid strand if i didn’t have any wire on hand and needed to purchase some. Thanks for watching!
In my option I would have put an "L" at the ends so that way you can mount anchor the antenna to a tower. Paint it all black? add some RF chokes?
Great idea! I need to go take a look at the antenna, the SWR has crept up on the lower channels.
Very informative. Before I try this. Do you know if this would this still work if mounted to the side of a brick column or wall?
yes, how well??
With soldering, the bigger the gob, the better the job.
I have the the same JC Penney Base what a great professional Job homebrew antenna are the best perfect match
Not only is it satisfying to construct your own antenna, but it's also way cheaper. This was my first ever antenna attempt, and it still performs great. Thanks for commenting! 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
I'v herd of dipole antennas , but i never made one. In the instructions, did he solder one wires in the to the center of that connector
And the other end to ground?
What's the gage of wire? Does it matter which wire you use for the Center connection?
I used what I had on hand which was 18 gauge speaker wire. Wire color does not matter when connecting to the SO-239.
can I put that in my attic?
6:07 where did you hook black wire at ?
Nice job! KC5HHB
This is a dipole center without balun 1:1 right?
Yes, it's a horizonal dipole without a balun. I did end up coiling up the excess coax just below the feed point to the antenna.
HEY! Holy crap, I have that same "JC Penny's" CB Base Station (23 channels), bought it new in the late 70's or around 1980!! And, it still works! Always wondered who made it for JC Penny. You found any way to have it upgraded to the full 40 channels? Thanks for the Dipole Antenna tips, at 73 I need to make something cheap.
I have the mindset that it's much cheaper and more enjoyable to make your own antennas. I swear by my homebuilt dipole. It may not get out as far as some of the fancier and more expensive antennas, but it gets the job done. It's great for skip talking which is my favorite. I've read that
@@RidgeHikerAdventures never did give us the final length of each side ?
@@darrellcollins877 I choose to tune the radio to 27.205 MHz (channel 20) which is right in the middle of the 11 meter band. That makes each leg 8.602 feet and a total length of around 18.077 feet. Your results will differ slightly by where you mount the antenna and take your SWR readings. If you can get your hands on an antenna analyzer, it makes the job much easier. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
@@RidgeHikerAdventures Thanks, i am attempting to make something similar, using channel 20 lengths , as my results are horrible, which is why i am curious as to your length of wire.
@@darrellcollins877 I found that when I tuned the antenna a few feet above the ground and got low SWR readings, the readings would change when I placed it at its current position. I retuned and all was good or so I thought. I found that moving the coax around, would also change my SWR readings. What I believe was happening was that RF current was running back to my radio. My coax was becoming part of my Antenna. I made an an "air choke" or sometimes called a "dirty balun". A balun is used to balance both currents in the arms of the antenna. I'm running 36 feet of coax to my antenna. Where the coax connects to the antenna, I made about 6 loops in the coax and zipped tied the loops together. It seems to work well for my antenna. I've hooked an antenna analyzer to my dipole and have great readings in the 11 meter range.
Did the SWR change with you put it in the pipe??? Some freq's.. especially vhf and uhf can be sensitive..
I have the dipole resting on the roof of my RV. I notice that the SWR will slightly change when I change the orientation of the antenna. I'm not sure if this is due to the orientation or that the pipe slightly bends at different angles. I didn't notice a change when I encased the wire in the pvc pipe.
@LiL The RV is all fiberglass, that's one of the reasons I choose the location as it was simple to place and move around. Ideally I would like it higher, but I'm surprised how well it works at its current height. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
range ?
I would regularly talk with a friend about 14 miles away (barefoot). Horizonal orientation is not optimal for local communication but is better for talking skip. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
What type of pvc did you use like size is it 1/4 or 1/2 or 3/4 and the spec of the pvc was it 200 psi?
3/4 schedule 40 PVC pipe. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
IT GOOD BUT TRIMMING WHILE NOT IN ITS LOCATION THE SWR WILL ALTER .
I found that out after I moved it around. I should have folded the wire ends down to be able to adjust it in case I decide to move it around. There is a lot to learn on antenna concepts. Thanks for watching! 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
How much did putting it inside the pvc change the resonance?
Great question! I tuned the antenna with the wire inside the PVC pipe, so I’m not sure if changes in resonance occurred. From what I have read, the materials used in the construction of the pipe should have minuscule effects on the resonance of the antenna. I used schedule 40 PVC in the construction of the antenna. I’m still learning about the properties of antennas so it would be interesting to have others chime in with their opinions and experiences. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
What guage of speaker wire are you using? You didn't mention it, unless I just missed it. Thanks.
Never mind. I see that the same question was asked about 5 months ago and you clarified the question there. Thanks anyways. I'll let you know how it turns out.
@@robertrocknrobradigan7677 Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, let me know how it goes!
I see you hand trouble soldering the ground wire. If I understand correctly, are you screwing the wire in with one of the screws for the plate?
Hi Jay, yes correct on screwing the wire onto the plate. To solder the wire onto the plate, I've been told that you should rough up the surface first. Thanks for watching, 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
@@RidgeHikerAdventures cool thanks! Much appreciated!
Helo! Não consigo baixar a swr !fiz como o filme mostra cortando bocados de condutor do positivo e negativo e não baixa swr 2.2! Será por estar a testar em casa derivado á RF ?
Olá, demorou um pouco para eu ter a leitura ideal do SWR. Coloquei a antena na posição final de montagem e verifiquei o SWR. Lembre-se que se o seu SWR é mais alto no canal 40 do que no canal 1, sua antena é muito longa e você precisa apara-la igualmente em cada lado. Se a leitura SWR for maior no canal 1 do que no canal 40, sua antena é muito curta. Depois de cada leitura de SWR, eu pegava a antena e apareia um pouco de cada extremidade colocava a antena de volta e tirava uma leitura novamente. Eu provavelmente fiz isso uma dúzia de vezes até que eu tinha o comprimento correto. Eu aparei muito pouco de cada extremidade porque eu não queria fazer a antena muito curta. Você também pode dobrar as extremidades da antena se não quiser cortar os fios. Basta gravar as extremidades dobradas com fita elétrica quando você tiver o comprimento correto. Descobri que você quer verificar swr no local permanente da antena porque SWR pode mudar com diferentes posições e locais. Boa sorte, 73s de 595 norte de Nevada!
The water valve is a perfect idea.
A T adapter would probably be cheaper
Does the gauge of wire make any difference? I do not think it really would as it would be tweaked at the end of the assy. by adjusting the SWR.
I’ve read for the best performance to use copper wire from 10 to 18 gauge. I even read about a radio operator who used down rigger stainless steel fishing line with success.
Depends on how much power you are running. Most hams running 100 watts or more will use 14 to 12 AWG stranded hard drawn copper wire for their wire antennas.
How long was each wire after all your cutting .. I really waited and waited to hear you say it but you never did :-) same me a tone of work if you would tell me ..
For the dipole to resonate at channel 20 (27.205 MHz) which is in the middle of the band, each dipole leg would need to be at 8.602 feet long. I started at 9 feet for each leg. With the antenna placed at the location I wanted; I trimmed each end equally till I had the lowest SWR reading at channel 1 and 40. I did not take a final measurement after trimming the wires, but I would imagine that I was at around 8.6 feet long for each leg. I have noticed that my SWR changes when I orientate the antenna differently. I have read that placing a 1:1 current balun could resolve this issue. One thing I would have done differently, is to fold the tips of the wires over to shorted them instead of cutting them when adjusting the antenna length. Good luck with your antenna!
@@RidgeHikerAdventures A common misconception with the 1:1 current balun is that it will fix a mismatch. A current balun will help remedy RFI/TVI problems but not VSWR problems!
What part of that connector does the negative wire connect to thanks
There is no positive or negative connection on an antenna. Antennas radiate power and the current at both ends of the antenna switches from positive to negative very quickly. I think you are asking where you connect both wires on the SO239 connector. One wire is connected to the center post and the other needs to be connected anywhere on the base plate (don't pay attention to the colors of the wire). Rough up the spot you are going to solder the wire to. I found it easier with my soldering skills to wrap the exposed end of the wire around one of the attaching screws when you tighten down the plate. Thanks for watching and 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
top right cornor
You need a lesson in soldering.
I've been getting better with each project. :) 73s from 595 Northern Nevada
Will this work for a TV ?
No, CB radio runs on 27 MHz where digital TV runs between 54 MHz and 695 MHz (in the United States). For best TV performance, you will need an antenna that is specifically made to receive these frequencies. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada
Very good. Looks like you have tuning the antenna down. If you fold the wire back on itself it is the same as cutting it. That way you only prune it once. To each their own. I have a lot of those rigs. You should make a 5/8 wave end fed. You could use a shunt match, ring match or loading coil. You could make it out of aluminum or wire. 73
Thanks for the tip (that would have saved considerable time). I’m new at antenna construction and appreciate any advice. I’ll take a look at the 5/8 wave. 73’s from Northern Nevada!
I'm interested. In the 5/8 antenna
Did you learn it from mower junkie on youtube?
Yes! Mower Junkie was one of the youtubers that inspired me to build a dipole. He has a great channel. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures your video help out the video you seen on my homemade antenna on my foxman362 worldradio on youtube when trim to 103 inches it was 1.3 swr channel 40 and 1.2 channel 1 when trim it down near 102 i got around 1.1 swr on channel 1 and 1.2 swr on channel 40 i lay it on 3 plastic trash cans did blue tape thing like you did in your video i ran 49ft rg58 cable you can get cheaper on ebay.
@@foxman362 Great SWR readings! I'm glad it turned out well for you. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
Did you mount the antenna vertical or horizontal and how long is your coax from the antenna to your CB radio?
The antenna is mounted horizontal about 10 feet above the ground with 36 feet of coax. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
1/2 wavelength would be ideal.@@RidgeHikerAdventures
👍👍👍❤
That looks like plumbing flux that you were using. That is absolutely the WRONG THING TO USE. Plumbing solder will lead to your connections corroding and should NEVER be used for electrical or electronic soldering. Solder designed for electronics has a rosin core flux. There is also liquid flux for electronics work, but you won't need that in this application.
As for the solder not sticking on you connector: Solder will not stick to chrome plated objects. Use a small file or emery paper to remove the chrome before soldering. Be sure to clean the part thoroughly after filing or sanding.
I cringe now when I watch that part in my video. That was literally one my first attempts at soldering. Since then I now use rosin core solder. I have about 6 radios I’ve recapped and I’m slowly getting better with my soldering skills. I did not know about solder not sticking to chrome. Thanks for the advice! I appreciate comments that are productive and not attacking my skill level (or lack of). 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures I was considering a snarky reply, but deleted that. I have to consider the time and effort put into making and posting a video.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures Solder does not bond to chrome. I would solder a ring lug to the wire. The mounting screw holding the PL259 will provide enough clamping force to make a good connection. You could also use some conductive paste to insure a good connection and keep out corrosion.
@@jamesmoffat9754 Hi James, That's what I ended up doing minus the conductive paste. I don't think I showed that in the video. I've never heard of conductive paste. Thanks for the tips! I'm learning more about soldering thanks to comments like yours. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures The plating is unlikely to be chromium; more likely nickel. Nickel will solder with difficulty. I always file down to the brass and apply flux and solder to that. Soldering to a corner is easiest, since the heat won't be sucked away as quickly as it would near the center. I use a Weller iron with a 430°C tip.
Thanks for getting back. Q: could 15 gage house wire?
15 gauge wire should work fine. Remember to tune your antenna with an SWR meter to get an acceptable SWR.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures would 12-2 wire work better than 14 -2 seeing that it's thicker ? Thx
@@Prariedog Hi, if you are putting extra watts through the antenna, you probably would want the wire to be thicker. Running stock, I have heard of people using steel fishing line in their dipoles. Thanks for watching, 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
I mounted this antennae facing north south vs. east west of the other antenna. It's also about 2 feet higher with no obstructions. I had to trim quite a bit off of each ends as the SWR was higher in this location. I'll run a distance test soon to see if there is a difference.
I cut my antennas at channel 30 I do SSB alot super job on how you made it 73/s 505 Pam
@@pamhockens4148 Thank you, and thanks for watching. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada!
Another antenna tip make a full wave loop ssh 😢don't tell one the tomcats big cb antennas will tell you high it will blow away a 99 away homebrew antenna is the best listen people using quads or beams contestant turning there antenna build a loop or dipole antenna simple dimple 😅😅
I'm stumped. I built a 11 meter dipole in pvc pipe. I put a 6 foot jumper on it to test. Had it laying in a tree fork about 10 feet off ground. Swr tested great. Under 1.2 Left it there but ran rg8x into shop and swr too high 2.5-3.
Added a 1:1 balun at antenna, still high. Retested with jumper, antenna is great. What's causing my issue? May try different new cable tomorrow. First long rg8x was new as well. What am I missing?
That’s strange, adding length to the coax should not increase your SWR. With the balun installed, you should have a balanced transmission line. I’m not a antenna expert but I think trying different coax sounds like a good idea. That’s where I would start. Let us know what happens.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures I tried a different brand-new 50 ft section of a 8x today and the SWR was up to 3.5 to 4..... idk... not running power, just barefoot.
What gets me is with a 6-foot number it is perfect flat swr..
@@RidgeHikerAdventures it was actually slightly lower with 100 ft coax but still unacceptable. Got to be something simple that I'm not latching onto. I ohmed out the coax and they didn't have a short.
@@headpainter1 Did you try a different jumper cable?
@@RidgeHikerAdventures I have (2) 6 ft jumpers. They both act the same. Connected them with balun in middle. Swr was slightly higher that way. Balun is in series with pl259 connections. I ohmed all the wires including jumpers. Maybe there's a short I'm not detecting yet. I figured it was possibly in the 100 ft but when hooked to antenna no jumper or balun high swr, with 100ft balun and jumper it's high. I'll ohm all again and twist and bend. That's all I can think of, a short somewhere.
That's looks 👍
Thanks for watching!
Did you mount it vertical or horizonal??
Horizonal, I like to talk when skip is rolling. Thanks for watching!
@@RidgeHikerAdventures Is it working out for ya??
@@SiCkDiAbLo I get out about 4-8 miles. Would be better if I had it mounted higher.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures a dipole shud be a full wave link up 11meter so about 36 feet
If lower it make fire most signal strait up
N put solder iron under n the heat will rise up n the solder flow down n never use silicon that smells like vinger it will cord copper go to auto part store get car silicon is easys way get the right stuff i leard the hard way on that one
I enjoy make my antennas ben doing it 35 years
Good video
73 n good dx hope hear you on the band n9prf 2fb2112 JOE
@@joerowland7350 Thanks for the tips, I'm looking to mount an antenna in one of our tall trees on our property. I'm still working on my soldering skills. 73s from Northern Nevada!
no coax...
In my outdoor dipole placement video, I show it connected and placed in its current position. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures i will take a look. beacause i wonder how long the coax need to be and how big.. i have a huge coax li 2 or 3 time bigger than a normal coax.. is it good? cant find my answer anywhere on the internet
@@jean-michelb7290 I'm running about 36 feet of coax. The longer the coax length, the more signal lost you will incur. How many feet of coax are you going to run? 73s from 595 Northern Nevada
@@RidgeHikerAdventures i would like to reach 50 feet since trees are very high where i want to throw the wire.. the coax im gonna be using is rg-8-u
@@jean-michelb7290 I'm not an expert on coax, but reading CB forums, some people love using RG-8U while others bash it. From what I can see it has a diameter of .4 inches, which might make it a little larger than other types of coax, but it should get the job done. Personally, I like to use what I have at hand as long as it was designed for the task and will perform to my expectations. Just make sure your connections are tight and to check your SWR once you have everything in place. Let me know how it goes. I've been thinking of mounting a dipole in one of my tall trees. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
If possible the tuning should be done with the antenna in it's final mounting position. Proximity to the ground and structure can affect the tuning.
I learned that the first time I tuned it on some sawhorses. I had a near perfect SWR and when I moved it on to the roof, it was way off. I also learned to keep my coax cables in the house straight and not wrapped around each other near the connection to the radio. Have a great weekend!
We cb folks can make contacts amp building 🏢 professional swr TECs 😂 can't hear nothing cb friend went over to a guys house I can't hear nothing caused your coax 😭 is rotten 😭
great video,but for the love of christ, please watch a wire stripping video, u will learn something that will really help ur procedure out
Go disappear. I hear the Bermuda Triangle has employment opportunities abound. Leave now!
You need to realize when you make, the antenna higher it is, it needs to be longer so you might have been better to leave it alone after being 1.2, certainly no better performance after that. I am a little surprised it went that low. A vertical dipole is natively 70 ohms so either the coax is lossy or you were just lucky. IF YOUR RADIO has higher or lower channels, it might be fun to see what the SWR is in both higher and lower, also if it seems really broad band, again the coax may be lossy or very long? Like A BIRD SPREADING ITS WINGS TO FLY, the higher you mount it the longer it might need to be?
I think I was really lucky with this placement and SWR. I'm using 36 feet of coax and I have run the antenna through an antenna analyzer. It performs amazingly for DX. Locally it gets out pretty well considering it's vertically polarized and mounted so low. When I DX, I sometimes wonder if my elevation (4700 feet) and the fact that I'm completely surrounded by mountains helps with the contacts especially when the area is covered in snow. Thanks for the comment! 73s from 595 northern Nevada.
when soldering only use rosin flux! and heat the work with the iron then touch the solder to the work it should melt on the work. like \o/ work is the o the solder gos to one side and heat to other! have fun 73 good dx!
Thanks for the tip! That was my first soldering project. I used plumbing flux which was the worst flux I could have chosen. 73s from 595 Northern Nevada.
@@RidgeHikerAdventures no problem!