HFU HF Underground
Technical Topics => The RF Workbench => Topic started by: ThaDood on April 01, 2022, 1827 UTC
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https://www.hackster.io/news/this-amateur-radio-antenna-is-made-from-a-single-tape-measure-95a0020726ea I've heard of doing this, but never tried it myself, yet.
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Based on my experience using tape measures for ground radials, I'm not sure I would do this. The cheap ones have a tendency to tear when under tension, and especially as they rust in the weather.
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I've seen several antennas made with portable clothesline reels and wire. I think I'd like that better as far as pliability and better connection. There are several portable 2M and 440 tape measure antennas online. Most are handheld satellite-style antennas. I would like to make one for SO-50 since it's a 2M uplink. I have an ELK log periodic, but it has to be taken apart and put back together. I always worry about bending an element, even though they're pretty tough. If I had something like the tape measure yagi, I would likely keep it in my work truck and try for SO-50 passes more often.
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US and other militaries have deployed dipole antennas that were of the tape measure kind. My guess is with copper coating to reduce losses common to steel conductors at rf. You just reel out the tape to the marked frequency and operate. A steel slinky is also something that has been ustilised as an antenna on hf, think they're all plastic now. Imagine a slinky dipole for the attic.
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You could use a chalk-line reel and door bell wire, or whatever you've got. Make a bunch of them for different bands and have some fun.
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You could use a chalk-line reel and door bell wire, or whatever you've got. Make a bunch of them for different bands and have some fun.
i have a end fed longwire setup that's on a old fly rod reel , works quite well
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If you live near the coasts where people fish from bridges, you can pick up what's called a Cuban reel. It's made for hand line fishing and they're dirt cheap. They come empty, you can fill them with what you want. They hold hundreds of feet of line.