That crazy antenna (a follow up to homebrew knight)
At one point in the process of getting VE3RHQ up and running we were looking at omnidirectional antennas for satellite work. In December OP came across a design that:
- Has only one feedline for VHF and UHF
- Is nearly omnidirectional in elevation and azimuth
- Responds to vertical and horizontal polarization.
It is based around a 2m vertical dipole, which will respond to vertically polarized signals from any azimuth, much as a typical mobile antenna does.
That dipole feeds a parasitic one wavelength loop, coupled much the same way elements of a Yagi or Quagi are coupled to its driven element. This should give it some sensitivity to horizontally polarized signals.
It also has another loop at right angles to the first one, also fed parasitically, so the antenna will respond to horizontally polarized signals arriving from any azimuth.
Placed close to the vertical dipole is a half wave dipole cut for 70 cm, as is done in some dual band yagi designs.
This dipole also couples to a pair of 70 cm one wavelength loops, arranged at 90 degrees to each other, but offset by 45 degrees to the 2m loops.
The original G0UYT article is at https://www.scribd.com/document/425358318/Practical-Wireless-April-2019 (scroll down)
He had a previous post at https://www.facebook.com/groups/AMSATNA/posts/882626925259253/
If it works, it means one feedline and no rotor.
WARD words
In other news, I’m writing this a few days before World Amateur Radio Day. We are planning on putting the RAC HQ station, VE3RHQ on the air for the 24 hours, from 8pm local on Wednesday April 17. It will be an ad-hoc setup, with gear brought from home and temporary antennas on the roof as was done last year. We will likely be doing just CW and SSB on HF, but might be on 2m FM as well. Stay tooned.
Editor’s Note: I held this whole article until after WARD (afterwards???) in hopes of getting some pics and more details from mk.
I only have one useful picture. It shows the end fed antenna we used. The other end is tied to the tower on the opposite side of the building.
In other news, a few of the RAC HQ volunteers put the HQ station, VE3RHQ on the air with an ad-hoc station formed out of gear brought from home. It was the first time we put that call on the air on HF. (Last year it was VA3). There were 120 QSOs in the log from 80 to 10m SSB and CW, and 2m FM. That’s about half last year’s total, but we had two transmitters on the air then. Things will be different next year.
73
Keep thinking, keep building.
mk
VE3FFK
Last Updated on 2024-05-18 by AdminOARC