I built my own antenna from parts of used and broken name brand antennas, boom, mast plate, some of the elements. I chose a Moxon design. does it have gain, or FB ratio probably not but it was fun and I have worked the world with it, With my tuner I can load it on 160 meters 16 states so far!!! ??? 80 meter WAS 40 Meter 30 meter WAS 20 WAS not all the contacts were on the Mox some on my Vertical, My point is just experiment have fun and ya never know until you try and I have worked plenty of DX too even winning a couple of contest. My avatar shows the old butternut beam that took a dive, I snatched some parts from it and a 10 meter Beam and made the antenna that is shown on my QRZ page. Do I want a name brand antenna well of course I do but this is working for now, and I look forward to the day I put up a new name brand antenna to hear the difference. 73's to all and to all Good DX
Interesting reading here. I too wanted a better antenna, but didn't want to waste my money. So I bought a capacitance meter, antenna analyzer, and Cubex 2 element tri-band quad. I designed smaller spreaders and had them made at a local machine shop. I added elements for additional bands and boom support strap to support the addional weight. I built gamma matches using brass tubing from Ace hardware and Hobby Lobby. Winterized it for harsh winter weather. Did all this in 1998-99. Quad has survived and is still in use today. Take a look at it on my web site www.n4eco.com. I still use the capacitance meter and antenna analyzer. Think creatively, de N4ECO - Bob
If you could see rf radiating from an antenna it would look similar to light radiating from the filament in a light bulb.
I compared three mono banders 10/15/20 to a Hex Beam, AND NO difference period! Here are the details 10 Meter Force 12, 4 element / 12 ft boom / Mono Bander 15 Meter Hygain, 3 element / 15 ft boom / Mono Bander 20 Meter Mosley 3 element / 24 ft boom / Mono Bander Versus K4KIO Hex Beam Hex Beam was up at 45 ft 10 Meter up at 55ft 15 Meter 50ft 20 Meter 45 Ft.. No difference... I tested for 3 months, I still have the Hex beam and mono banders Bottom line, Unless the boom is 32 ft, buy a Hex beam (K4KIO or something like it) I had Ham operators come to my house to witness No matter what the configuration, Steppir, Optibeam, Hygain, or what ever, if the boom is less the 32 ft, you are wasting the money.. I tested, retested, and tested...I am sorry if the software analysis does not come with the same results. I have no investment in K4KIO, nor have I ever met the owner.. I still have the Hex beam and mono banders, if you go to my QRZ page, you will see the set up Cheers NN2X Tom
exc for, reactive near fields. Light bulbs don't have that ... Also, antennas have distinctive patterns (like nulls straight off dipole ends, directly above a vertical), light bulbs can have shading owing to filament 'support wires' (and other structures) internally ... Additionally, antennas often end up being a fraction of a wavelength, and E-fields are very intense off the *open* (like with a dipole) ends. Light bulb filaments are many wavelengths (of light) in size ... I'm seeing more differences than similarities, exc for a few areas ...
Perhaps the "powers that be" at the arrl HQ need to understand this concept, They seem to think that giving increased operating privileges with out any further testing is in order.
While I agree that physics learn'in is a GREAT thing, ham radio is a HOBBY and not a profession. I got into the HOBBY when I was 14 and that was my entry into my telecom career. Maybe there should be a college ham radio profession degree.... I think not. Even a lot of pro RF engineers would find it not easy to design and build radiators from scratch. They know how them radiators work but without professional test equipment, helpers and other stuffings...ain't so easy. Ya ain't gotta be a chemist to bake a cake! Baking and cooking is a lot of chemistry going on in them there heating apparatus thingies.
The principle physics is really simple and deep understanding is won with even a very short effort. Ham radio is not a hobby; in the US it is a service, and the defining aspects of the service include 'enhancement of the radio art' and 'pool of skilled operators'. The reasons there are many 'physics' questions on our exams is that this is fundamental knowledge we need--and by law must have-- to use Part 97 privileges. What worries me is NOT that most US hams don't want to know the physics deeply--hey, that's ok!-- but that the culture of ham radio today is AGAINST such understanding. Saying 'physics doesn't matter' is a code phrase for 'its ok to be uninformed'. If you have a US ham license, you learned some of this physics whether you liked it our not, in order to pass the tests. No reason why you can't like it FURTHER on your OWN terms, not one imposed by a teacher or a school or anything else. Certainly not by me! But don't let someone else tell you the physics doesn't matter If futzing around is a good way for you to manifest your own curiousity, then that's fine! If putting a metal shopping cart in a tree as an antenna (for example; its on the internet!) gets you to think and learn how antennas work, and how to make yourself a better one, then more power to you. 73 Chip W1YW
Ham radio is a hobby worldwide. The only reason it is a "service" is because that is how the FCC divides all of the radio allocations, into "services". Such as GMRS, FRS, ARS, Maritime service, etc.
Yep. Its a service. And it a service which requires working knowledge--including some basic physics--to attain. That's wasn't meant as a convenient cubby hole. Its a gating item to be a member of this service. Use of the service for personal enjoyment is certainly a big aspect. But I have yet to see a hobby which 'enables' it's impassioned to be stupid. Stupid is not ok. If you want to use a FRS radio to have a blissful ignorance of any physics, well, that seems a logical enabler. But not Part 97 ham radio. 73 Chip W1YW
Or, use of the hobby to provide some sort of service is certainly permitted, as long as that service falls within the definitions and bounds of the hobby itself.
