Texas Potatoe Masher

[KC4UMO]

Has anyone here tryed this design antennas?

http://members.aol.com/k5oe/tpm.htm

I have heard so so reports from eggbeaters. And just wondering if this is better. My cross yagis work well on AO-7. But this is a bit of a job for VO-52. I run full manual operation.

Anyway I was going to build one for VHF and UHF but I do not have any 92 Ohm coax. (rg-62) I think this is the same coax used in automotive radio antennas?.

Opinions Please
Thanks

[KC4UMO]

And no potato should not have an "e" on the end

[WA5VQM]

Quote[/b] (kc4umo @ Aug. 05 2007,08:22)]Has anyone here tryed this design antennas?

http://members.aol.com/k5oe/tpm.htm

I have heard so so reports from eggbeaters. And just wondering if this is better. My cross yagis work well on AO-7. But this is a bit of a job for VO-52. I run full manual operation.

Anyway I was going to build one for VHF and UHF but I do not have any 92 Ohm coax. (rg-62) I think this is the same coax used in automotive radio antennas?.

Opinions Please
Thanks

I built a couple last summer during my brief Sat infatuation. YMMV, but the crossed yagis I built worked much better than my homebrew eggbeaters.

73

[W9GB]

Quote[/b] ]I was going to build a potatoe masher for VHF and UHF, but I do not have any 93 Ohm coax (RG-62/U). #I think this is the same coax used in automotive radio antennas?

Buddy -

The K5OE antenna is basically his version of the Eggbeater design.
http://members.aol.com/k5oe/tpm.htm

Regarding the RG-62/U, 93 ohm coax. #This coax was extensively used from 1960 to 1990 by IBM as the cable from its 3270 terminals to 3274/3174 cluster controllers (IBM SNA architecture). #I removed thousands of miles of this cabling as Local Area Networks (first Token Ring or fiber, now largely Gigabit Ethernet) as large computer data center were upgraded (Internet aligned) in 1990s. #

This coax was also used by Datapoint for their ARCnet local area network architecture in 1980s.

I gave my last 20 feet of RG-62/U cable to K5OE a few years ago -- for those antennas on his web page.

The Wireman carries RG-62 (their item # 141) at 35 cents a foot. #The Wireman also carries special coax impedences (such as 37 ohm) for antenna phasing and matching -- inquire with Pres for details.
http://thewireman.com/coaxdata.pdf

w9gb

[KC4UMO]

Thanks for the replies.

Greg, may wait to see what I can find. I will look around abit with some of the other hams in the area or maybe the next hamfest.

If not guess I will order a few feet. Thanks for that tip.

It is a bit of work adjusting for doppler shift and keeping the antennas pointed at the bird. My set up works fairly well now on AO-7. But VO-52 is a job

Thanks Again.

[W9GB]

Quote[/b] ]I will look around abit with some of the other hams in the area or maybe the next hamfest.

IF you have major IBM based data centers in your area, this routinely shows up as scrap. Check your local junk/scrap haulers as well as amateurs in your area may work at these centers.
When I had miles of RG-62/U and other cabling to give away in 1990s as well as UPS batteries on normal maintenance exchange -- I could never find local amateurs interested.

w9gb