Simple Ham Radio Antennas

If you can't see the video, please insert this title URL into your browser search box: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vr7vSu1PBLw This is post 2469 in a continuing series of simple ham radio antennas. How would you like to make a basic 2 meter antenna from household materials at virtually no cost to you? All you need are a few common materials, including a metal coffee can. Dave Tadlock (KG0ZZ) takes us step-by-step through the design, construction, and testing phases of this simple antenna. Here are some of Dave's comments: Ham radio 2 meter antenna made with an old coffee can! Please note: The final length of the vertical element came out to be 25-1/4" (64.1 cm). This is after sitting the antenna on top of a 10' section of PVC pipe and running the coax down through the pipe. For more information: http://www.amateurradio.bz/coffee_can... ----- Thanks for joining us today. Aloha es 73 de Russ (KH6JRM).  

This is a great weekend 2 meter antenna project from Dave Tadlock (KG0ZZ). If you can't find a metal coffee can (most coffee appears to be sold in large plastic containers), you can use a clean paint can. I found some at the local Ace Hardware Store in Hilo, Hawaii. You could also design this antenna for NOAA weather broadcasts and other public service agency radio traffic. The vertical element could also be a segmented antenna rod found on an old portable radio or part of a "rabbit ears" antenna from an old television set. Dave's antenna could also be designed for the 1.25 meter and 70 cm ham bands. His design resembles a "sleeve dipole" in some respects. I've built a few of these antennas and they work very well. A few basic tools and some coaxial cable are all you need to build a simple and somewhat unusual antenna for 2 meters. For the latest Amateur Radio news and events, please check out the blog sidebars. These news feeds are updated d