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Previously, when I have been operating the various amateur radio satellites I have been operating out of my car, listening with my FT-60 into a K5OE Handi-Tenna and transmitting with my FT-7800 into a vertical. While this has been very fruitful for QSOs, I have longed for a easier solution not requiring me to head out to my car every time I wanted to operate, something that would give me a little more free range of motion then just hanging my arm out my window, and possibly have something that could be used to pick up the various weather satellites. Plus

There are commercial solutions to my problem, namely the the Arrow II Satellite Antenna who’s name is nearly synonymous with portable satellite operation. However, since I am thrifty (read: cheap) that was way out of my price range. Plus, antennas are just hunks of metal whipped in some kind of strange shape. You’re paying someone to assemble it.

While I have no chance of designing something like that, I thankfully have a friend who is infinitely more talented in such matters. Steve, KB1MEH, the same one who helped me with my original Handi Tenna heard my laments and whipped up a design to rival Arrow’s. Last weekend, he drilled the boom and I cut elements to size and this weekend, we had our first tests.

Unfortunately, we had mixed results. Test #1 was at Fort Taber / Fort Rodman. I tried to operate AO-51 on a 10 degree eastern pass but with no luck. After I failed miserably, we then tried to raise various repeaters. Hit Falmouth with 2W (15mi over ocean). After having a quick QSO and a signal report from KB1QBZ, I tried Fall River with 5W (15mi over land) and then Cranston, RI with 5W (30mi over land). I think I might have done better, but I’ve heard repeated claims of New Beford being in a bit of a Black Hole of RF. After some tuning around, I was also able to pick up, but not raise, Quincy. Which I can not do from my car even outside the “black hole” areas.

Me talking with KB1QBZ

After heading back to my house we tried a better AO-51 pass (74 degrees) and had better luck. While Steve could pick up the satellite better with my older antenna, I was still able to hear it and make two contacts. This was the first time that Steve also ever heard a satellite pass and I think he was surprised at the coverage. I think I was able to raise Quincy, but the mosquitoes were out in force, so further testing was postponed until morning.

It was a mostly successful test run. The 440 RX issue needs to be solved, there are some slight issues with the gamma matches, and I need to buy some kind of handle thingy for the end, but the antenna performed great. It is a fun project and Steve did a great job designing it. Thanks Steve!

After upgrading to General in December, I could finally join the so-called “real hams” (whatever) on HF. However, since I live in a condo, the antenna situation somewhat limited me. After thinking most of the winter, and silently sneaking a ground plane outside to see if any of my neighbors would complain (they haven’t so far, but we’ll see what happens when more people venture outside during the spring), I decided to go all in and find a antenna that I could set up outside my office.

I knew that a permanent setup was out of the question. I also new that I was rather space limited. I also had a slight issue that I didn’t know anything about antenna design. Thankfully I knew I was more or less out of luck until spring time as I didn’t want to go around stringing up an antenna trudging through a foot of snow. So, I just read up and asked stupid questions in #hamradio and #amsat about what I should be doing. Thankfully, everyone in both channels were extremely helpful.

As April rolled around, I finally decided it was time. I had a few requirements:

1. It had to be cheap
2. It had to be easy to set up and break down
3. It had to be simple
4. It had to not require a tuner

Number 1 and Number 4 basically limited my options severely. I would have likely gotten hit if I approached my wife to buy another thing for my “static box” that cost more then a few dolalrs. So, after doing my research, the only option was to build a resonant dipole.

Last Saturday, my way-more-mechanically-inclined friend Steve, KB1MEH came down and we set out to build and antenna. Steve had some 18AWG wire at his house so all we needed at Home Depot and Radio shack was some PVC for the insulator and T connector, along with soldering supplies (Have I mentioned I never soldered before? I haven’t.), and some PL-259 connectors. My only other investment was a cheap SWR meter for HF, courtesy of eBay.

The afternoon was spent cutting wire (the 18AWG wire was in a three conductor wire, so it had to be cut open and removed), soldering (Hey! This is easy!), drilling holes, and listening to the Scituate repeater.

Finally, around 4PM, the antenna was finished. We strung it up outside and plugged it into the SWR meter. Flipping my TS-120S (who hasn’t transmitted once since I got the thing back in 1996) I saw a S4 noise floor. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. Tuning around, I heard two or three signals way down in the noise, but nothing really intelligible. I now braced myself and hope my radio didn’t explode. I IDed myself, calibrated the SWR meter, and checked the SWR. Hmmm… 1:1.4… Not Great, but well within tolerance. We’ll fix it later. Tuning up and down the band there was nothing really on. I had heard the regulars on Scituate mention that the band was dead, but they were also talking about a Beirut station that were all trying to work. I nervously tuned to an open frequency and called a few CQs… No response. Uh Oh…

A few quick diagnostics yielded no amazing results. Disheartened, Steve and I took the antenna down and he left for the day. I hoped that the band was just bad today and that I had not screwed up the antenna somehow.

The next day I had a free afternoon, so I set up the antenna again. I was pleased to see only a S3 noise floor that day, so there may be a small bit of hope. I nervously tuned up and down the band and stumbled across a Georgia station, K4HYB, coming in S9+. Working some kind of contest, I waited him to exchange his information and hear him say:

“This is K4HYB, QRZ?”
I nervously keyed the mic… “November One Whiskey Bravo Victor”
“November One Question Mark, K4HYB”
Holy @#$^!!! Me? Did it work? “November One Whiskey Bravo Victor”
“November One… Again?”
“November One Whiskey Bravo Victor… November One Whiskey Bravo Victor”
“November One Whiskey Bravo Victor. You are 5 by 9 in Spartanville Georgia. Your location?”

I gave my location we parted ways. I was elated that the antenna worked. I quickly tuned around looking for someone, anyone to talk to. After some looking, I was rewarded with EA1JJ calling CQ North America. I worked him my first try rewarded another 5 by 9. After some waiting and trying, I also worked Ken, G0IBS in England and had a brief QSO. Unfortunately, he faded away into the ether, so I had to break it off.

So, the Antenna is a success. I still need to trim to see if I can get better SWR, but I can fold it up into a 1′ round circle for storage, and can have it and functioning in about 5 minutes of work. It also cost me peanuts. So, if you want to work on 20m some day, drop me an e-mail!

Ugh… I can’t believe I’m going to embed a YouTube video on my web page… BUT…

John, KB2HSH, posted this fantastic video on Eggbeater Antenna construction, and made it so simple even a drooling fool like myself can understand it. Plus, the materials suggested are friendly to the solderphobic (which, I need to get over quickly).

Kudos John!

Now… If I only had a roof to put antennas on…