102" whip too short?
102" whip too short?
I was helping a friend with a setup and I gave him a 102" whip to use. We could not get the SWR down at all. Finally, we literally taped a collapsing antenna to the top and extended it. BOOM, 1:1 SWR. It turns out that the 102" whip was about 2" too short! So, we bought a whip made for the 12-meter band and we're gonna cut it down.
Just thought I'd share.
Just thought I'd share.
- North Texas Mudduck
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Here's another little thing you can do. Get a piece of 3/4" brass (it won't let me say the *other word*) tubing and a couple of 1/2 X 1/8" brass bushings. It just so happens that the threads of these bushings will accept the 3/8" x 24 TPI whip collet at the bottom of the antenna. You might want the 'chase' the threads with a 3/8 by 24 tap. Use some JB Weld to secure bushings in either end of the tubing after selecting the length that will give a good SWR reading. Try to get them set perfectly straight so the antenna won't "lean" to one side. A couple of rivets will make sure you have them secure and insure a good connection. Of course, try the spring first!
Gadfly
Gadfly
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