1 / 44

Homebrew 6 Meter Yagi’s By Eric Smitt K9ES

Homebrew 6 Meter Yagi’s By Eric Smitt K9ES. Why Build an Antenna ???. Look at the cost of Commercial 6M Beams……. 6M Beams are not that hard to build Parts ARE available 6M Beams are not that large. Commercial Pricing !. Commercial Designs – Cushcraft A505S.

candid
Download Presentation

Homebrew 6 Meter Yagi’s By Eric Smitt K9ES

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Homebrew 6 Meter Yagi’sBy Eric Smitt K9ES

  2. Why Build an Antenna ??? • Look at the cost of Commercial 6M Beams……. • 6M Beams are not that hard to build • Parts ARE available • 6M Beams are not that large

  3. Commercial Pricing !

  4. Commercial Designs – Cushcraft A505S

  5. Commercial Designs – Cushcraft A506S

  6. Commercial Designs – Hygain VB46DX

  7. Commercial Designs – Hygain VB66DX

  8. Very Large Commercial Yagis

  9. Aluminum Tubing

  10. Aluminum Tubing

  11. Aluminum Tubing Cycle 24PO Box 2233Harrison, AR 72602 (870) 743-4027 (870) 743-4027 (870) 715-8228 (870) 715-8228 Fax: (870) 743-4023 sales@cycle-24.com

  12. U-Bolts and Saddle Clamps Cycle 24PO Box 2233Harrison, AR 72602 (870) 743-4027 (870) 743-4027 (870) 715-8228 (870) 715-8228 Fax: (870) 743-4023 sales@cycle-24.com

  13. U-Bolts and Saddle Clamps Cycle 24PO Box 2233Harrison, AR 72602 (870) 743-4027 (870) 743-4027 (870) 715-8228 (870) 715-8228 Fax: (870) 743-4023 sales@cycle-24.com **** (For tubing sizes 1 1/4, 1 3/8, and 1 1/2) U-Bolt - 5/16-18 UNC-2A ThreadsNuts – Serrated Flanged For tubing sizes 2" through 3 ½" U-Bolt -- 3/8-16 UNC-2A ThreadsNuts - Serrated Flanged All Clamps are Zinc Plated with Yellow Dichromate Dip

  14. U-Bolts and Saddle ClampsDX Engineering

  15. U-Bolts and Saddle ClampsDX Engineering

  16. U-Bolts and Saddle ClampsDX Engineering

  17. Anti-Seizing CompoundDX Engineering An Anti-seize compound MUST be used on any Stainless Steel nuts, bolts, clamps or other hardware to prevent galling and thread seizure. Any of these products can be used for this purpose.

  18. Local Hardware + Surplus StoresDaytona Bolt and Nut Ace HardwareTractor SupplyNorthern ToolHome DepotLowesTravis HardwareAstro TooSkycraft (Orlando)Fastenall (Dow Road)

  19. Inexpensive Element to Boom Mounting An Aluminum Plate (3” x6”) is drilled with 8 holes spaced for the different U-Bolts. The U-Bolts support the element and the boom. In this case, the element is electrically connected to the boom.

  20. Inexpensive Boom to Mast Mounting A used Aluminum Panel is drilled and 2 DX Engineering Saddle Clamps are mounted to hold the boom. The panel will then be drilled to mount 2 additional Saddle Clamps to connect to the mast. This is a low cost solution to the $100 commercial units.

  21. Inexpensive Direct Feed with Balun Split Driven Element with Fiberglass Insert Insulator Current Balun This is being used on my “Clone” HygaIn VB66-DX

  22. Using Level to place elements Horizontal

  23. Finished Beam is “Clone” Hygain VB66DX Boom is 24 Feet long, 2 inch diameter From old Hygain 204BA damaged yagi. Total cost was less than $30.00 for new U-Bolts. Element to Boom Plates were cut from old aluminum panel. Antenna element tubing was from old antennas. This antenna will be at 152 feet.

  24. The Cushcraft A5S Gamma Match

  25. Making a Gamma Match Feed Plexiglas Spacer AluminumStrap

  26. Making a Gamma Match Feed

  27. Making a Gamma Match Feed SO-239

  28. Tuning a Gamma Match with a Trimmer Capacitor 5-75 pfd Trimmer Capacitor Once the Trimmer Capacitor is set for Lowest SWR, it is removed and the capacitance is measured with the MFJ-269 unit.

  29. Replace Trimmer with RG-213 Capacitor • RG-213 has a capacitance of 29 pfd/ft • Cut more coax than you need for the capacitor • Leave 4 inches of center conductor without braid • Remove 1” less braid than calculated at 29 pfd/ft • Measure capacitance with MFJ 259 or MFJ 269 • Trim additional braid and remeasure capacitance • Repeat until you arrive at desired value • Carefully solder 2” wire at end of braid and solder lug at other end • Trim ½ inch of insulation from center conductor and tin with solder. This capacitor measures 15 pfd It is weatherproofed & inserted in Gamma tube, with the center soldered to the SO-239 connector and the terminal lug screwed to the Gamma Tube.

  30. Another method of Tuning Antenna at 25’ in air Antenna is “Clone” Hygain VB64DX with a cost of less than $30.00 Using a Gamma Match from a Cushcraft A5S design.

  31. Tuning Antenna with MFJ-269 AnalyzerFrequency of interest 1.3:1 VSWR

  32. Tuning Antenna with MFJ-269 Analyzer2-1 VSWR High Frequency 51.438 MHz

  33. Tuning Antenna with MFJ-269 AnalyzerPerfect Match @ 48.432 MHz

  34. Tuning Antenna with MFJ-269 Analyzer2-1 VSWR Low Frequency 46.076 MHz

  35. The Finished Product !A “Clone” of the Hygain VB-64DX Commercial Cost = $159.95 My Cost = Less that $ 24.00 Boom came from a broken TH3jr, cost was U-Bolts at ACE hardware. Boom Length = 14 Feet, cut to 12’, Weight = 20 Pounds

  36. Another Finished Product !A “Clone” of the Hygain VB-66DX Commercial Cost = $265.95 My Cost = Less that $ 30.00 Boom came from a broken 204BA, cost was U-Bolts at ACE hardware. Boom Length = 24 Feet, Weight = 40 Pounds

  37. Feeding the Antenna In order to achieve the desired results, the currents and voltage on the driven element must be balanced, where coaxial cable is unbalanced. Unwanted current on the braid of the coax Use a Balun, a Gamma Match, Beta Match, or a Hairpin Match

  38. Balun A Balun can be purchased through many sources, or you can make a Balun out of Coaxial Cable. Make sure they work at 6 Meters.

  39. Choke Balun Use an aerosol can as a form. Tape 2 nylon tie wraps on opposite sides of the can. Start wrapping the coax tightly around the can. 5 turns is a sufficient Choke Balun for 6 Meters. Secure the turns with the tie wrap, and using a utility razor, trim the end of the coax 9 inches from the choke balun, soldering the center to a terminal lug and the braid to another terminal lug. Coat the brade and center conductor with weather sealant and then wrap with outdoor tape.

  40. Gamma Match 15 5/8” 1 7/8” The Coax Line can be an SO-239 mounted on a small plate at the center of the element. Initially, use an air variable (10-50 pfd) to find the best match. Then measure the capacitance, and replace with a piece of coaxial cable, knowing that RG-8 (Belden 8237) has a capacitance of 29 pfd per foot.

  41. Hairpin Match The Hairpin is balanced and easy to tune. It has the correct electrical and mechanical design to allow it to be easily installed and tuned in 10 minutes and has enough capacity for almost any Yagi design.

  42. Beta Match Similar to the Hairpin Match, with an adjustable shorting length, the Beta Match is fed with a 1 to 1 Balun.

  43. Any Questions?

More Related