[amsat-bb] Re: Another Bradford DUH! Moment

[George Henry]

I've used the same tape-measure antenna with a dual-band HT for quite a few 
portable satellite contacts, as well....  it works amazingly well for being 
a "2-meter only" antenna!  In fact, there's a picture of me working AO-27 
with it on my QRZ listing....

George, KA3HSW


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Clint Bradford" <clintbradford at mac.com>
To: "AMSAT BB" <amsat-bb at amsat.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 22, 2009 12:13 PM
Subject: [amsat-bb] Another Bradford DUH! Moment


>I am preachin' to the choir here with this post, I am sure. But since 
>Southern California was under STORMWATCH again last night (we're expecting 
>at least 0.03" of precipitation), I decided to build one of those cheap 
>"tape measure 2M Yagi" antennas from plans seen all over the Web.
>
> I mean, I mention them during my satellite presentations as an affordable 
> entry into high-gain ... I have a couple links on my Work-Sat Web site for 
> plans ... I can see in theory where they should work - but I've never 
> built one myself.
>
> So I stuck the PVC pipes together ... soldered the matching element ... 
> straightened it all out, and took it outside for a test.
>
> OH MY GAWD.
>
> This is something that EVERY ham should do. What a dramatic increase in a 
> handheld's performance a couple dollars' worth of stuff can accomplish! I 
> heard a NOAA WX station (technically, out of range for this 2M Yagi) in 
> San Diego that I have never heard from the house before. Every repeater of 
> the six I immediately hit were received more clearly than with even the 
> best of HT antennas ... and as good or better than my Cushcraft A148-3S 
> (retailing for sixty bucks).
>
> Sorry - have to stop writing. I am way too old to get this excited about 
> this hobby ...
>
> Clint Bradford, K6LCS
> http://www.work-sat.com