How to make a 2 Meter Antenna for Bike Phone?
Perhaps the biggest challenge when getting your HT bike is figuring out the right antenna for your bike. This is because the bike does not offer much of a ground plane.
This antenna is a 1/2 wave vertical dipole built for RG-58/ U coax. The appeal of this design is that it is cheap, simple, and also easy to make with readily available materials. The radiator needs to be 39 inches long for 2 meters to work. What I use for the radiator, is the center conductor of RG-58/ U coax. I start with a 12 foot piece of coax. After that there is enough left over that it can be run up to the radio. I keep my radio in my handbag.
The first measure is how long the radiator should be, after that cut out the sheath, along with the guard. Next, on the opposite side of the coax, I removed the coax element which was probably a short stub. The exact size depends on the speed of the coax used (see table below). In all situations, I always do the length on the long side. In this way the antenna can be tuned in to the desired frequency with an SWR bridge.
The dimensions of the matching section depend on the velocity factor of the coax used.
To connect the shorting stub to the feedline, carefully remove a small area of insulation from the center conductor (no more than 1/4 of an inch). Solder and also tape the inner conductor, after that connect and solder the shield. To ensure proper protection, split a piece of pigtail lengthwise in addition to the shield connection, and carefully solder the shield together. Finally, mount your antenna in an open area, as well as plug it in with an SWR meter. I have found that adjusting the length of the shorting stub has one of the most significant effects in determining the minimum SWR.
I bought a fiberglass bike-flag post from a bike shop, and also taped the antenna to it. You can also use heat-shrink tubing over the fiberglass pole and cable, if provided. I also want to stick a 2 foot 1/4 inch dowel pole to the bottom part of the antenna. This helps stabilize it while climbing, with the antenna whips back and forth a little. Another useful idea to make the antenna more rigid is to slide it on a short piece of garden hose and also make sure that before your bike hits the antenna it hits the garden hose. Finally, I use a "bungie strap" around my back carrying rack and also the antenna for extra support.
This antenna can be built within an hour. I wish to "hold-ya" bike phone one day!
How To Make A 2 Meter Antenna For Bike Mobile
This antenna is a 1/2 wave vertical dipole built for RG-58/ U coax. The appeal of this design is that it is cheap, simple, and also easy to make with readily available materials. The radiator needs to be 39 inches long for 2 meters to work. What I use for the radiator, is the center conductor of RG-58/ U coax. I start with a 12 foot piece of coax. After that there is enough left over that it can be run up to the radio. I keep my radio in my handbag.
The first measure is how long the radiator should be, after that cut out the sheath, along with the guard. Next, on the opposite side of the coax, I removed the coax element which was probably a short stub. The exact size depends on the speed of the coax used (see table below). In all situations, I always do the length on the long side. In this way the antenna can be tuned in to the desired frequency with an SWR bridge.
Short the ground conductor to the coax guard at point C
The dimensions of the matching section depend on the velocity factor of the coax used.
dimensions of the comparison section
To connect the shorting stub to the feedline, carefully remove a small area of insulation from the center conductor (no more than 1/4 of an inch). Solder and also tape the inner conductor, after that connect and solder the shield. To ensure proper protection, split a piece of pigtail lengthwise in addition to the shield connection, and carefully solder the shield together. Finally, mount your antenna in an open area, as well as plug it in with an SWR meter. I have found that adjusting the length of the shorting stub has one of the most significant effects in determining the minimum SWR.
I bought a fiberglass bike-flag post from a bike shop, and also taped the antenna to it. You can also use heat-shrink tubing over the fiberglass pole and cable, if provided. I also want to stick a 2 foot 1/4 inch dowel pole to the bottom part of the antenna. This helps stabilize it while climbing, with the antenna whips back and forth a little. Another useful idea to make the antenna more rigid is to slide it on a short piece of garden hose and also make sure that before your bike hits the antenna it hits the garden hose. Finally, I use a "bungie strap" around my back carrying rack and also the antenna for extra support.
This antenna can be built within an hour. I wish to "hold-ya" bike phone one day!