Time for a beam.....

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jeff66
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Time for a beam.....

Post by jeff66 »

As I posted in another thread, it is time to install a beam.... I have traps for 10,15&20. But I really want 40 as well. So looking for some extra traps, and I have the dimensions and material to build/restore an antenna to the old crushcraft A3 specs.

Watch this space for the build and pics. Hope it will be of interest to some of you here. :ugeek:
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Re: Time for a beam.....

Post by jeff66 »

Here is all the crap I have collected!
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Re: Time for a beam.....

Post by cjay »

You might need a bit more SWARRR oil than you've got there if you're going to use it on 40M, I think that's only a 20M size bottle.
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Re: Time for a beam.....

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Ya think? Do I just fill the traps with it?

All of the above was just a few hours hunting around.The traps are now all apart, ready for some fixing where they have corroded!
I now have all the measurements. So hope to do a bit this weekend. At least make the driven element and boom.

This has all come about due to my wife not liking my long wires running down the garden. She said she wanted something she would not see form the window or by the pool! Haha! as long as she don't look up, I am OK.
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Re: Time for a beam.....

Post by jeff66 »

Well, trip down to home depot, got 2 nice 10' poles. Just ordered a pair of stand off brackets. Now looking for a 1:1 current balun. Don't wanna go the choke route.

Traps are all fixed and back together.

So far still under $300 spent on parts. That is under 150 quid!
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Re: Time for a beam.....

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Started on the bottom of the mast today..
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Re: Time for a beam.....

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Well, the base is all done. This is a 10' pole bought from Home Depot for $25. About 12 quid. It sits 3 feet above the eaves. The next pole slide down into this, another 10' pole. There will be 6' protruding from the base. That should get me a few feet above the apex of the roof. No rotor as yet, I just want to see if I can build it and tune it first. And what is so cool is, the room to the left upstairs, is going to be my new shack No.1 a nice 20'x12' newly decorated room with en suite and walk in closet!

That means a nice short run of RG8.
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Re: Time for a beam.....

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Sat down and went through all the parts to build this, still have a lot more to get, mostly hardware small stuff. Hopefully can pick it up at the hardware store. Depends if it is all standard sizing. Something tells me, probably not!
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Re: Time for a beam.....

Post by jeff66 »

Well so far I have a 16' mast, and a 17' boom. So going very slow at the moment! Next is to start building the driver element. And to find some decent u bolts to attach mast and boom.
The bottom of the mast will be 20' up, so antenna should be just below 36' above ground.

As can be seen, mast is just outside shack on the deck. Yes, I can operate outside in the summer!
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Re: Time for a beam.....

Post by jeff66 »

Mast is almost finished. Ended up as a 3 section home made telescopic job. Stands 24 feet. Overall cost was about 50 bucks..
Puts antennas up to 40 feet above ground.
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Re: Time for a beam.....

Post by andymuza »

Well you're getting there.

I must dig my beam out of the shed at ex's and get that put up.
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jeff66
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Re: Time for a beam.....

Post by jeff66 »

Yeah, it is taking longer than I hoped. Still have to source some parts to complete.
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Re: Time for a beam.....

Post by Admiral »

No disrespect fella, but the two base mountings look kind of flimsy to me, it might just be a rotten camera angle.

Not sure what the winds are like in New Brunswick, but those fixings into wood and then onto wood don't look man enough to me.
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Re: Time for a beam.....

Post by M1ke »

...............So what happened Jeff?
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Re: Time for a beam.....

Post by StormShadow »

You know I put up a beam and to my horror my dipole wasn't to much different, maybe its because I'm high up I used an 8 element yagi on 2 meters and still made the same contacts although the yagi compared to the dipole antenna didn't make to much difference, My signal improved a bit but not a great deal
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