FORT MYERS AMATEUR RADIO CLASSES

Our club offers classes for people interested in learning how to become a ham radio operator.  The class is free. The only cost to you is to buy your own book.  If you are interested contact:

Larry Zimmer
Phone:     (239) 282-1526
E-mail:     W4LWZ@arrl.net.

Since the FCC has dropped the CW [Morse Code] requirement for a General Class license effective Feb. 23, 2007, we are starting a class to get ready for the written exam. Anyone interested in attending and upgrading your ticket, please call me and get on the list.

K9GCF's 9/8 wave Collinear

Parts and Notes: Feb 2010

Mechanical Parts Required:

Electrical Parts Required:

Misc:

• RTV to seal cap, adapter, & Tyrap.

• Wire stripper, pliers, wire snips, soldering iron, solder.

• 1 long Tyrap to hang antenna in Pipe.

• 3 or 6 Self Tap Screws: To make pipe cap & bottom adapter removable.

Notes:

If one builds a collinear for 146 Mhz, and you cut off the excess 1" PVC pipe, you will have enough extra pipe to make an antenna for 446 Mhz! I found that my antenna needed to be approximately 5% shorter (all 3 dimensions) than the formula, for resonance, due to the installation in the PVC Pipe. So if you are going to "Hang" this antenna from a tree limb, or from a rafter in the attic, (without the surrounding PVC) you will want to try it full length according to the formula. Bending the ground radials down at 30 to 45 degrees will bring the SWR down to 1:1.

This 9/8 Wave antenna works very well, can be assembled in a couple of hours, costs under $10 if you buy everything, looks good, doesn't corrode, is quiet, doesn't have precipitation static, and parts are readily available (and cheap) at Lowe's or any building supply store.

It has been suggested that if one wants to section this antenna into 2 or 3 foot sections for a go-kit portable antenna, purchase several more 23852 couplings. A bolt and spring at the pipe cap will complete the modification.

Links for the software that was demonstrated during John Hendricks' talk on 09/30/08:

Software website: http://www.cplus.org/rmw/english1.html

Tutorial website: http://www.pizon.org/radio-mobile-tutorial/index.html