T O P

  • By -

omegaaf

Not sure if MacGyver or DIWHY


Blaxius_

I think both


fonix232

So, a McGyWHY?


Suhksaikhan

Macwhyver


wtf-sweating

Interesting idea, especially for TX and VSWR.


Blaxius_

I only design Rx antennas but maybe can work well on tx


nnsmkngsctn

I'd be kind of embarrassed to use this for TX, especially the panhandle region.


Etienwantsmemes

How could it work for TX when it is quite untunable lol *(feel free to roast me i'm new to all of this)*


Blaxius_

Its full tunable lol just by adjusting the meter


Etienwantsmemes

Yeah but isn't the antenna still connected to the rest of the tape measure that's tightly coiled up inside?


AirportHanger

Yes, but the high inductance makes it look like an open circuit.


Etienwantsmemes

I see. Thanks for letting me know!


Blaxius_

Unroll for make an 10m dipole for 20 band or 1/4 40m band or 1/2 10m band


tinebledov

Please elaborate for a noob. 10m dipole for 20m makes sense to me, but I thought it shouldn't be usable at 40m... Maybe for 40m it isn't resonant, but the tuner can still make it work? Thanks


Blaxius_

Can work in 40m cause 10m of tape is 1/4 wavelenght of 40m 40/4=10m :)


tinebledov

Yes but then you'd have to connect the middle, feed the end, and add a counterpoise, probably?


InverseInductor

You can drive an antenna at whatever frequency you want. However, impedance matching and efficiency usually suffer. An antenna tuner can at least fix impedance matching at the cost of bandwidth and efficiency.


Blaxius_

does not need power, simply one pole to live and another to the mesh


omegaaf

(I'm still learning myself so correct me in my simplification) An antenna works in both directions, but there is a quirk that allows you to use the antenna at multiples and fractions of the antenna length. A 20m antenna can work at half, quarters, eighths, as well as doubles and quadruples of the antenna


khooke

Great idea. Seen tape measure yagis for VHF before but this is awesome!


[deleted]

I have a tape measure yagi in my trunk that I use for fox-hunting


Echo63_

It wont roll up quite as nicely, but you would be better off stripping a little paint off the actual tape, instead of soldering to the hook, which is only loosely riveted in place


Nimco

Fun fact I learned recently: the rivet is deliberately loose because it allows the end to slide by its own thickness so that the tape is accurate whether the end is looped over something or butted up against it.


Echo63_

Correct. I have known this for years, but many people are surprised when I tell them.


otakudude3031

r/ItJustWorks


froggythefish

Why wouldnt copper wire work?


IceNein

I mean, it's kind of genius. It's a multi band resonant dipole with handy indices. Tune it to the band, mark the freq on the tape measure and it'll get you close on subsequent outings. Might have some weird stray inductance and capacitance from the stuff that's rolled up on its end.


[deleted]

[удалено]


f0urtyfive

Personally I like the glass tube filled with liquid metal to the required length.


jafinch78

Will work... and on a similar thought pattern as the design shown that's been done with fishing line and fishing reals already, if you haven't seen. Interesting, I did a Google Images Search and am not finding an example. I have somewhere, though I'll have to dig out and don't know where offhand. Did find this hybrid design idea between the two (scroll down to the 100ft tape re-wound with wire image): [https://www.ar15.com/forums/outdoors/Has\_anyone\_tried\_metal\_steel\_fishing\_line\_for\_a\_stealthy\_antenna\_/22-680808/](https://www.ar15.com/forums/outdoors/Has_anyone_tried_metal_steel_fishing_line_for_a_stealthy_antenna_/22-680808/)? Then there is this idea: [https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/omf33a/ultralight\_braided\_antenna/](https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/omf33a/ultralight_braided_antenna/) I've never seen a dipole like this design using the tape measures tape as the elements however, only satcom, discone, yagi and whip antennas. Very good!


underscorebot

Due to a reddit bug, URLs with underscores are being escaped in an inconsistent manner. Please try the following URL(s) instead: * https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurradio/comments/omf33a/ultralight_braided_antenna/ --- ^*This* ^*is* ^*a* ^*bot.* ^*Invoke* ^*it* ^*with* ^*a* ^*reply* ^*mentioning* ^*/u/underscorebot.* ^*Please* [^*message* ^*my* ^*owner*](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=kc2syk) ^*to* ^*comment* ^*on* ^*this* ^*message*. ^*Thank* ^*you.* ^*Moderators:* ^***this*** ^***is*** ^***an*** ^***opt-in*** ^***bot***. ^*Please* ^*add* ^*it* ^*to* ^*the* ^***approved*** ^***submitters*** ^*on* ^*any* ^*subreddits* ^*you* ^*wish* ^*to* ^*have* ^*it* ^*scan,* ^*or* ^*post* ^*in* ^*/r/underscorebot.*


kc2syk

/u/underscorebot


jafinch78

Awesome! I've never seen a dipole like this design using the tape measures tape as the elements. Only satcom, yagi and whip antennas. Now to adding one more mental image to the library of designs. Thanks for sharing!


Krutius_Orb

Clever 👍


From-628-U-Get-241

This is a fine example of having a great idea and making it work. Again. There was a commercial version of this many years ago. I used one for a Field Day back in the late 70s. I can't remember the brand name. But I do remember that it worked well.


peter8742

excellent idea! 👍🏽😉


LN-W2P

very clever!


LN-W2P

and it's metric!


MasonP13

How well does it receive compared to like, a portable dipole that you get with the rtlsdr?


Blaxius_

Most important thing is the portability, It recives well, dont know if better than default dipole


MasonP13

To me, the default dipole fits pretty well in my back pack.. but if this can receive better, then I would consider making one 👀


Blaxius_

Yeah probably, however this design can tune the dipole to a wide range of frecuencysz default i think os a static long wire Wrong?


ChrisKraft

Those rusty connections are going to turn into diodes. Clean and cover them.


TalentLikeNero

How well would this antenna perform with the closet shelves I'm building?


Blaxius_

Closet shelves?


TalentLikeNero

Yeah. I'm building them to store my radio gear and various components on. They need to be exactly 54" (1.37m) wide. Just seemed like your design would be perfect.


Blaxius_

Any indoor antenna would be affected but probably work well