Comment on Intuitive explanation for conductor diameter v. electrical wavelength?
pageflight@piefed.social 4 days agoThanks for all the explanation!
I also ran across a video from Dr. Kathryn Leigh Smith at UNC-Charlotte which describes this incidentally as part of explaining how dipoles work, and has some nice illustrations. (Current rabbit hole: Should a HB9CV’s boom be conductive and electrically bonded to its elements?)
Anyway, got my Extra upgrade!
fullsquare@awful.systems 4 days ago
Yes it has to be, that’s how you feed its two elements. Boom is at zero electrical potential and forms half of transmission line that goes to gamma matches of both parts of antenna, and you can attach it to perpendicular conductive mast, or extend it for mounting to mast (has to be perpendicular if mast is metal)
Personally, i’d go with 4el yagi if we’re talking portable operation, because boom length is such that you can make it out of plastic tube and hide elements in it when moving around
pageflight@piefed.social 3 days ago
I hadn’t heard of Moxon, I’ll check that out. I have an Arrow Yagi, so I’m mostly just playing around to see what I can build, but also thinking of something that’s a little easier/shorter to carry around for a fox hunt.
Thanks!
fullsquare@awful.systems 3 days ago
Moxon is very slightly shortened 2el yagi. That other thing is effectively weird phased array of two almost halfwave dipoles, and it’s both worse and bigger, and also harder to make because it requires capacitors for gamma match