Folks, I have a similar question about UHF Amateur repeater antennas so I'll try to combine threads if possible.
I just tested my two DB-420s with freshly re-taped harnesses and cleaned up connections, etc. I'm getting somewhere around 1.7:1 to 1.8:1 VSWR on 444.825, the repeater transmit frequency. Here are my ponderings to the combined wisdom of the group (religious and highly opinionated advice welcomed). The advice here is ALWAYS helpful, so please folks, don't be bashful :) 1) Just use it as is, after I put the 105' of hardline on it and all that'll be "good enough"? 2) Try some sort of modification to improve performance in the ham band? 3) Ah, forget the 20' tall antenna, just put up a Diamond X50 and call it good? 4) Give up repeater-ing 73 DE N0MJS P.S. repeater location is the top spot on a 100' tower in a rural location that is relatively high terrain. The repeater is meant to cover between two cities 25 miles apart, and is between them. Transmitter is a 100W TPL RXRF that I'd like to run at the 100W. I have remote receive locations and will place remotes and a voter if I can "talk loud enough" to warrant it. -- Cort Buffington H: +1-785-838-3034 M: +1-785-865-7206
