>
>
> I have really enjoy the cheap antenna qso and it leads to my question.
> I have scavenged a DB 224-A that reads 150 to 160 and I was wondering
> if it is possible to lengthen the elements to make it more ham
> friendly? I am talking cutting each folded dipole in four places and
> welding in four short pieces to bring it in turn. Anyone done this,
> heard of this, died from trying this, or now in therapy from the
> attempt? Also is it possible to contact DB if they are still in
> business (I could not connect to their web site) and get the proper
> length elements?
>
> Randy B.
>
> Kentucky
>
Randy, I have modified several DB-224 antennas that were cut for the 155
mHz frequencies and found that adding an extension at the center of the
curve on each end of each element brought the dipole resonance down in
the middle of the 2 meter ham band. I used some scrap aluminum tubing
from an old TV antenna to make the extensions. I flatten the tubing
where I wrap it around the DB-224 element and drill a hole and put a
screw through the two parts of the flattened tubing to clamp it to the
DB-224 element. This does not damage the DB-224 element or block the
weep hole. After I clamp the extension to the top and bottom of each
element, I measure the extension length to 2 inches where I found the
SWR of an individual element I was testing was a minimum at 146 mHz.
Not an elegant solution, and probably not wise to use on an inaccessible
antenna location on a tall tower, but it has worked just fine in a
fairly benign environment. I have not modified the harness on any of
the antennas, and SWR is typically less than 1.3 to 1. It was around
2.5 to 1 before the mod.
73 - Jim W5ZIT
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
