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2 meter beam questions

Broke Spoke

KN4JQP
Mar 26, 2012
30
6
18
Deatsville, AL
I have an HT radio and all the local repeaters are 16+ miles away. I am looking into making a 2 meter beam. I have an old M400 starduster antenna that I could use. Would this antenna be sufficient to use to make an beam? And, could anyone give me suggestions on proper matching system for the beam? Thanks in advance guys.
 

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I have an HT radio and all the local repeaters are 16+ miles away. I am looking into making a 2 meter beam. I have an old M400 starduster antenna that I could use. Would this antenna be sufficient to use to make an beam? And, could anyone give me suggestions on proper matching system for the beam? Thanks in advance guys.

Make a little 1/4 wave and hang it from your ceiling or up in the attic. Should be all you need.
 
The tubing used for the starduster is too thick to do a beam right for 2m - IIRC. You could use coat hanger wire for the elements and a piece of 1/2" copper tubing for the beam and work as well as a storebought antenna. Been there . . .

Too thick? (n) What do you mean? I have used Sinclair commercial VHF yagis and the elements are about three times as thick as regular copper pipe and about 5/8 inches in diameter and the booms were 1.5 inches in diameter. They worked beautifully. I have made many 2m beams using 1/2 inch copper pipe for the elements.
 
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And a Jpole will work as well the antenna I linked to. Make a Jpole out of 300ohm twin lead. Made one years, always had it with me when I traveled for business. Hang it in the hotel room and work the local repeaters.
With a HT at 16+ miles?
 
With a HT at 16+ miles?

Could be. I can use my old Kenwood TH-G71A HT on 5 watts and with the stock duckie I can work the VE1OM repeater 24 miles away. I am a bit noisy but that noise is completely gone with almost any antenna other than the duckie. Full quieting with a mobile antenna in my driveway and I basically live in a hole. I can break squelch on another repeater that is 17 miles away but it's not really workable with 5 watts and the duckie but there is a really high piece of land in the middle of the path.
 
I made one of those arrow 2m/70cm jpoles last week. Seems to work just fine. Pretty easy.
A piece of angle 6" long, less than 6' of all thread rod, and a cut down whip antenna.
20180209_082201-01.jpg
 

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