Aiming Yagis

[K8PG]

Hello All,

Iam just wondering when setting up your yagi antenna do you set it to True North ?
or Magnetic North?Ihave my yagis in reverse direction -the director pointed south
0 deg-180 degs.I did this because Iam in up of MI.What do you think? Thanks-73

Paul -K8PG CW IS-CW LIVES
O.O.SINCE 1979

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Always use true bearings and never magnetic.All antenna bearings are calculated using true bearings as it gives a more accurate indication of the real world.

 

[6 Meters Rules]

Always use true bearings and never magnetic.All antenna bearings are calculated using true bearings as it gives a more accurate indication of the real world.

YEP That's How I've Done it For Year's

 

[Hamnut]

True bearing

Always go with the true bearing, while true north remains in constant position magnetic norths location over time changes by a small amount. The angle between the two norths is called variation. Find out what the variation is for you area use a magnetic compass to locate bearing and adjust variation to get the required true bearing.

 

[W5LZ]

And on top of all that, the 'direction' you point your antenna is never going to be all that 'exact', it's only a reference of 'relative' direction. Once you find the direction for something, it's just a means of getting you back to that general direction again.
Depending on the brand of rotor, some give you the option of of positioning the dial face so that you can use 'South' instead of 'North' as the "zero" point (top/bottom of the dial). That's handy at times. But as long as you know how you've got the thing set up, that's all that really matters.
Short distances deal with 'planar geometry'. Longer distances deal with 'spherical geometry', which is a whole different can of worms and is sooooo much fun!
Have fun.
- 'Doc

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Short distances deal with 'planar geometry'. Longer distances deal with 'spherical geometry', which is a whole different can of worms and is sooooo much fun!
Have fun.
- 'Doc

Oh yeah, real fun. I remember before the days that everyone had a computer in the house. When I wanted to find out what the bearing was to some far off land I either used a string and a globe and eyeballed it or burned up a set of calculator batteries running those mind numbing equations in the ARRL handbook involving the lat/long of each station etc. Sometimes I would forget that some coordinates were entered as a negative value. :headbang