Cutting down a 102 whip to work on 2 meters

[Turbo T]

you can easily find a piece of metal 20" long. Go to the local auto salvage yard and tell them what you want it for, the might just give it to you for free. The hadware store ought to have a 1/16" or 3/32" rods of 20" or more as well.
No sense wasting a good 102" length of metal that you could sell on ebay for enough to buy a commercial 5/8" wave 2m/70cm dual bander.

Thanks I've decided not to hack on my 102....though I highly doubt anyone would buy it on eBay unless it meant I were giving it away....I paid $20 for it at a hamfest, it probably that much to ship it. I have advertised it locally with a new barrel spring to go with it for $5 more than I paid for it but no hits.

I did not catch it was for mobile, but as Towerdog says, a stick of 3/8 all thread or similar will do the same job.....you just need something that is not going to easily bend.
Even a solid AM/FM car antenna cut down will work.

73
Jeff

I'm going to assume you meant a fixed mast right? I wasn't aware one would be adequate enough....my car has a power antenna, it's shorter than my Tram tri band antenna.

I was actually wondering how well this would work, and how redneck this would be...if I just made a mobile antenna out of a 20 ft. piece of copper solid line, like what's used in house wiring....??? (I read copper radiates better than steel)

 

[W5LZ]

Turbo T,
I guess you've heard enough "don't cut that antenna" to last you for a while, so I won't bother saying it again. (Don't, anyway.)
A 2 meter antenna isn't difficult to make if you really want to. And while a 1/4 wave isn't as effective as other electrical lngths it will certainly work. I don't think I'd mess with your retractable car antenna though, it's serving a purpose now I would think. The example of a cut-down car antenna is a viable one though, I've done it, it works. Be sure to use that bolt-cutter on the fender you swipe that antenna from, not the vertical part! You'll need the antenna mount to hold the thing, you know?
Unless time is a factor, wait a while and make a few hamfests near you. If you can't find a 2 meter antenna at one, I'd be surprised. Or just buy one (and the mount).
Copper doesn't have any special properties in radiating RF, and it does have a few draw-backs. As in it isn't as mechanically flexible/strong as stainless steel for example.
If you really wanna 'redneck' it, wind an antenna and impedance matching coil on an old fishing rod! (A cane pole comes to mind.) A couple of jumper cable clamps ought'a hold the thing on a car, and there's your ground point too!
Lots of options, just use your imagination...
- 'Doc

(Cut'n up a cane pole to make an aerial is sort of blasphemy to a redneck. Do so at risk of your 'rep-a-tation' Bubba.)