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First base station

918Oklahoma

918Oklahoma

KG5FLM
Dec 5, 2014
100
43
38
35
Bartlesville, OK
I'm going to put together my first base station but I just wanted to run it by the forum first.
What i'm thinking about doing is buying a $30 wire dipole from ebay which I will string up as high as I can get it from tree to tree in my backyard, probably around 20 or 25 feet. The coax will run into my basement where I'll be running my radio. My main goal is to talk skip so the dipole will be mounted either horizontally or inverted. what could I expect from a setup like this and how would it compare to my current setup which is a mobile stock galaxy 959 and a mag mount wilson 1000?
 

Its all about propagation so sometimes a dipole will work best and sometimes a vertical is best. Generally a horizontal antenna will provide that best performance for "skip" but keep in mind that a dipole mounted flat will be directional. If you mount as an inverted "V" the radiation pattern will be more omni while still retaining some of the characteristics of a horizontal antenna. Skip signals are flipped around as they "bounce" off the ionosphere. Also keep in mind that although you will be able to talk local on a dipole it will not be the strongest signal. As i said it's all about propagation!
 
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Agreed there w9cll, this has been my experience with a horizontal dipole is locals close and I mean close, 1-3 miles will hear you, after that locally the signal really drops. Then it's matter of which way the dipole is pointed, North to south, east to west, and so on. It's will have a very little side to side as far as my experience has been. This is with a horizontal dipole. Vertical is a better choice for local operation IMO, but dx will vary. Get the antenna up as high as possible, if you do go with the dipole get it up to at least 35-40ft if possible. 20-25ft works okay but the extra 10-15ft will make a difference! The good thing about dipoles is they are easy to build and can be made for either vertical or horizontal use. Spend the money and get one with a good matching 1:1 balun. Dr. Dipole on eBay makes some pretty decent ones from the ones I have seen. They do cost more, but the balun will help keep the impedance matched to 50-52 ohms. Again this is just from my own experiences, and I am no antenna expert by any means!!! I am sure more will chime in and W9cll has it right as well. Anyway, good luck with whatever you decide and most important, have fun
 
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Thank you for the replies.
The Dr. Dipole is the one i was looking at. I think I am going to go with the inverted setup, but it all depends on how easy it is to get it where i need it to be. Does anyone have a good resource for installing the dipole?

I am not too concerned with talkimg locally as I pretty much am only interested in DXing on 27.385. There are not many CB locals in my area, and the goal with this dipole is to broaden my DX abilities while we still have good conditions.

I plan to install a vertical later on for local communications, then i can switch antennas as i please. but right now im looking to the dipole to hopefully make long distance QSOs with a little more ease than the wilson1000 in my mobile setup.
 
For an Inverted V setup you want to get the center of the antenna, the balun basically up to at least 30ft or more and let the two wires come down making a v shape. I want to say between 25-40 degrees will work. You may have to adjust the length of wire some, but the 11 meter ones are pretty close out of the box. The ones with the built in Balun are just about plug and play. Good luck and have fun
 
For what it's worth you can build your own dipole for much less then you will pay for one.Get some 14 gauge stranded shielded wire, a 1:1 balun, some rope, PVC for insulators and your done. Shouldn't cast more than $25 total including the balun purchase.You can get away without using a balun even if you want. If you really want to save you can make your own balun. You would have the pleasure of knowing you built it yourself.
 
w9cll said:
For what it's worth you can build your own dipole for much less then you will pay for one.Get some 14 gauge stranded shielded wire, a 1:1 balun, some rope, PVC for insulators and your done. Shouldn't cast more than $25 total including the balun purchase.You can get away without using a balun even if you want. If you really want to save you can make your own balun. You would have the pleasure of knowing you built it yourself.
Click to expand...


I was strongly considering making my own, but i'm pretty inept when it comes to making stuff myself lol. Seems like it would all end up costing about the same whether I buy it or make it since Id have to get a balun and even a soldering gun. If i'm happy with the results i'll probably end up building one to use in a different setting.

After looking at the structures I have in my backyard to work with, I may have trouble getting it up high enough.. The tallest trees and the peak of the house are probably around 25ft max... I may just have to do some experimenting, but it's most likely going to have to be installed Horizontally from the chimney to a tree giving me a North and South directional antenna.

I also need to order some coax for this, what would you all suggest? Would a 50ft roll of RG8 mini be suitable?
 
I'd stay away from the mini rg coax spend the extra money an get some decent coax to start with or you probably won't be satisfied ! IMO
 
25 feet is high enough, actually with DX lower antenna's work fine. It should be at least 1/4 of the frequency high and with 11 meters thats about 9 feet so at 25 you are fine. Even at a 1/2 wave hight (18 feet) it's still good

Mini 8 is fine if your run is 50 feet or less and you plan on running less then 100 watts.

My fan dipole (multi band) is up about 25 feet and is feed with RG-58. I only have about 30 feet to the antenna so the run is short and I am not running more than 100 watts give or take.
 
Just an update...

I went with the Dr. Dipole and had a balun added. Its on its way along with 50ft of workman rg8 mini, and a jetstream JTPS31MB power supply.
Until i get a base unit ill have to take the galaxy 959 out of my vehicle and use it inside, all my other radios are AM only.
Cant wait to hang that dipole and try it out!

I think for the base unit id like to get a President Washington. Back when i used to post here (ND88) I remember reading a lot of good things about those. Ive been watching ebay, lost out on a good deal today.... bummer.

Any other suggestions?
 
Get that dipole up to as close to 36ft as possible. Mine is a homemade one with an air choke, setup northeast to southwest. Talked to hobie102 in VT today for about 30min and never lost him once!! I have my dipole strung up between 2 trees on the horizontal. Have fun and let us know how everything works out! God Bless.
 
Awesome, that is impressive. Was that with only 12w? I remember hobie! Was he talking barefoot on his homemade moxon?
Like i said, i would have built the dipole but i am too impatient and dont have much faith in myself when it comes to building things. I'm afraid it would sit around unfinished like 90% of the projects i attempt lol.
I will give another update as soon as the dipole is up. I dont have anything on my property that is that tall, but i should be able to at least get it up to 20 or 25.
 

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