What 2Meter beam to get

[555]

Looking into doing some better listening and im pondering the idea of the Tech and go ahead a get my General while im there.

anyway there is a local repeater here but when everyone is on the net then that repeater is 38 miles away.

theres a guy here that built a 2 meter jpole and it can bump the repeater but audio is fuzzy

would like something i can point at the repeater and make a difference
what about the cushcraft A14810S 2 METER YAGI ANTENNA 144-148MHz
i could go bigger or longer if it would help

 

[FatHam]

It makes a BIG difference and the money is far better spent on the antenna than on an amp. Been there, done that...

If you've got room for a 12 element, I would HIGHLY suggest checking out M2 ("M squared"). I've got a Cushcraft and it's "okay", but after putting together a pair of 2M12's for a friend I can tell you that the quality difference between Cushcraft & M2 is like night and day. Here's a link --> M2

They get five stars for Customer service too. Several friends have used their antennas in arrays and needed technical help and they were right there. I had matching problems on my Cushcraft and never got a reply to several emails.

I have an M2 on order right now.

 

[W5LZ]

As far as the 2 meter repeater goes, getting your present 'J'-pole higher would make more difference than anything else would, especially just adding power. VHF/UHF is 'line of sight', meaning that the higher you can get the antenna, the further it can 'see'. A 'J'-pole has no gain so using an omnidirectional gain antenna would also improve your signal.
A directional antenna will also improve how that repeater would hear you, naturally. One thing to keep in mind with directional antenna is that they also need to be 'higher' and that you will have to turn them. That means that there is more weight, wind resistance, etc, involved so count on a heavier duty means of supporting the whole thing. The beam it's self will probably be the 'cheapest' part by the time you're finished.
So it's up to you about how you want to 'improve' things. I can say from experience that using a 'gain' antenna typically 'beats' a 'J'-pole. But getting the antenna higher (either of them) will also improve things.
The one thing I would definitely recommend is to get that General class license! It opens up opportunities that you will never have with the Technician class license.
- 'Doc

 

[555]

Thanks for the link and advice i will check it out and just see what all is going on
got a meeting at the club going to look at some D-Star

one of the local hams wants to use my tower for the gmrs setup hes got
something in the 460 or 462 mhz range said it would be good for local talking in a 30 to 40 mile range
so i will see what all is going on

thanks again

 

[n0zna]

the higher and more elements the beam has the better,i run a g.plain but most of the time just the ht...but im on the 5th highest hill in my state,and can hit a rptr 35 miles away.In the house at that.Gave a friend a 10 element 2 mtr beam.And it will help the higher it is and more elements will help.73 de n0zna in MIZZO

 

[Onthecoast]

What is your current antenna? How high is it and do you know the repeater height? I have a discone antenna about 16' off the ground in my attic and I can get into my local repeater easily with 4 watts or less. It is 25+ miles away but 300' above sea level over flat ground. ,y home antenna is about 30' above sea level.

 

[FatHam]

It's kind of funny that here in So Cal we have some high level repeaters (5000'+ elevation) that you can hit from 40 miles out with an HT no problem. No problem if they're not busy that is... There are a couple of them that are SO busy (and so loaded with jammers) that you'll get crushed using 50w on an omni with line of sight at 10 miles out, and "using the minimum amount of power to make the contact" isn't in the cards. Brutal...

Full duplex operation, cavity filters, etc... are a must, just to hear if your signal is getting in. One of the better signals on one that we used to use all the time came from 30 miles away by the operator that I mentioned in my post above. He was running a Cushcraft 26B2 (co-phased 13B2's) on 200w, but kicked in a 600w Henry when he needed to. When he switched to a pair of M2 2M12's, I don't think he ever turned the Henry on again. The M2 beams made a significant difference. M2 seems to be more "honest" in their gain ratings...

Many of us use modeling software before making changes to our stations. The "Radio Mobile" site (Radio Mobile Online) offers coverage maps that allow you to plug in variables such as watts out, antenna gain & height, etc... It gives you a visual of what your signal will do as far as coverage by simple plugging in the numbers. It would be worth creating a (free) account and plugging in some numbers while shopping for antennas.

"Field Strength & Power Estimator" is a free smart phone app that I've used quite a bit in an effort to "compete".

By plotting distances in Google Earth, you can plug in numbers and see how much of your signal is actually making it to the receive antenna. This software assumes that you've got line of site between the antennas, so there is no input field for antenna height. However, seeing how much of your signal is actually making it to the receive antenna is quite interesting by changing antenna gain factors, watts out, etc...

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

If you are Looking for a Good 2 meter Beam..
I Too have heard good things about the M2 beams..

However i have a 2 meter beam by Gulf Alpha antennas

Gulf Alpha Antennas

I have the 8 element SSB 2 meter

Also have the 16 element 70 cm band
Also their 12 element 220 beam

My Gulf Alpha Beams actually All Survived Hurricane Sandy.
Just the Mounts have to be replaced..lol
(they all came off heavy duty chimney mounts..wound up about 30 feet away...but intact )

Also.. I can tell you their Beams Get out Extremely well.
Built like a Tank..

I referred a few other people on here who also bought from them and they Too Really like their Beams.

Only other beam i would consider..
is a Monster long one by M2 (that also breaks down easily for quick portable transport for expeditions )

 

[Moleculo]

Do you plan on working both SSB and FM?

 

[chris.s]

2 meter yagi

I agree with King Cobra,Gulf Alpha makes a nice 8x8 yagi,8 vert/8 hor. a freind uses one and it works excellent for fm/ssb,you will need 2 coax runs and a switch,another antenna that some guys run are the cushcraft 148-20,10 ver/10 hor.,they can be found used quite often for a descent price,I am not a cushcraft fan but I know of a couple that have been up for years trouble free,what are you wanting to do on 2 meters fm/ssb ????.


73 Chris.s

 

[AudioShockwav]

Two meter beams can get pricey real quick, If you are on a budget and looking for a good beam that will not break the bank, try a Hy Gain VB-214FM.
I have had mine for years and it works great. As long as you are not in an area subjected to high wind loads or ice build up it will hold up fine.
14 Elements for less than 90 bucks.
Yes it is nothing like M2 antennas, but if you do not need such a robust build to battle bad weather it will get the job done well and leave a few coins for other goodies.

73
Jeff

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I'm waiting to see how my stacked 13B2's work on SSB when I get them up this summer. They will be at about 67 and 77 feet horizontally polarized and fed with LDF-4 heliax.

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

I would think..
That will get out well..

This Spring/Summer..I too will re do my antennas.
A good time to upgrade them as well

 

[KM3F]

What needs to have attention paid is what signal strength you get from the repeater.
If near full strength on your radio but the other stations are still in noise is not your problem.
It's the other station not getting into the repeater receiver with enough signal.
If your high as in 'promanance', for your area, a good vertical is all you need at 35 miles and 10 watts or so.
For example I have a promanent location. With home made vertical get out as far a 100 miles to repeaters with many in the 40 to 70 mile range.
My above sea level heigth is just under 800 feet in mountain country.
You normally don't need a beam for the usual FM area coverge unless your way out and only one or two repeaters are available.
If you do get a beam it must be mounted in the verticl plane for FM otherwise it will be worse than a ground plane.
Good luck.

 

[555]

so FM needs to be mounted vertical and ssb im guessing goes Horizontal