Getting Back on the Satellites

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     After a three-year hiatus from working some of the FM satellites, I have been itching to try again. When I worked them before, I used a home-brewed dual-band Yagi antenna which worked well. This time, I want to be able to sit at the home station and not have to worry about tracking the bird. So, I decided to try to build an 'eggbeater' antenna. I did buy an Arrow dual-band satellite antenna yesterday that I plan to take portable but these antennas might be an option as well.

     I followed the excellent directions given by Jerry--K5OE on the site below:
http://wb5rmg.somenet.net/k5oe/Eggbeater_2.html

     After gathering everything on the materials list, I was ready to start. One of the scarcer items, should you want to follow the directions explicitly, is sourcing RG-62 cable which is 92-ohm coax. Other commonly found coax can be used in a pinch but it might make it difficult to tune. Thankfully, our local Walmart sells an automotive replacement antenna which has about 8 feet of RG-62. The package cost around $10.

     Next up was to drill the holes in the PVC cap and build the 70cm loop elements. Mine were cut slightly longer to allow for fine tuning of the SWR later. Here's the top cap with the elements installed.

     I then ran a 10-foot length of RG-8 coax up the mast and then soldered it along with the RG-62 phasing line according to the instructions. Instead of crimping as per the instructions, I soldered all the connections after removing the plastic covers from the wire lugs. My final steps were to cut the radials and place them 13 inches below the loops. This finished the construction and Ms. Tigger was happy to inspect my work.


     The 2-meter version is built the same but with different element and reflector lengths. I'll probably save that project for the next day.  If you're looking to get on the 'birds' without spending too much money, the eggbeater antennas might be a good choice. To be honest, I looked at the price of a popular amateur radio antenna manufacturer's 'Sat Pack' antenna kit, which is also an eggbeater design, and judged it to be too expensive for my taste.

73 DE Korey--WA5RR


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