Rattlegram/Ribbit is a new digital text messaging mode for HF/VHF/UHF recreational and emergency communications. Important Note: Tech demo is called Rattlegram - Ribbit name will be used when we reach Alpha release
Digital Messaging - Ribbit is a novel
digital text messaging mode for VHF/UHF communications for
recreational and emergency use which radically increases the density
of information transmitted by spectrum used.
No Hardware - It leverages the computing power of the modern smartphone to increase the capabilities of any Handy Talkie without requiring any additional hardware or cable.
Distributed Design - Its redundant distributed nature allows it to
function even when internet connectivity is lost during emergencies.
Open Source - Ribbit is open source and currently in its early stages
of development.
ORI - Ribbit is a project of the Open Research Institute
The ZS1I DMR Bridge was activated today (31 August 2023) on World Wide Talk Group 91 to allow Echolink and AllStar users to be ported to DMR. No announcement was made in this regard and it was not long before there were some action taking place via the ZS1I DMR Bridge.
First up was Gerrit ZS1KLO, using a 2M analog radio to work VU3ITI VARADARAJAN "Varadan" G, Bangalore, India at 09h20 SAST and later he worked HL2BOP Cheol Heon Jang, Gyeong, South Korea at 09h25 SAST. At 10h45 he worked M3FGR Dave Rootes, Swinden, England. Now this was a very interesting contact. Dave was also using Echolink. Now what makes this so interesting? Dave heard Gerrit via the ZS3JDL-R Kimberley Repeater which was linked to the ZS1I GRHub Network. Gerrit used his 2m Analog Radio via the ZS1I-L 145.550 Mhz Analog Simplex Link. Still nothing special? Yours truely (ZS1I) was monitoring on the DVSwitch DMR Dashboard and could clearly hear both stations via DMR. Both these stations could be heard simultaneously on Echolink, AllStar, DMR, ZS3JDL-R Kimberley Repeater and the ZS1I-L 145.550 Mhz Simplex Radio Link. What makes the above contacts special is the fact that all these systems worked flawlessly when linked together. The cherry on top was the fact that analog radios was used to make contacts on DMR. The audio quality of all the systems/stations that was linked together was great and no packet loss was experienced on either DMR or Analog.
Just to confirm yours truely also made contact with Dave M3FGR and DS4AKP Park Soon Bok, Gwang yang City, South Korea.
Now why all the excitement? 1. Well this confirms that the ZS1I DMR Bridge is working as it should locally as well as to other parts of the world. 2. That the audio quality is set correctly and that good audio is received and transmitted on Analog and on Digital (DMR). 3. The system is setup correctly and is now fully functional.
I did however observe the following. Stations tend to use the ID System be it on their radio or any DMR Dashboard. They would see my call sign ZS1I and if another station call via the ZS1I DMR Bridge they use my call sign instead of the callers call sign. I will look if I can find a solution to this, but surely one cannot just except that it is ZS1I calling. Please listen to the call sign of the caller. On the DVSwitch Dashboard there is Src column that shows LNet while normal stations just reflect Net and RF. This means the source of the signal. I presume LNet stands for Linked Net. Maybe somebody can assist in this regard. In other words the DMR Bridge is identified by LNet while other stations by Net and RF. I will however do a bit of further research in this regard.
Finally: A big thank you to the following stations: ZS1KLO, VU3ITI, HL2BOP, M3FGR and DS4AKP that assisted me to ensure that the system is working optimal.
I would like to invite other radio amateurs to use the ZS1I DMR Bridge Network when it is active. I will later issue certain time periods of when the bridge network will be active on a daily basis.
The ZS1I Ramblings "Podcast" Issue 7 now available for download.
Content:
1. Future outlook on Amateur Radio - Direction and
overview for the Modern, Digital Amateur Radio Operator. (Don’t miss
this one!) 2. AREDN Netwerk weer operasioneel in die Tuinroete Area, maar die keer as ‘n teenvoeter wanneer die Internet in duie sou stort. 3.
Future outlook on Amateur Radio Repeaters in South Africa – Do we still
need high mountain repeaters in this modern age and time?
I
would however like to request that if at all possible listen to ZS1I
Ramblings on the air. (ZS Link Network / GRHub Network) Use your radios
instead of social media or any other media. After all we are radio
amateurs and not social media celebrities.
You can access the ZS1I Ramblings Radio Broadcast as follow:
Echolink - Connect
to ZS1I-L, ZS1SB-L, ZS6WDL-R or ZS5PMB-R. Please note if the last 3
stations is not connected to ZS1I-L then you need to connect via
Echolink to ZS1I-L.
AllStar - Connect to
node 49355 ZS1I or 28052 ZS5PMB-R
VHF - 145.550 Mhz
Simplex in the Mossel Bay area. Remember the 88.5 khz CTCSS tone
Any other Echolink,
AllStar repeater or link station that is connected to either ZS1I-L.
Use of your
cellphone by installing Echolink on your phone.
Please feel free to
join us every Thursday evening at 19h30 SAST. A re-broadcast of ZS1I
Ramblings takes place every Monday evening at 19h30 SAST. Please also tell your
amateur radio friends about ZS1I Ramblings. Get rid of that daily
stress and enjoy a good half hour by listening to interesting
subjects.
Hope to see or even hear you on
the ZS-Link Network!!
The International Lighthouse Lightship Weekend - ILLW event took place on the weekend of 19 - 20 August 2023. The Eden Radio Club ZS1ERZ operated from the Ystervarkpunt Lighthouse near Mossel Bay. More information about the lighthouse is available HERE.
View the ZS1ERZ video further down the page.
For those not knowing this is how this world wide yearly event started:
History of the Lighthouse Weekend
Mike Dalrymple GM4SUC smallIt all started in 1993 during a wet wintry evening when two members of the AYR Amateur Radio Group in Scotland, John GM4OOU and the late Mike GM4SUC, after a club meeting were talking about creating an event in the summer when club members could get out on a sunny weekend and play radio. Various themes were considered; ports, airports, historic Scotland sites, the Firths of Scotland, castles etc. but it was finally decided that lighthouses of Scotland would be ideal.
Following research it was discovered that the lighthouses of Scotland were controlled by the Northern Lighthouse Board in Edinburgh who were not only responsible for the lighthouses of Scotland, but also around the Isle of Man. Approval was sought and obtained from the Northern Lighthouse Board to establish amateur radio stations adjacent to their property. In February 1993 an invitation was sent to all Scottish clubs and the Isle of Man club to join in the fun of a weekend, to be called the Northern Lighthouse Activity Weekend, by establishing an amateur radio station at a lighthouse during the third weekend in August. This first year's event saw 11 stations established at lighthouses, operating primarily on the HF bands, with each station making approximately 750 QSOs over the weekend.
The following year the Scottish clubs were involved in a weekend activity with the theme of Scottish Firths (river estuaries), so two years elapsed before the next Northern Lighthouse Activity Weekend. During this period Anne-Grete OZ3AE enquired through a letter to Practical Wireless if there was any lighthouse activity on amateur radio. Following discussions with her it was decided that Danish stations could join in the fun of the weekend. Quickly Germany, South Africa and France asked to join, so the name of weekend was changed to The International Lighthouse/Lightship Weekend . It was at this time that John, GM4OOU, due to pressure of work, had to cease his connections with the event. The weekend became an annual event taking place over the third full weekend in August and has slowly grown in popularity and in 1999 there were 204 lighthouse/lightship stations in 36 countries until now when some 450 stations in over 50 countries take part. Full statistics and guidelines for participation can be found elsewhere on this web site.
The main reason the event has become so popular is because it is NOT a contest. It is a relaxed fun weekend without the pressure of a contest. The guidelines are simple and the onus is on the operators to act within the spirit of the weekend which is simply to expose amateur radio and the plight of lighthouses to the public. This is why it is important for the ham station to be as close to the lighthouse/lightship as possible and with the controlling body’s approval.
A few years ago the International Association of Lighthouse Keepers decided to have an annual open day for lighthouses all around the world to encourage visitors to visit at their lighthouses. They decided that no better day could be decided upon other than the Sunday of the ILLW. This move has been highly successful as the media have become involved in quite a few of the countries involved in the event.
This year’s event takes place on the 3rd full weekend in August so if you haven’t done so already, find a lighthouse nearby and get a group together or do it solo and fire up a lighthouse station. In most cases if you don’t intend operating from within the lighthouse itself or one of its cottages, you really don’t need to get any approval. Most first time entrants are so enthused with the event that they return year after year. A report from the Burlington ARC, Canada summed their first participation in these few words:
“The greatest delight of the day was the active participation of the visiting children who showed a remarkable interest in the whole idea of amateur radio, especially the use of Morse Code. It was an honour and a delight to participate in this adventure and we look forward with increased enthusiasm to next year's participation.”
Sadly, Mike Dalrymple passed away in December 2005. He was the Treasurer of the Ayr Amateur Radio Group. The event is now dedicated to Mike’s memory as is this official ILLW web site where you will find the event guidelines, an on line entry form and lists of participating lighthouse since 1999. In recognition of the link between Mike and Turnberry lighthouse, it now carries the unique ILLW identification number UK0000. Mike's friend, John Forsyth GM4OOU, is still in Scotland and is quite impressed and amazed the way their "baby" has grown over the years.
I thought to share the following experience with my fellow radio amateurs who might experience the same problem I recently had with a Smart Android TV Box remote control. (Image above.)
Not to go into much detail the grandson's remote control had a deep cleaning experience in the washing machine recently. Needless to say the remote did not want to work after the cleaning episode. I used a hair drier to dry the remote but to no avail. It was dead!!
Looking online I soon realized that a replacement remote at R494.00 was out of the question. A thought came to mind to try my wireless Shark Mini Keyboard I use when setting up Raspberry Pi's. I plugged the 2.4 Ghz wireless dongle into one of the USB ports of Smart Android TV Box and switched the keyboard on. Low and behold the keyboard worked flawlessly with the TV Box. I suggested to the wife that we purchase a new Mini Keyboard from a local Asian market.
With a price of only R110.00 I purchased one with backlit included. My grandson was happy and I saved R384.00. Not a big deal and I did not have to wait for an expensive online replacement. This little keyboard can also be used with the grandson's TV, Tablet, Sony PS3 and cellphone. I'd say a bonus for the price as it includes a built in rechargeable battery. My Shark Mini Keyboard is an older model and I must use 2 x AAA batteries.
What happened to the Smart Android TV Box remote control?
No it did not go to the junk-box or rubbish dump. I took it apart and left it for 3 days in the sun without the batteries. Well low and behold it came back to life and works without any problems. Needless to say that my grandson now uses the mini keyboard instead of the remote.
This Mini Keyboard has many uses as already mentioned. It also has a rightful place in amateur radio. Not only for the raspberry pi but many other projects where you need a small compact keyboard.
Images (Click on images for larger view.)
Above three photos: Older W-Shark Mini Keyboard (No backlit or rechargeable battery)
Above 5 Images: New Mini Keyboard with backlit and rechargeable battery.
Here is another update on the DMR Bridge "building" in the Garden Route Area and other regions of South Africa:
Improper shutdown of the DMR Bridge killed the ZS1I DMR Bridge
I found an easier way to install firmware for a DMR - AllStar Bridge
Testing the new installation of the DMR Bridge on TG91
How to make a backup copy on an SD Card of the DMR Bridge Firmware
Weekly ZA DMR Net now relayed on the GRHub Network
Future plans for the ZS1I DMR Bridge Network
Thanks and Appreciation
Improper shutdown of the DMR Bridge killed the ZS1I DMR Bridge
Those of you who play around with Raspberry Pi's will know that they do not like to be shut down by just switching of the power or by "hot-plug and unplugging". I have been playing around with Pi's since their release several years ago and never experience issues as described above. However it is my fault as several evenings I did not follow the shutdown procedure as I normally do and on Wednesday morning the DMR Bridge refuses to work as it should. I tried to fix several issues but in the end decided to re-install the firmware on a new SD Card. I search for an "easier" way to install DVSwitch and AllStar to revive the ZS1I DMR Bridge. More on this in the next topic.
I found an easier way to install a DMR - AllStar Bridge
In my opinion I found a far easier way to install firmware for a DMR - AllStar Bridge. There are several options available on how to install firmware for a DMR Bridge. I decided to look around and found a pre-installed DVSwitch Server and a AllStar node image in the DVSwitch Group Pages thanks to Steve N4IRS. This is a great image and saves a lot of time by using it to get the bridge up and running. Just download the image, read the DVSwitch-Server-AllStar-lite, readme file, burn it to an SD Card and away you go. I would advise that you also read my ZS1I DMR Bridge Updates 1-5 on this Blog for further information.
Testing the new installation of the DMR Bridge on TG91
I am very satisfied with the workings of the "new" ZS1I Allstar to DMR Bridge
Network. Thus far I only received excellent reports. Analog- and Digital Radios works great via the ZS1I DMR Bridge Network and ZS1I Hotspot. The ZS1I DMR Bridge is currently under test using TG91. No errors/warnings/advisories were received to date an I can confirm that this installation runs far better than the previous version. Audio quality is great on analog and digital radios.
How to make a backup copy on an SD Card of the DMR Bridge Firmware
Backup, backup and backup!! I hear this all a time but this is not really a priority. After the crashing of the ZS1I DMR Bridge I now know better. Backing up the complete SD Card will save you valuable time and possible head-aches. Never ever except that SD Cards cannot fail or go corrupt. There are several ways to backup your SD Cards and Google is your friend. However I recommend that you use the Raspberry Pi SD Card Copier application already installed on Jessie and Buster firmware. Go to main menu ->Accessories -> SD card copier and make a clone of your working SD Card. Check that the copied firmware works as it should. I made a copy of the SD Card and tested it. Both cards are working and all I need to do if one goes corrupt is insert the other backup card and away you go.
Weekly ZA DMR Net now relayed on the GRHub Network
I have tested the ZS1I DMR Bridge this past Tuesday evening linking the GRHub Network to the South Africa DMR TG 655 for the weekly ZA DMR Net. Linking the GRHub Network to DMR TG655 resulted in the Net being broadcast on DMR, Allstar, Echolink and on 145.550 Mhz Analog Simplex. Although the Internet was not great as a result of two overseas cables damaged the linking worked flawlessly and traffic was relayed to and from all the systems. This shows that the DMR Bridge has found a rightful place in linking and bridging analog and digital radios/systems to enhance amateur radio communications further.
Future plans for the ZS1I DMR Bridge Network
The ZS1I DMR Bridge has found a rightful place on the GRHub Network. I will from time to time link the DMR Bridge to the GRHub Network. Radio amateur are welcome to use the GRHub Network to work stations on DMR and visa versa. More information on how to use the network and when the systems will be connected can be find on the GRHub News Bulletins, Nets, Link Connections etc. page available HERE. Please note that I will personally monitor the GRHub Network once linking has been established as to observe that the system functions optimally.
Thanks and Appreciation
I would like to thank each and every person who contributed to this "project".
Many thanks to all the local radio amateurs who use the ZS1I DMR Bridge- and GRHub Network. Your support and comments are highly appreciated. Without leaving anybody out in the cold I would like to thank the following radio amateurs who is always available to assist:
Steve N4IRS
Russel KV4S
DVSwitch Community
AllStar Link Community
Hamvoip Community
All other roll players not mentioned here that played a roll to develop and establish all the different Networks/Servers etc.
A big thank you to all those who assisted in this regard!!
The ZS1I Ramblings "Podcast" Issue 6 now available for download or listen to it on this page.
I would however like to request that if at all possible listen to ZS1I Ramblings on the air. (ZS Link Network / GRHub Network) Use your radios instead of social media or any other media. After all we are radio amateurs and not social media celebrities.
You can access the ZS1I Ramblings Radio Broadcast as follow:
Echolink - Connect
to ZS1I-L, ZS1SB-L, ZS6WDL-R or ZS5PMB-R. Please note if the last 3
stations is not connected to ZS1I-L then you need to connect via
Echolink to ZS1I-L.
AllStar - Connect to
node 49355 ZS1I or 28052 ZS5PMB-R
VHF - 145.550 Mhz
Simplex in the Mossel Bay area. Remember the 88.5 khz CTCSS tone
Any other Echolink,
AllStar repeater or link station that is connected to either ZS1I-L.
Use of your
cellphone by installing Echolink on your phone.
Please feel free to
join us every Thursday evening at 19h30 SAST. A re-broadcast of ZS1I
Ramblings takes place every Monday evening at 19h30 SAST. We are all
looking forward to your company in this regard. Please also tell your
amateur radio friends about ZS1I Ramblings. Get rid of that daily
stress and enjoy a good half hour by listening to interesting
subjects.
Hope to see or even hear you on
the ZS-Link Network!!
The Mossel Bay AREDN 5.8 and 2.4 Ghz Mesh Network is once again active, but this time not only as an emergency data network.
Before you run away, read on, you might be surprised about the new use for this Mesh Network. To those that might not know, Mossel Bay "had" its own AREDN Mesh Network running from 2016 to 2020.
What is AREDN all about?
By loading the AREDN®1 firmware in a outdoor wireless access point, you can join a ham radio network. It’s like the Internet but runs on ham radio frequencies, mostly in the 2.4, 3.4, and 5.8 GHz bands. By joining this network you can find and use all sorts of applications (known as “services”). Anything running on a server, like weather stations, web sites showing site conditions, email servers, etc can be provided as a service. There are also services that don’t rely on a browser: video streams, chat servers, VOIP PBXes, etc. The network can also be used to connect Winlink stations, Dstar and DMR repeaters, and Allstar devices. Pretty much any kind of service you can put on the Internet you can put on the AREDN hamnet, subject to the restrictions of the ham radio regulations.
Why would one run an AREDN Network in you local community, town or city?
I can provide you with an abundance of reasons but this is not the aim of this topic. However here is a few links how AREDN was used during the 2017 Knysna Wildfires.
From the above links it is quite clear that AREDN is a very useful "tool" during disasters and emergencies. In 2018 AREDN was again used during the Haarlem Fire in the George area. Since 2019 to date the extent of disasters and emergencies were of such a nature that there was no need to use AREDN. Thankfully this area is currently not a disaster prone area but one can never say that disasters or large emergencies cannot happen.
Now what is the purpose of this article then?
Another "disaster" reared it's ugly head when the country was plunged into darkness as a result of Phase 6 Eskom Loadshedding. Without going into great detail I deem it necessary to explain in short what Phase 6 entails for our overseas readers.
Stage 6 load shedding is the highest ever experienced in South Africa. This stage means that 5000 MW to 6000 MW of power must be shed in order to prevent the national grid from collapsing. If the power grid were to collapse, it would leave Eskom having to begin additional, unscheduled power cuts whenever needed, and outside of existing schedules. However, stage 6 load shedding means power cuts are scheduled over a 4-day window to take place twice a day at 4 hours a time.
Apart from not having electricity other services like Broadband Internet, cellphone, landline etc. services experienced outages as generators run empty and batteries cannot charge to capacity, while systems just crashed etc. A real big mess! Amateur Radio also experienced its share of "outages" as many hams do not have a power backup system.
In the Garden Route Area we have several VHF/UHF Repeaters, Simplex Radio Links, Networks that utilize Echolink, Zello and AllStar to connect to other worldwide networks via the Internet. If there is an Internet outage then this means that Echolink and Zello cannot be used and we as radio amateurs need to rely on HF Radio and local "stand alone" repeaters and simplex communications. Not an ideal situation but in the event of a disaster this means of communication will have to suffice.
How do we solve this lack of Internet during power outages, disasters or emergencies?
This set me thinking and I dug out the AREDN Main Mesh Node from the dust and cobwebs today. It has been in storage since 2019. Reason for storage: For you know - "We might one day need old faithful again". I am going to use the mesh node network as a second Internet backup service when there is an Internet/Cellphone outage for whatever reason. The Mossel Bay AREDN Mesh Network will run from 12v DC Battery Power which is then converted to 5v DC for the Raspberry Pi and Netgear Switch.
Yes, as mentioned before you can run any kind of service you run on the Internet, you can also run it on the Mossel Bay AREDN Mesh Network. This would mean that local Mossel Bay VHF/UHF Repeaters, Simplex Links can be linked via AllStar with all the bells and whistles needed but not only that. You can use your cellphone, laptop, desktop, I-pad, VHF/UHF Radio, repeaters and simplex radios to currently connect tot the following active running services:
Amateur Radio Emergency Comms Room
Amateur Radio News Bulletin Relays
Citadel Email Server and Client
Digital Radio Room
Echolink Relay/Listen Room (TX to be installed later)
Emergency JOC Room
FTP File Server and Storage Facility
General Voice Chat Room
Mossel Bay AREDN Mesh Network Web Page
Zello Relay / Listen Room (TX to be installed later)
Today 14 August 2023 I fired up the Mossel Bay AREDN Main Mesh Network and tested all the above service which ran flawlessly.
In Part 2 we will be looking at adding further services as can be seen in one of the images. Amongst the services to be added to the Mossel Bay AREDN Mesh Network will be two way bridges to AllStar Repeaters, DMR and Allstar Simplex Links. We are also able to link repeater backbones via 5.8 Ghz. More on this in future postings.
Finally:
I plan to install and run a fully autonomous "back-up" Internet and Amateur Radio Communications System on the Mossel Bay AREDN Mesh Network via the GRHub Network in Mossel Bay. The system could even be opened to the public on 2.4 Ghz during future disasters if needed. This would be a great service that the public, first responders and radio amateurs can use for various reasons and purposes. I will also use it to link repeaters and simplex links to the Mossel
Bay AREDN Mesh Network via the GRHub Network in Mossel Bay. More about this in future postings
Herewith a few images: (Click on images for larger view.)
I continue with the series of low budget antenna "builds". In the series I will be looking into building antennas that is:
Highly Portable
Cheap to Build
Easy to build (Novice and Experienced builders)
Use readily available material from the local hardware store
Needs minimal tools to construct
Needs
only a SWR Meter to do some final tuning and adjustments. However if
you do have an antenna analyzer, that will be a bonus.
Highly affective and has gain.
Light weight and easy to install or to dismantle
Fun to build and play around with.
Please
note that none of the antennas that I will be constructing is my
personal designs. Credit will be given and links provided where you can
find more information about the antennas.
I trust that new,
novice and experienced radio amateurs that will be building some of
these antennas will find them of great use and enjoyment. Isn't this
what amateur radio is all about?
(Click on image for larger view.)
The 2m Oblong (rectangular loop) Antenna
Center frequency: 145.000 Mhz
Frequency Span: 144.200 - 146.500 Mhz
Modes: SSB, CW and Digital Modes (Can also be use on FM ( Local repeaters and simplex))
Polarity: Horizontal (Note: Repeaters use vertical polarization.)
Antenna Impedance: 50 Ohm or very close to 50 Ohm
Gain: Some gain but could not find any proof
In a previous article available HERE I constructed a 2 Element 2m Square Quad Loop Antenna. It is a good antenna and has performed well during the testing of the antenna. You can feed it at the bottom center for horizontal polarization or in the middle of either side for vertical polarization.
Something that makes its construction slightly difficult is its 100-120 ohm feed point impedance. Unlike a half wavelength dipole (especially the inverted-V variety) it can't be fed directly with 50 ohm coaxial cable. Instead you need to make a transmission line transformer (using 1/4 electrical wavelength of 75ohm coax) to reduce ~100 ohm to ~50 ohm. Another issue with a square loop is height. You need a decent portable or fixed mast at least 10 m height for the square quad.
One solution to the above is the (Oblong) rectangular loop. It's still a
wavelength around but its no longer square. That reduces its feed point
impedance to 50 ohm with certain dimensions. I ran into the websites
and videos of Peter VK3YE and Andrew VK1AD who published information on a
2m rectangular loop antenna that I needed to try. The rest is
history. Enough said let's start building the 2m Oblong Antenna..
Materials I used:
2 x 420 mm
length of 16 mm dowel (top and bottom arm)
2 x 420 mm PVC
(20mm) pipe length of 16 mm dowel (cover the 2 x 16mm dowels)
2.2 m length of
insulated 1.5 mm multi-strand insulated copper wire.
BNC panel mount
with solder tab
2 x 30mm bolts,
washers and nuts
4 x S/S Self-tapping Screws ( To adhere PVC end caps to dowels and PVC pipe)
4 x PVC End Caps
1 x 500mm long
Nylon Rope
1 x 50 mm x 50 mm
piece of Single Sided PCB
Odds and Sods:
Cable Ties
Hot Glue Sticks
Insulation Tape
Solder
Solder Paste
Coax Cable (RG58CU Mil Spec) 50 ohm
Self Amalgamating Electrical Tape
PVC Cement ("Glue") (Permanent gluing of the PVC caps.)
Tools:
Metal Punch
Drill
Drill Bits 4mm + 3mm
Hack Saw or PVC Pipe Cutter
Hot Glue Gun
Soldering Iron
Screw Driver (Small flat)
Test Equipment:
VHF SWR Meter
Antenna Analyzer (If you have one but not compulsory)
VHF Radio
Coax Patch Leads
Mast (Non conductive)
Coax feed line cable 5 - 10m RG58CU 50 ohm
Power Supply for Radio
Building the Antenna:
I am not going to go into detail how I constructed my version of the antenna. I used PVC pipe to cover the dowels and added PVC end caps and nylon rope to fix the antenna to my link stick mast. Cosmetic durable or weather protected .... who cares? It looks a bit more snazzy though but rest assure it does not work better than those built by VK3EY and VK1AD.
More information on the build and use of the antenna available at:
Video: Oblong loop antenna for 144 MHz SSB and WSPR by Peter VK3YE
Video: Comparing various simple antennas on 2 meters by Peter VK3YE
Testing the Antenna:
I ran a quick test on the antenna with my HT just to see what the SWR was like. Well the images speak for themself. SWR was low over a very broad spectrum (144.300 - 145-900 Mhz) I could also trigger all the local repeaters in the George / Mossel Bay area with two watt output. Remember this antenna is horizontally polarized while the repeaters are all vertical polarized. Once the weather improves I will do some more tests and hopefully hookup with somebody on SSB and the Digital Modes. More on this in a future posting.
Conclusion:
This antenna will be great for HOTA, SOTA, POTA and even Emergency Communications. Although it does not have gain like a Yagi or a Quad antenna it is ideal for a cheap, quick and minimal setup.
