VHF-UHF Portable Yagi Antenna

Last Updated 6-6-02

How I Did It

I spent about 3 dollars on the antenna it's self, and somewhere around 45 dollars for the duplexer (which you don't need if you use two radios).  I found this antenna on the website http://xe1mex.gq.nu/antenas/yagi and at first thought it would be too much work. I finally decided to go ahead and construct it and save the $140 that you can buy a Arrow Antenna with for something else. 

I first started by going to the local junk yard in search for some old TV antennas that I could rob the aluminum elements off of. After that I went to a hardware store purchased about 3 dollars worth of nuts and bolts. Everything else including the PVC pipe which is the boom and the coax, connectors; I had laying around. Even if you don't have some of this stuff on hand, you wouldn't spend over 10 bucks for the  construction of the antenna, if you could find the aluminum elements at a junk yard or something. 

Next was the hard part I thought, but this antenna was very easy to build, I spend a couple of hours rounding up parts, 3 hours assembling, and then an hour for everything else.  I have pictures listed below on the whole process. 

The results: after putting together the gamma matching for both sides of the antenna I hooked it up to the radio and the SWR meter to see how it would tune. With a few minor adjustments the SWR was below 1.5 in both bands, and was ready to track AO-27, UO-14 and SO-41 the next morning. Without the duplexer on, I racked up 6 contacts in a matter of minutes on UO-14, people where calling me constantly till I lost the signal from the satellite and that was using the VHF side of the antenna for both receiving and transmitting.

Test Results

20+ successful contacts with the satellite UO-14 using only 1/2 watt in 5 ten or so minute passes. (4-30-02)

One contact with an aeronautical mobile flying near the southwest part Kansas (K0WY). He was using one watt out of a vertical mounted antenna on the plane, and was full scale on the HT with the portable antenna, compared to S-3 when I was mobile. I used 1/2 watt for the initiation contact receiving an S-9 signal report, then went to 50 milliwatts and received an S-3 signal report. Very neat contact, hope to run across more aeronautical mobile's operating on simplex 146.520. (5-1-02)

Final Test Results

This antenna is a very worth while investment of time and money. I've been using this antenna for over a month now with 50+ contacts with it. If you want something cheap to build and you want it to work great, this is the Satellite Antenna for you. I now use my bigger array for satellite work, but when I'm mobile or portable this antenna is always with me. (6-5-02)

Pictures of the Whole Process

What's left of the old TV antenna's salvaged from the junk yard, even if the elements are bent, they are very easy to straighten. I had to do it to several of longer ones.

Here I trimmed the elements to size and get ready to drill the holes.

Drilling the 1/8" hole into each of the elements center one step away from mounting to the boom.

Here's the gamma match for the UHF side of the antenna.

This is the Duplexer.

Finished!!!