[50mhz] Home-Brewing a 50 MHz Dipole

[Wayne]

 Dipole should be simple and easy.
 Having built mine as a simple 40, then 40/20 (2 sets of wires, common
center), and then adding W2AU 1:1 balun.
 I use the formula, 234/F for the length of each side, and then add a foot,
and trim downward.
 Check at lowest frequency you can, then highest.
 Allow a bit for wrap at insulator, and so on.
 the 468/F gives you the 1/2 wave dimension (aprox.), and each leg needs to
be half of that.
 Could it be you tried an actual full wave dipole (each leg 1/2 wave?

 Wayne WA2YNE


----- Original Message -----
From: <n5wbi@clearsail.net>
To: <50mhz@mailman.qth.net>; <6msig@clarc.net>; <n5wbi@arrl.net>
Sent: Thursday, November 07, 2002 8:41 AM
Subject: [50mhz] Home-Brewing a 50 MHz Dipole


> I have tried (at least twice now ...) to home-brew a dipole antenna cut to
the USB calling frequency of 50.125 MHz.  The first one I built used "cheap"
stranded hook-up wire.  The second one used heavier wire (solid).  Both
failed miserably.  The SWR's were off-scale, even though I had cut and
trimmed each of the dipole legs using the "standard" equation (468/F).
>
> Am I missing something here?  Thankfully, all I've "lost" is a few feet of
wire and a couple of hours.  I really don't want to pay the big bucks to buy
an antenna when I  can home-brew one on the cheap.
>
> Thanks in advance for your help!
>
> 73,
>
> Steve N5WBI
> Houston TX  EL29