[NLRS] 1296 antennas

[John Hoaglun]

You pretty much echoed Gene.

Straight yagis for 903 and 1296 then loopers for the higher bands.

Gene indicated that at 903 and 1296 the loops are pretty large and have a
tendency to get pretty bent while roving.  Given the amount of "stuff" that
I removed from the mast and antennas in September I believe Gene's advice.

I think that there might be a slight advantage for loopers given that loops
have a larger capture area since there is more metal exposed.... hard to
prove. Boom length is always a challenge for rovers unless you are W0JT who
uses larger antennas for roving than at home. :)

As a rover I will be following Gene's lead and sticking to straight yagi's
for 903 and 1296. My antennas are permanently attached to the mast that I
use for roving.... I simply remove the mast from the rotor on the back of
the van and store the mast and antennas assembled. I attach my mast to my
clothesline pole in the backyard when I am not using them. My setup time is
pretty minimal in good weather.

I appreciate all of the feedback to some of my goofy questions. I find that
there is a lot of great information to be gained from this group. This last
contest was a personal best for me.

73

JH





----- Original Message -----
From: <jcplatt1@mmm.com>
To: "John Hoaglun" <john@hoaglun.com>
Cc: <nlrs@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, January 21, 2003 11:21 AM
Subject: Re: [NLRS] 1296 antennas


>
> In theory, there should be little performance difference between a well
> designed loop yagi and a well designed "straight" yagi.    I think that
the
> loop yagi tends to be more robust regarding mechanical tolerance issues,
> hence it is easier to mass produce (manufacture) with consistent good
> performance ..... I think that is one reason why you see high performance
> commercial loop yagis up to 3456 while commercial "straight" yagis stop at
> 1296.   Given a good design and proper manufacturing, gain is a strong
> function of boom length, not loop vs straight elements.
>
> For roving, if you have all your antennas permanently mounted (ala N0DQS/R
> or W9FZ/R), then it may not make much different which antenna design you
> use.   If you have to store the antenna when you move, then set it up
again
> when you stop, you may want to consider a conventional yagi to avoid any
> problems with squishing loops.
>
> My $0.02.   Looking forward to working you on 1296 !
>
> 73, Jon
> W0ZQ
>