[NLRS] 432 beacon

[Dr. Gerald N. Johnson]

I have used a wooden wheel barrow handle (round on one end, square on 
the other) for a nonmetalic cross boom, and PVC pipe works for that. Its 
strongest with a wall for high pressure. I've used PVC to make a farm 
sprayer boom to spray a total width of 18 or 20 feet. Wasn't absolutely 
rigid but it worked on my farm.

The M2 9wl is way too sharp for a beacon antenna or terrestrial 
contacts. I had an M2 5wl on 2m for a few years. I'd rotate it to peak a 
signal and then let the rotor brake latch and the Ham-M brake nearly 
always moved it significantly off the peak. The application where the 
9wl is good is an array of 4 or 8 for EME. Two 9wl side by side would 
have about half the pattern width of the single.

You do need an EME array to work N4PZ because he is using an EME array 
and off a few degrees your signal is down 15 or 20 dB.

Stacked big wheels are way more appropriate for a beacon antenna or 
stacked Turnstiles. Stacked mobile halo loops could work too.

73, Jerry, K0CQ

On 3/27/2018 1:44 PM, Art Howard wrote:
>
>
> Hello All,
>   I am toying with the idea of putting a 432 Beacon on the air from EN35DW.
>   Right now I have a single M2 9wl at about 20 feet horizontal and
> capability to run up to 100 Watts.
>   I do have a second 9wl but need a nonmetallic cross boom to stack them. If
> anybody has something like that let me know.
>    I have done some research and My thought is to head the antenna Southeast
> generally in the direction of Milwaukee, Madison,and Chicago (140°). That
> would intersect the main approach path to Minneapolis-Saint Paul Airport as
> well as departing traffic to the Northwest as they circle around to head
> for destinations anywheres from the Northeast to the southeast.  Probably
> would get quite a bit of aircraft scatter during peak times.
>   Any thoughts on this would be much appreciated as well as maybe suggested
> Beacon frequency.
>
> *73 Art  *KØKUK
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