GMRS DYI Dipole Antenna

The dipole is just under 12 inches long.  I had an old coax with a connector so I separated the core wire from outer ground.  Both parts are 5.5 inches.

I hooked it up to my meter to check the SWR and it was fine.  So now I always have a spare antenna I can hang in a tree or off a post.

SWR of 1.54🤓  Anything here and down is considered very usable.  1 to 1 being perfect, anything above 2.0 is not very good and over 3 is bad.

My Rome Italy Contact

Prior to today my best contact was at 3000 miles from Florida to just off the coast of Washington State.  With average reach between 800 and 1500 miles.  

Note that the solar flux was only at 80 and it can reach 200+ during the eleven year solar cycle.we are in year two of a new solar cycle.

Above is my xiegu on the tailgate along with a battery and the antenna on the roof.

 On 12/8/21 I had my furthest radio contact yet on a mag mount 20 meter ham stick.  Just north of Rome to Orlando Florida just over 5100 miles. 

The bands were just right around 1040 am EST.  I heard his CQ and jumped on it I was only a 5-2 to him and he was a 5-5 to me.  My little 20 watt rig did me proud.  Conditions here within  about 1200 miles were poor for me but worke well for distance😎

My portable antenna farm

 

My traveling antenna farm.  On the front of the RV is my 17 meter hamstick on a mag mount.  The tall one on the orange canopy is my 40 meter hamstick up about 19 feet.  On the back of the canopy is a short 11 foot GMRS antenna.  On the back is the RV you can see my 25 foot dipole 20 meter antenna.  Lastly is my old Saturn 10/12 & 15 meter antenna up 19 feet.

I know the antennas are low but I chatted with Mexico today to a town 1400 miles from me on 17 meters.  Also a town North of Rome Italy last week on 20 meters over 5100 miles away.  All other antennas except the GMRS have reached a thousand miles or more.  I haven’t had the  GMRS antenna above the tree line so it’s current range is very limited.  There are no repeaters in the area.

Line of sight & radio

 For UHF & VHF we are usually talking line of sight for how far away someone can hear me on their receiving radio with no obstructions.  That range with antenna 6 feet off the ground is 3 miles.  At 50 feet above the sourounding  area it would be 20 miles. 

They also say in theory that two similar antennas each have there own line of sight.  So in theory both can go the distance of line of sight so 3 miles is 6 and 20 is 40.

Now remember the interference and other issues, so be excited if you get the full 3 or 30 miles mentioned above.

Radio coax in to a fifth wheel

I lifted the screen and window, inserted a duck tape covered sheet of cardboard  and shut down the window and screen.  I made a small hole in the cardboard inserted the antenna coax to the radio so I can stay inside on occasion and work the bands. 

For this post I am using the lower UHF antenna and a GMRS radio.

Here is my 15 watt radio hooked up to one of my 7 amp batteries inside our RV.  Everything is quickly removable for travel time or just more room.
 

Moon Set

 Always a nice view on my morning walks.🤓

SWR with vertical antenna

 

Getting ready for Christmas

 

With the start of Hanacka it is time to get set for Christmas as well.  Day one of digging out the holiday stuff😎

Happy Holidays!