MarkHinton/116 Wave Handheld Dipole

Introduction

NOTE: This antenna is only theoretical and has yet to be tested, performance is not guaranteed, please direct any test results and advice to the Forums.

This is a 1/16λ dipole antenna made from coax and a preferred connector (such as BNC), the figures used on this page are based on VHF civil airband and expressed using the metric system.

Maths

c = 299792458 m/s
ν = 122500000.0000 Hz

Just use these two simple formulae to calculate the length of your antenna elements and the total size of the antenna.

Total size: c/ν*100/16=λt
Element size: c/ν*100/32=λe

λt = 15.30cm
λe = 7.65cm

Building

Parts required:

• Coaxial cable
• Connector of choice
• Sharp object capable of removing the sheath and shield of the cable
• Electrical tape or shrink tube
• Dowel or other stiff nonmatallic object (optional). Keep in mind that the antenna will be quite floppy without it

Steps

1. Strip cable and install connector.
2. Measure λt cm from the end of the connector (where it mounts onto your radio) and cut entire cable to length.
3. Measure λe cm from the end of the connector and cut through sheath and shield, preserving the dielectric and center conductor.
4. Install dowel if desired, and then wrap entire assembly from the base of the cable to the end of the cable.
5. Test it out and let me know how it goes, preferably through both the talk page and through forum PM!