This vhf mobile antenna is fieldtunable and features a 3 db gain with or without a ground plane. Constructing a simple 58 wavelength vertical antenna for. Have a yaesu ft2500m ham radio set up to shift between my car and indoors. Please post a comment if you know other great software or links with information about antenna calculator and design programs. Inches and meters javascript wavelength calculator. The vhf dipole antenna at vhf and uhf, most antenna systems are derived from the dipole or its complement, the slot antenna. Greetings all, i am replacing both 8 antennas on the boat this winter.
The results are conveniently displayed in inches, centimeters, feet and meters. However, to my surprise and very much unlike the regular 5 8ths jpole which does not work well at all the two 5 8ths sections yielded a reasonably symmetrical pattern in both freespace and over real ground at a similar height. Calculate the required dimensions for a coaxial collinear antenna construction for any given frequency. The measurements below are for building a simple dipole antenna. Free online engineering calculator to quickly estimate the geometric size of a jpole antenna. Measurements and analysis suggest why quarterwave stubs fail to completely. The pctel mhb5800 5 8 wave antenna operates within the vhf frequency range, 144174 mhz. Magnetic loop antenna calculator spreadsheet excel spreadsheet that help. There are always more than one way of doing things, so you can do away with the coil thingy. Looks good to me, so i will try building a antenna after your design data. The feed point is usually placed at the centre of the dipole, for although this is not absolutely necessary, it can help prevent. This calculator will help you to calculate the different wavelength of antennas based on the frequency. How to calculate vhf radio antenna length our pastimes.
Ive taken what i learned from the gmrs continue reading homebrew 5 element vhf yagi. For various 8 vhf antennas, i keep reading its a fine antenna where range is not a factor. Paying attention to the effect of the ground plane, using the right materials and matching the impedance of the antenna to. Drill the hole at the point about 1 away from one end see figure 1. The initial plot indicated that the antenna was resonant around 5mhz, while the 5 8 radiator can be trimmed at the final tweaking stage the most important feature of this antenna is to maintain a radiator length of slightly less than the 5 8 wave length, therefore the first component of the antenna to be adjusted is the loading coil. Carefully weighing your options before purchasing a marine vhf antenna will always save you from buyers remorse. For what its worth, the myths surrounding the j antenna have been sorted out resulting in an improved version. Enter the desired tx or rx frequency and then choose the antenna type.
Tags antenna, calculator, download, electronic software, rf post navigation. Many antennas are based on halfwave dipoles fabricated from wire or tubing. Yagi calculator is a program build to produces dimensions for a dl6wu style long yagi antenna. To receive a specific vhf signal, you simply need a dipole antenna. The calculator program available for download to design this antenna is in xls spread.
Lets see some antenna calculator and antenna design software that will help you design faster and. I was trying to increase the overall performance of the jpole, in this design. It is inversely proportional to the frequency which means the wave with higher frequency will have shorter wavelength. This link is listed in our web site directory since wednesday mar 25 2009, and till today 5 8 wave vertical antenna calculator has been followed for a total of 25858 times. The vhf 5 8 wavelength 144 mhz vertical monopole has long held the reputation of providing about a 3db gain advantage over the 14wavelength vertical monopole. If you have no particular preference within a given ham radio band, then simply enter its center frequency i. This link is listed in our web site directory since saturday feb 17 2007, and till today 58 collinear antenna has been followed for a total of 59629 times. A matching device of some sort must be added between the antenna and the feedline if you wish to feed it with coax.
The antenna is designed to be fed with 50 or 75 ohm coax cable of most any length with a balun. The uhf vhf antenna line of sight app is a useful calculator to get the total line of sight distance for the radio horizon using the height of two. This calculator will help you to calculate the different wavelength of. Program good for 1 500 mhz, although intended for mf hf.
At vhf, both the 14wavelength monopole and the 5 8 wavelength monopole antennas are widely used. An application designed to generate data for the construction of long yagi antennas for vhf and uhf use. Coax collinear antenna dimension calculator back to antenna calculator overview. Constructing a simple 58 wavelength vertical antenna for 2 meters. Adding a coil in series with the antenna at the base is one such method of matching. The main category is vertical antennas plans that is about vertical antennas projects. Long yagi are commonly used from the 144mhz amateur band to the 2. Here is a list of best free antenna design software for windows.
A very basic program for calculating the length of each leg of a 12 wave wire dipole antenna. Vhfuhf antenna line of sight for ios free download and. Download antenna calculator antenna calculator is an app that takes the. Due to material, i decided on a 5 element yagi built for vhf since all i would have to buy is more 3 8. Some are based on lookup tables, some completely hide their algorithms. The 58th wave has a net loss of signal along the ground compared to a dipole at the same height, when both are remote from earth or large ground planes. N4ujw antenna design lab ham radio antennas design 0r. Through these software, you can design various types of antennas like yagi, jpole, parabolic, quagi, super scanner, etc. Now its time to step it up just a little bit and fabricate a bigger antenna. Drill a hole in the plate big enough for the so239 vhf connector to insert into about 5 8 or 15. The antenna calculator above uses this formula as a starting point to calculate wire lengths for the dipole. Get the most out of your boats vhf marine radio by selecting the best marine antenna.
The calculator will get you close or spot on if youre lucky, but there are so many variables. Maple leaf communications antenna calculator vertical. This does not take into consideration the type or size of horizontal reflectors, of even if there is a need for them. Building a 58 wave antenna worldwidedx radio forum. This formula to obtain the length of a halfwave dipole antenna will give a good ballpark value to start with. Pctel maxrad 144174 mhz 200w 3db heavy duty 58 wave.
The dl6wu yagi is highly regarded as being easy to build with repeatable results, broad bandwidth and a useful pattern. About 58 collinear antenna the resource is currently listed in in 3 categories. Enter the required frequency in mhz, the velocity factor of the coax if known and antenna designer will calculate the dimensions of. Enter the desired operating frequency in megahertz to get a good starting length for a dipole in both feet and meters. Yagio allows you to create dl6wu long yagi antennas on any frequency, typically on vhf and uhf ham frequencies. By way of background, a 5 8 wave antenna is the highest directivity, single element, linear antenna that you can construct. There are various models to choose from each range, each covering a part of the band. Lets see some antenna calculator and antenna design software that will help you design faster and better. The 58 wave antenna consists of a vertical radiator which is fed at the base of the antenna. But the construction details are important in order to efficiently convert directivity into gain. In radio frequency rf terminology, the very high frequency vhf range is the signal spectrum from 30 to 300 megahertz mhz. It is found that a five eighths wavelength vertical antenna has a gain of close to 4 dbd, i.
In addition, i have a set of the antenex phantom antennas thought these are not going to cut it, obviously. Drill a 18 inch hole through each mark all the way through the pvc pipe. Each antenna design software is slightly different from each other as each software design some specific types of antenna. Coax collinear antenna dimension calculator jeroen steeman. The 5 8 wave antenna consists of a vertical radiator which is fed at the base of the antenna. This transmission includes light emissions traveling in a straight line. Drill a hole in the plate big enough for the so239 vhf connector to insert into about 58 or 15. Calculations available for dipole, vertical 18, 14, 38, 12, 58, 34, 78, and full. So before you decide to buy one make sure to compare the features.
Choose from quarterwave, halfwave, the powerful 5 8 wave, 34wave, or fullwave, and calculate minimum lengths of required radials, and then shop for your needs on our other pages and select from our inventory of aluminum, fiberglass, wire, coax, connectors, and other parts and. The list will grow with your help so lets start and share the knowledge. A matching device of some sort must be added between the antenna. This will calculate the length of a 5 8 wave vertical with 14 wave radials. Yagio runs under windows 2000, xp, vista, win 7 and likely win 8. On6mu home made vhf 58 vertical antenna for radioamateurs. Online calculator jpole antenna designer changpuak. Yagi calculator is a windows program that also runs well on linux, ubuntu 8. When used as a vertical radiator against a ground plane this translates to a length of 5 8 wavelength.
Long yagis are commonly used from the 144mhz amateur band to the 2. Download hf dipole calculator 12 wave wire dipole antenna. About 5 8 wave vertical antenna calculator the resource is currently listed in in 2 categories. It is made from a 18 thick aluminum plate cut to 2 x 6. Practical antenna design 140 150 mhz vhf transceivers online edition. I choose a 14 wave over 5 8 wave not only because of size, but when youre travelling down the freeway, or other road above 45mph, the 5 8 wave bends far too much and received signal degrades significantly. This is an introduction to a high gain vhfuhf vertical collinear antenna program and. K7tjo metric to imperial calculator feet inches and fractions of an inch element length scaling calculator for scaling the antenna you read about to the frequency you want with the materials you have. The main category is collinear antennas that is about collinear antennas. Dipoles antennas are easy to build and can be very effective when placed half a wavelenth or more above ground. Im trying to build a 5 8 wave antenna out of an old cb antenna for the vhf band the problem is i cannot find out how to calculate the coil dimentions. I have tried out different wire sizes,number of turns and diameters and i have got good results on the swr meter but when the antenna is up and compared to a folded dipole at the same height the 5 8 is down at least 5 or more s.
Shortening the stub to move the maximum vswr point higher in frequency is easy. This calculator is designed to give the vertical length height of a particular antenna, for the frequency and wavelength chosen. It is quite possible, that other calculators deliver slightly different results. Calculate the dimensions for a slim jim or j pole antenna for hf, vhf or uhf. As soon as i saw the site i thought, oh no not another 5 8th wave antenna discovery. Online very high frequency ultra high frequency line of sight calculator to calculate the range of electromagnetic transmission between two antennas. Have a maxrad 5 8 wave whip antenna that i think is supposed to be tuned to the rr frequencies, but a quick search hasnt revealed what length is best for a 5 8. Luckily, a 5 8 wave uhf antenna is about the same length as a vhf 14 wave, which is short enough to stay more rigid at higher speeds. Comprised of two lengths of wire or other conductive metal, a dipole antenna s shape allows the incoming signals. The only biggy with a 58 wave antenna is matching its feed point impedance with the feed lines and then the transmitters, of course. A tool to help ham radio, cb, and other radio users to create antennas of various types. If the antenna is to be placed outside, do not use brass.