Newb - First Antenna

[dslinfreak]

Gentelmen and Ladies (If there are any here)

I just passed my Technicians Exam this past Sunday, the 3rd. I already have two radios, a mobile and a HT. I do not yet have my call sign, and my license hasn't appeared on the FCC database yet. I don't expect it to anytime soon. However, I have decided to take on a project. I have found that my primary radio is going to be the HT, which is a Baofeng UV-5R. I've seen how inadequate the rubber ducky for this HT is, as well as several after market antennas. I want to build a roll-up slim jim antenna for this radio so that I can effectively and efficiently operate on both 2m and 10m bands. I have been unsuccessful in finding any sort of schematics on how to do this and I was wondering if anyone could possibly direct me to schematics or even walk me through making it.

I also have a very good idea to turn this into a light weight distance transmit device, that can be fully packed away into a backpack and fully extended so that the antenna is fully stretched in length. The HT will be clipped to the shoulder strap of the backpack, with a speaker/mic combo clipped to the strap one step below the HT. This entire set up is meant for volunteer events for the local ham club, as well as the public volunteer events that our club does for the county, like the Pigman Run which is coming up here on the 17th. I figured with a long antenna, a light weight compact extendable setup, I should be able to talk to everyone without any issues.

So again I pose the question. Does anyone have a schematic or directions on how to create this antenna?

[gil]

Hello,

I have tried different antennas on HTs and none made any difference... What did make a HUGE difference though was to attach a 19-inch piece of wire on my UV-5R belt clip. See the image attached.

Otherwise, I would suggest to get a BNC adapter and make a Slim Jim antenna made of ladder line. See: http://www.hamuniverse.com/ke4nu450slimjim.html (2m only).
Use RG-174 coax and you'll have a very small portable package! You can throw a fishing line/weight up a tree with a slingshot and hoist your Slim Jim antenna for much greater range.

Congratulations on your license. Have fun!

Gil.

[dslinfreak]

I could in fact use ladder line. Thank you very much. Once I have my TransmitPack built I'll post pictures. Basically it'll have a light weight aluminum base with aluminum tubing that will extend up about 10 feet, but collapse down to about 2 feet, With a zip tie that will hold the top of the antenna to the top of the tubing. The wire will run down the tubing to the HT, which is clipped to the Pack, and the speaker/mic combo will be clipped the the pack one step below. The TrasmitPack itself to build will only cost about 20 dollars. I'm not sure exactly how much I'll have to spend to make this antenna though.

[cockpitbob]

Here's a little reading on the difference between a j-pole and slim-jim; both made with ladder line.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J-pole_antenna#Slim_Jim_antenna


Here's a calculator for getting the dimensions for any frequency j-pole or slim-jim:  http://www.m0ukd.com/Calculators/Slim_Jim/#

[gil]

Or you can go all copper:

[John Galt]

I'm guessing it's a typo but the Baofeng ain't gonna do 10m as it's just 2m and 70cm.

I bought a 7 or 8 inch antenna off of Amazon that I think works better than the supplied antenna.  I also tried one that was about 15 inches that didn't really improve from the 7 inch.  A rat tail seemed to help a little but is difficult to fit well into the antenna/radio connection.
With that said though, I have no experience with any other type of HT antennas.

[KC3AOL]

I could in fact use ladder line. Thank you very much. Once I have my TransmitPack built I'll post pictures. Basically it'll have a light weight aluminum base with aluminum tubing that will extend up about 10 feet, but collapse down to about 2 feet, With a zip tie that will hold the top of the antenna to the top of the tubing. The wire will run down the tubing to the HT, which is clipped to the Pack, and the speaker/mic combo will be clipped the the pack one step below. The TrasmitPack itself to build will only cost about 20 dollars. I'm not sure exactly how much I'll have to spend to make this antenna though.

The aluminum pole will interact with the antenna, so bad choice.  I bought a Slim Jim from here:
http://www.2wayelectronix.com/
It's only $23, so you probably won't save much money by building your own.  I guess it just depends on if you want to do it for the experience.

[dslinfreak]

I'm guessing it's a typo but the Baofeng ain't gonna do 10m as it's just 2m and 70cm.

I bought a 7 or 8 inch antenna off of Amazon that I think works better than the supplied antenna.  I also tried one that was about 15 inches that didn't really improve from the 7 inch.  A rat tail seemed to help a little but is difficult to fit well into the antenna/radio connection.
With that said though, I have not experienced with any other type of HT antennas.

It was indeed a typo, I was extremely tired. However I did want to build an antenna to start getting the experience, as I haven't really done anything but setup a cb rig in my last car. That was fun.