Anyone with experience on 800MHz Yagi antennas?

[altec]

Anyone on rr successfully built their own 800MHz yagi antenna or actually had a "good manufactured one"? How did it work out? I had a program a few years back where it calculated the measurements on how to build one but never got around to doing it. Seemed like a really good program but can't remember the name or where I dl it from. Any help on any hints or where to find the parts is greatly appreciated. All the stores I can think around my area are lowes and radioshack. Still trying to debate if it is cheaper to build one using your own tools or just buy one of those storebought ones? I think they go for 80 bucks new but not for sure. Maybe even work better?

I'm just going to use it to monitor 3 or 4 distant trunked systems about 50 miles away. Also any ideas on how high off the ground the antenna would also be helpful. I would guess 20 or 30 feet maybe? I do have a few hills and mountains with pine trees on them. Damn pine trees, read about them once on attunation on frequencies. Anyways any ideas or suggestions would be great. Thanks, Altec.

P.S. Also what about loop yagi designs? This is new to me so I'm not sure about loops designs yet.

 

[hoser147]

Here is a thread on homebrew yagi's http://www.radioreference.com/forums/antenna-forum/132322-my-first-homebrew-antenna-yay.html
Edit: here is the one on Yagi's I grabbed the wrong one. http://www.radioreference.com/forums/antenna-forum/45999-yagi-antennas-under-5-a.html

 

[AlmostHandy]

hehe, well it started out as a thread about v1.0 of my ground plane antenna, but I have a tendency to ask a lot of follow up questions that stray from the main topic.

I had asked a few other Yagi questions in this thread as well.


I am in the process of gathering supplies to build an 800mHz yagi, so I can listen to the Boeing TRS.

I found an antenna calculator that totally roxors my soxors. Check it out here.


I've decided that I'm going to wait to build it until I can get the proper connectors and feedline for it. I don't want to just hack it together like my ground plane, since it's a little more technical.

I've found another great site, here, that has a TON of different antenna calculators.

 

[dirtfinder]

VHF/UHF Yagi Antenna Design by dxzone.com

 

[altec]

Here is a thread on homebrew yagi's http://www.radioreference.com/forums/antenna-forum/132322-my-first-homebrew-antenna-yay.html
Edit: here is the one on Yagi's I grabbed the wrong one. http://www.radioreference.com/forums/antenna-forum/45999-yagi-antennas-under-5-a.html

Thanks Hoser, The 5 dollar antennas.pdf is what I was looking for. Came with pics and instructions on how to do it!

 

[hoser147]

Keep us posted on how it comes out for ya, Good Luck

 

[SCPD]

Glad you found what you were looking for

Thanks Hoser, The 5 dollar antennas.pdf is what I was looking for. Came with pics and instructions on how to do it!

Glad this is what you wanted. Just a quick comment about height. Some folks like to say that the higher the better. But from all the antenna projects I've done and had up, in my opinion, unless you can get above the trees, trying to go from 10 feet to 20 feet, or 20 feet to 30 feet, isn't worth the effort. Now getting above the tree line is a different story. It is SO worth the effort to do that.

 

[altec]

In reference to the http://www.radioreference.com/forum...1-yagi-antennas-under-5-5-dollar-antennas.pdf instructions I have aluminum wire that looks as thick as coat wires. Which one would be best for the elements? Coat hanger wire or aluminum wire for pulling in 800MHz signals?

Also the driven element seems a lil complex. It says its a center wave dipole so I'm clueless on what that is. Is that that the same as a balun? Or is it something else. Pictures or links of this of this would be great.