Atic antenna...

[popnokick]

Be sure to make one "leg" of the copper pipe 18 inches long and the other 48 inches long. You're making an Off-Center Fed Dipole (OCFD), not a dipole. If you make the legs equal length as in a regular dipole you'll lose the wide band coverage and gain afforded by the OCFD.

 

[justrfb]

Thanks popnokick. O-yea, I forgot to mention that I built a quick, made from wire OCFD antenna and hung it on the wall right by the scanner. I was picking up 3 more towns I had programmed with it over the telescoping included antenna. So I am very excited to get this "real" OCFD going... Stay tuned...

Sincerely,
Rich

 

[dmg1969]

Good deal, Rich. Above all, have fun. I have been experimenting with antennas since I got back into the hobby a few years ago. Looking forward to see yours in progress and complete.

Dave

 

[popnokick]

For the time and money spent to make it (very little), the OCFD is an outstanding performer. As has been written here on RR regarding the wire OCFD (by either mmckenna or prcguy), "If it's not what you expected you can throw it out and have lost almost nothing". Put another way, it costs almost nothing to try it. Hanging it on a wall or window is good... attic or balcony is even better. There is also a writeup with pics somewhere here on RR by someone who rolls the OCFD up in his suitcase and simply hangs it in the hotel window when he travels.

 

[ka3jjz]

It's in our wiki, and here it is...

Homebrewed Off-Center Fed Dipole - The RadioReference Wiki

Mike

 

[popnokick]

This is the thread to which I was referring-
http://forums.radioreference.com/scanner-receiver-antennas/283233-seeking-better-travel-antenna.html

 

[justrfb]

Hello All.
I was at Lowes and I had RG6 in my hands... 18 AWG quad shielding... I had the BNC crimp on (scanner side) and the "F" (I believe) crimp on (antenna side) connectors in my hand... I had the crimper tool... I put it all back. I would be running the coax about 20 or so feet from the scanner to the antenna in the attic. Is this good enough stuff or do I really need the 9913 or LMR 400 coax? Thanks...

Sincerely,
Rich

 

[popnokick]

You had the right coax. RG6 is correct. It is 75 ohm and the TV transformer that is part of the OCFD is a 75 to 300 ohm transformer matching the 75 ohm coax to the feed point of the OCFD. In addition, good quality quad shield RG6 is very low loss even at UHF and 800mHz. You had exactly the right parts in your hand. One of the great things about the OCFD is you can get all the parts at any hardware store. No trip to any electronics stores or mail order is necessary. And don't be concerned if you read that your scanner uses 50 ohm coax. Scanner receivers all handle 75 ohm coax even if not stated in the manual.

 

[justrfb]

Hello popnokick.
Thank you for your continuous help... I will go back today and get those parts on the way home from work. I heard another programmed town last evening, Butler! That is pretty far away from me. I can't wait to get my wife's laptop back from repair (it has my Freescan on it) and program in more channels. I will take pictures... Thank you again.

Sincerely,
Rich