How I got on VHF

I'm an HF guy. Can't help it. I love CW and the squawk of SSB. But I live in one of those antenna depleted neighborhoods (dang yard Nazis!) and all I can manage is a long wire hidden in the trees. I've been yearning for something I could turn. I needed a beam. So I started thinking about VHF.

I'm also a klutz. An English major. But I love learning about stuff, QRP, building rigs and watching squiggles on scope screens. But, past the circuit board stage, I'm pretty incompetent. That's where my old buddy Mike comes in. Mike and I have known each other awhile...a long while – my call is WA5PSA and his call is WA5PSE. He's competent. So, together, we decided we could figure out how to get a couple of beams in my attic.

The first step was to build a six meter beam. Mike found a good article by the late L. B. Cebik, W4RNL, from the February, 2000 QST (pdf). Three element yagi on six meters. Since I've never had a rotatable anything, I thought I'd be in tall cotton. Then, when he told me he'd bring me an old 5 element 2 meter beam, I decided I was gonna be a big signal guy! As my son would say...WOOT!

Since we were going to put the beams in my attic we did not have to worry about wind load or weather. Therefore, we could build the six meter beam out of wood and spit wads. Well, wood and zip ties anyway. Here is a picture that will give you some idea of our “construction techniques.”



Here is a larger picture showing the beam on a temporary PVC mast that we used for initial SWR tuning. The neighbors were eying us suspiciously at this point.


We cut a PVC mast, hooked up an old rotor Mike brought me (he's a peach) and mounted both beams in the attic. After several hours of measuring and sweaty work we had working 2 meter and six meter beams in my attic.



I've got BEAMS!!! They're swinging around in my attic, but I've got beams! Now to to learn about 2M SSB and six meter skip and repeaters and...oh boy.

WA5PSA - Brad