FROM JUNK TO VALUABLE YAGI, by DVM

Look what I found at the local dump the other day! A discarded TV antenna. Heh, heh, heh…perfect for a 2m yagi project. Here are the quick details to inspire all you guys out there. Here is how it looked:

It must have been the victim of a wind or ice storm. Pretty bent up, but that is no problem. I see the ingredients for a nice 2m antenna. I disassembled it by drilling lots of rivets…not too difficult.

I salvaged the main beam and the longest radials. I went on the internet and found the lengths and distances for the reflector and directors. I had a cobra-head already (a BNC quick connector) so I riveted it to the main beam. Here’s what one afternoon of work will produce:

It works great, attached to my Baofeng. Comparable antennas sell for around $80-100. Why don’t you try it?

God Bless,

DVM

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By Published On: December 7, 2020Categories: AP Staff, Comms9 Comments on FROM JUNK TO VALUABLE YAGI, by DVM

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About the Author: NC Scout

NC Scout is the nom de guerre of a former Infantry Scout and Sergeant in one of the Army’s best Reconnaissance Units. He has combat tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He teaches a series of courses focusing on small unit skills rarely if ever taught anywhere else in the prepping and survival field, including his RTO Course which focuses on small unit communications. In his free time he is an avid hunter, bushcrafter, writer, long range shooter, prepper, amateur radio operator and Libertarian activist. He can be contacted at [email protected] or via his blog at brushbeater.wordpress.com .

9 Comments

  1. Anonymous December 7, 2020 at 16:09

    5

  2. Johnny Paratrooper December 7, 2020 at 16:15

    What! Lucky. I found a lawnmower the other day. TFW the green grass doesn’t grow… yet.

  3. Tator December 7, 2020 at 16:27

    Nice work DVM. I have an old tv antenna I need to climb up on one of the houses and cut down. Pretty familiar with most connectors, but them BNC quick connectors look pretty handy. Need to get me a few of them. Never had call for any in the past or have just over looked them because same. Thanks NC for the heads up on your connector article.

  4. Mike December 7, 2020 at 17:36

    Do you have a site that has the math or the lengths of reflectors and lengths between each one? That would be what I would need to make something out of the trashed tv antenna.

    • NC Scout December 7, 2020 at 21:28

      Just look up a Yagi calculator.

      • Mike December 7, 2020 at 21:31

        Thank you sir will do

    • Badger December 7, 2020 at 21:35

      There are several if you just plug ‘antenna calculation yagi director reflector’ into a search engine. Here’s one:

      https://www.rfwireless-world.com/calculators/3-element-Yagi-Antenna-Calculator.html
      Outputs are in meters

      As your driven element is a dipole, then the reflector (furthest element back, behind the driven element) is typically 5% longer than the dipole. The director is often like 1/4th the wavelength in distance BEHIND the dipole. The director(s) in front are conversely 5% shorter.

      The calculator above is in the too-easy-button category.

  5. JB December 7, 2020 at 21:24

    The old issues of QST are gems for homebuilders. Issues from the first issue are out there in the internet land in PDF. Back in the day when Amateurs built their own gear and antennas the ARRL were the original publishers of a makers magazine, QST.
    While high power radio parts are very hard to find today or are criminally expensive, aluminum tubing, fiberglass tubing and structural plastics are plentiful in new condition or available used in scrap piles. I visit my local scrap yard for aluminum sheet and plate as well as tubing for antenna construction. Another good source of yagi boom material in the aluminum channel extrusions used for vertical blinds. I save every one I can get my hands on.

    The new ARRL Antenna Manuals are big in size and dollar, but old ones from the 70’ and newer are in used book stores for a few bucks. And they too are available off the net for free in PDF . After 45 yrs of marriage my wife still thinks Im a hoarder because I save materials with a known future value. Women are not like that. Of course I started scrounging very young, by stripping old TV chassis of parts, transformers, resistors, capacitors and tuners.

    Today, this grey beard scrounger with a year old General Class ticket is rebuilding an old Cuscraft tri band trapped HF beam I found in garbage pile a while back. And parts are still available to boot.

    • DVM December 8, 2020 at 11:53

      I will check that out JB. I did not know about QST, sounds awesome! Yes, we are collectors, always thinking of building something aren’t we? Thanks for reading and commenting brother.

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