Tuesday 16th February 2010 One antenna

Some time ago I built a 70 Cm Moxon to operate on 432 MHz. The antenna was/is a screaming success. Better than I expected. I am impressed , both with the antenna and its performance. My on air tests with that antenna echoed the designers claims. Flush with the success of that antenna, the first I had built for almost 15 years I decided it was time to have a go and build a 2 metre/144 MHz beam. A good friend of mine gave me an old TV antenna that he was to put out for recycling. I recycled it into my latest project.
This is the radio it was to work on:It is a Yaesu 480r, vintage unknown. It puts out about 10 watts. Old but simple and, I thought reliable.

This is the parts for the gamma match:The coax is around a metre long, as is the aluminium tube that it slides into. For those not in the know, the antenna is tuned by sliding the aluminium tube over the coax. Simple, but effective. I used the same gamma match, that's what it is called, many years ago in a previous life when I designed and built a 14 element Yagi and later still a 7 element Yagi.

Here is the antenna, minus the gamma match:
Now here is the same antenna up in the sky:
On the top of the pole is a 5 band Comet vertical. Nice antenna but a bit deaf. The wire antenna that is connected to nothing is my 40 metre dipole. I sort of switch between the vertical and the dipole.
So, that is my success story. Now for my sob story. That radio in the top picture is dead. It died just after I got the antenna on air. It works every now and then when I give it a bit of a tap in the right place.
My next project is to build or design and build a dual band 2/70 Yagi. But, I can't find any plans for this antenna anywhere. So if you happen to read this post and happen to know of any, please to tell.
I got the plans for this antenna from here. but I changed things a bit. Mainly in the spacing area because the boom length I had was only 1.5 metres.