Sleeve Dipole Antenna for 2m

The elements for this Sleeve Dipole Antenna are cut from copper tube scrap (3/16" diameter for the driven element and 5/8" for the sleeve).

2m Sleeve Dipole Antenna
The driven element is pushed into a 2" long rubber hose and fitted 1" deep into the sleeve. A tapered bakelite tube gives rigidity to the joint. For an overall length of ½ λ (39" at 145MHz), the sleeve is 19½" long and the driven element 20½".

2m Sleeve Dipole Antenna details
The ends are closed with plastic caps. A BNC socket is mounted on the sleeve end-cap and wired with RG-59/U coaxial cable. The centre conductor is soldered to the driven element and the braid to the sleeve. Care is taken to ensure that the BNC socket does not touch the sleeve.

A good weekend project, awaiting tests for effectiveness.

Related post: Wire Slim Jim for 2m
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Moxon Antenna for 2m

3/8 " aluminium tubular elements, left over from a cannibalised VHF TV Yagi beam, were used to fabricate this 2m Moxon Antenna.

2m Moxon Antenna
Screw joints became a necessity since the elements were not long enough. The ends were flattened and drilled for the purpose.

A scrap plastic handle came in handy for the spacers. It was easy to cut it, drill the fixing holes and make a recess for the BNC socket.

Dimensions were obtained using the 'MoxGen - MOXON Rectangle Generator'.

For vertical polarisation, this antenna is directly mounted on a PVC pipe mast with a screw through each spacer.

Preliminary checks showed that this antenna is as good as, if not better than, my 'simple 2 element array'. Both, being 50Ω antennas, are capable of outperforming even a 3 element array with its associated matching problems.

Related post: Simple 2-element Array for 2m
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