How to Make a Dipole Antenna - Revision history

Dirknerkle at 14:21, 24 July 2020

2020-07-24T14:21:04Z

Dirknerkle at 14:13, 24 July 2020

2020-07-24T14:13:17Z

Dirknerkle at 14:10, 24 July 2020

2020-07-24T14:10:31Z

Dirknerkle at 14:08, 24 July 2020

2020-07-24T14:08:47Z

Dirknerkle at 14:05, 24 July 2020

2020-07-24T14:05:21Z

Dirknerkle at 14:04, 24 July 2020

2020-07-24T14:04:19Z

Dirknerkle at 14:01, 24 July 2020

2020-07-24T14:01:24Z

Dirknerkle at 14:00, 24 July 2020

2020-07-24T14:00:33Z

Dirknerkle at 13:59, 24 July 2020

2020-07-24T13:59:36Z

Dirknerkle at 13:48, 24 July 2020

2020-07-24T13:48:31Z

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 :9.	Clip off one of the end connectors from the TV coax cable, strip down the insulation and separate the center wire from the outer “ground shield” wire. Make sure the shield wire does not touch the center wire.
-:10.	Solder the center coax wire to one of the wires and the ground “shield” wire to the other. It doesn’t matter which is which, although the side that connects to the center wire will be the “top” of the antenna if the antenna is mounted vertically (preferred!). Note: to prevent against accidental shorts, you may want to use shrink-tubing to insulate the center wire from the shield wire.
+:10.	Solder the center coax wire to one of the wires and the ground “shield” wire to the other. It doesn’t matter which is which, although the side that connects to the center wire will be the “top” of the antenna if the antenna is mounted vertically (preferred!). Note: to prevent against accidental shorts, you may want to use shrink-tubing or electrical tape to insulate the center wire from the shield wire.
 [[File:Ant-4.png | center]]
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 ::[[File:Ant-6.png | center]]
-:15.	Loop the zip tie through the hole in the washer, down into the pipe, through the loop in the cable and back out through the washer. Then loosely tighten the zip tie so there’s some play. Do the same with the other end. (Note: the washer isn’t a necessity and you could certainly drill holes in the PVC end caps instead, although this may allow rainwater to seep in and create a problem for an antenna that’s mounted outdoors.
+:15.	Loop the zip tie through the hole in the washer, down into the pipe, through the loop in the cable and back out through the washer. Then loosely tighten the zip tie so there’s some play. Do the same with the other end. (Note: the washer isn’t a necessity and you could certainly drill holes in the PVC end caps instead, although this may allow rainwater to seep in and create a problem for an antenna that’s mounted outdoors.)
 [[File:Ant-7.png | center]]

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 [[File:Ant-1.png | center]]
-:3.	Measure and cut the wire exactly in half so you have two identical lengths.
+:3.	Measure and cut the wire '''exactly''' in half so you have two identical lengths.
 :4.	Decide on the frequency of your FM station. Then use the following formula to determine the length of each of the half pieces in inches: 2803/frequency in mhz. Example: suppose your station will be transmitting on 87.9mhz: 2803/87.9 = 31.888 inches (31-7/8” is close enough).
-:5.	Don’t cut, but mark this length on each half using a Sharpie measuring from the loop end. This is the ideal radiating element length for your chosen frequency. Make a 90 degree bend in both wires at exactly that point.
+:5.	Don’t cut, but mark this length on each half using a Sharpie measuring from the loop end. This is the ideal radiating element length for your chosen frequency. Make a 90 degree bend in both wires at '''exactly''' that point.
 :6.	On a small piece of perf board, plastic or other strong, non-electrically conductive material that’s narrow enough to fit through the PVC pipe, drill a row of four small holes just large enough for the wire to fit through, and place them close together – no more than ¼” apart.

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 [[File:Ant-11.png | center]]
-:20.	You may be able to increase the efficiency of your dipole antenna by affixing a choke core balun around the coax cable. You should place it as close as possible to the center junction and it will fit quite nicely inside the short PVC pipe that comes out of the “T” connector. The radiation pattern of a dipole antenna mounted vertically is omni-directional, much like the shape of a donut.
+:20.	You may be able to increase the efficiency of your dipole antenna by affixing a choke core balun around the coax cable. You should place it as close as possible to the center junction and it will fit quite nicely inside the short PVC pipe that comes out of the “T” connector. The radiation pattern of a dipole antenna mounted vertically is horizontally omni-directional, much like the shape of a donut.
 :21.	After you test your antenna, if you plan to put the antenna outdoors, you may wish to use PVC cement to make joints permanent. Alternately, you may use just a small bit of silicone glue around the joints to make the antenna truly waterproof yet still easy to dismantle. Note: transmitting antennas always work better when mounted outdoors!
-:22.	REMINDER: your transmitter is always sending out a signal when it’s powered up. Be sure to power it off BEFORE you disconnect the antenna or you may damage the transmitter’s final amplifier circuit.
+:22.	'''REMINDER: your transmitter is always sending out a signal when it’s powered up. Be sure to power it off BEFORE you disconnect the antenna or you may damage the transmitter’s final amplifier circuit.'''

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-:This DIY FM antenna project is inexpensive and takes roughly an hour to assemble. The resulting antenna is very efficient and puts out a strong, clean signal. It can also be mounted either indoor or outdoor -- it's waterproof, too! A PDF version of this how-to is available here: '''[[Media:Dipole_antenna.pdf]]'''
+:This DIY FM antenna project is inexpensive and takes roughly an hour to assemble. The resulting antenna is very efficient and puts out a strong, clean signal. It can also be mounted either indoor or outdoor. A PDF version of this how-to is available here: '''[[Media:Dipole_antenna.pdf]]'''
 '''Materials'''
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 [[File:Ant-11.png | center]]
-:20.	You may be able to increase the efficiency of your dipole antenna by affixing a choke core balun around the coax cable. You should place it as close as possible to the center junction and it will fit quite nicely inside the short PVC pipe that comes out of the “T” connector.
+:20.	You may be able to increase the efficiency of your dipole antenna by affixing a choke core balun around the coax cable. You should place it as close as possible to the center junction and it will fit quite nicely inside the short PVC pipe that comes out of the “T” connector. The radiation pattern of a dipole antenna mounted vertically is omni-directional, much like the shape of a donut.
-:21.	After you test your antenna, if you plan to put the antenna outdoors, you may wish to use PVC cement to make joints permanent. Alternately, you may use just a small bit of silicone glue around the joints to make the antenna truly waterproof yet still easy to dismantle.
+:21.	After you test your antenna, if you plan to put the antenna outdoors, you may wish to use PVC cement to make joints permanent. Alternately, you may use just a small bit of silicone glue around the joints to make the antenna truly waterproof yet still easy to dismantle. Note: transmitting antennas always work better when mounted outdoors!
 :22.	REMINDER: your transmitter is always sending out a signal when it’s powered up. Be sure to power it off BEFORE you disconnect the antenna or you may damage the transmitter’s final amplifier circuit.

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:05, 24 July 2020
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−	:This DIY FM antenna project is inexpensive and takes roughly an hour to assemble. The resulting antenna is very efficient and puts out a strong, clean signal. It can also be mounted either indoor or outdoor -- it's waterproof, too! A PDF version of this how-to is available here: [[Media:Dipole_antenna.pdf]]	+	:This DIY FM antenna project is inexpensive and takes roughly an hour to assemble. The resulting antenna is very efficient and puts out a strong, clean signal. It can also be mounted either indoor or outdoor -- it's waterproof, too! A PDF version of this how-to is available here: '''[[Media:Dipole_antenna.pdf]]'''

	'''Materials'''		'''Materials'''

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:04, 24 July 2020
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−	:This DIY FM antenna project is inexpensive and takes roughly an hour to assemble. The resulting antenna is very efficient and puts out a strong, clean signal. It can also be mounted either indoor or outdoor -- it's waterproof, too! A PDF version of this how-to is available here: [[Media:Dipole_antenna~~.pdf dipole_antenna~~.pdf]]	+	:This DIY FM antenna project is inexpensive and takes roughly an hour to assemble. The resulting antenna is very efficient and puts out a strong, clean signal. It can also be mounted either indoor or outdoor -- it's waterproof, too! A PDF version of this how-to is available here: [[Media:Dipole_antenna.pdf]]

	'''Materials'''		'''Materials'''

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:01, 24 July 2020
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−	:This DIY FM antenna project is inexpensive and takes roughly an hour to assemble. The resulting antenna is very efficient and puts out a strong, clean signal. It can also be mounted either indoor or outdoor -- it's waterproof, too! A PDF version of this how-to is available here: [[~~File~~:~~dipole_antenna~~.pdf] dipole_antenna.pdf]	+	:This DIY FM antenna project is inexpensive and takes roughly an hour to assemble. The resulting antenna is very efficient and puts out a strong, clean signal. It can also be mounted either indoor or outdoor -- it's waterproof, too! A PDF version of this how-to is available here: [[Media:Dipole_antenna.pdf dipole_antenna.pdf]]

	'''Materials'''		'''Materials'''

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:00, 24 July 2020
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−	:This DIY FM antenna project is inexpensive and takes roughly an hour to assemble. The resulting antenna is very efficient and puts out a strong, clean signal. It can also be mounted either indoor or outdoor -- it's waterproof, too! A PDF version of this how-to is available here: [[File:dipole_antenna.pdf dipole_antenna.pdf]]	+	:This DIY FM antenna project is inexpensive and takes roughly an hour to assemble. The resulting antenna is very efficient and puts out a strong, clean signal. It can also be mounted either indoor or outdoor -- it's waterproof, too! A PDF version of this how-to is available here: [[File:dipole_antenna.pdf] dipole_antenna.pdf]

	'''Materials'''		'''Materials'''

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:59, 24 July 2020
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−	::This ~~is a~~ DIY FM antenna project ~~that~~ is ~~low cost~~ and takes roughly an hour to assemble. The resulting antenna is very efficient and puts out a strong, clean signal. It can also be mounted either indoor or outdoor -- it's waterproof, too!	+	:This DIY FM antenna project is inexpensive and takes roughly an hour to assemble. The resulting antenna is very efficient and puts out a strong, clean signal. It can also be mounted either indoor or outdoor -- it's waterproof, too! A PDF version of this how-to is available here: [[File:dipole_antenna.pdf dipole_antenna.pdf]]
−
−	~~- in progress~~ -

	'''Materials'''		'''Materials'''