Old 04-05-2012, 13:36   #31
BMT (RIP)
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If you are at Bragg. Contact Jerry Knight Knight Electronics 910-488-2257.

Tell Jerry what you need and it'll be done right.
They will also ship to anywhere.

BMT
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Old 04-05-2012, 19:46   #32
bravo22b
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A solution presented itself in the form of a 75' RG-58 feeder line from an old GRA-50 antenna kit, found in a CONEX out back. Mil-spec stranded core cable is probably better than most of what I would get online anyway.

I already had 4 TNC crimp connectors, so I was looking to make use of them. So far I have made 3 antennas, one using the BNC connector that was already factory installed on the feeder cable. The other two antennas I used my TNC crimp connectors. After I test these to make sure I haven't screwed them up, I will make up the other two.

After that, I will be going the patch cable route. My Google-fu had already found the RG-58 patch cables for almost the same price I can buy the TNC connnectors. Seems like a no-brainer to buy a cable that already has the connector installed; it's almost certainly a better connection than I can do myself, and a lot easier.

From the responses it doesn't sound like there are any disadvantages to that method.
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Old 05-14-2012, 14:43   #33
Electron
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RG-58 Cable

http://www.professionalsoldiers.com/...ad.php?t=19986
Look for post #15 for the NSN for RG-58A/U cable.

Watch out ordering this downrange. The SSA local nationals at Kandahar were a bunch of winners. I ordered 200 feet of RG-58. When I went to pick it up, the worker cut the cable into 1 foot lengths because the unit of issue was FT.
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Old 07-02-2014, 11:58   #34
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this antenna was tought to me by an 18E while I was deployed or IQ. I found this antenna works 100x better than the stock whip antenna. Amazing!
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Old 07-02-2014, 16:12   #35
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From my experience (both deployed to Iraq as an 11B and Robin Sage as an 18E):

Body whips are mostly affected by terrain (emphasis on my personal experience)...both natural and man-made. that also includes your own personal body. What do I mean by personal body? Two things:

1: When you weave the coax cable up/down OR left/right through webbing of your kit, you have the potential of "cutting" the ANT. Knowing that we want a GOOD SWR (preferably 1:1 - 1:5) we must build the ANT to a specific length (Freq/234)

If said ANT achieves that good SWR when stretched out, what happens to it if it is repeatedly woven at a close proximity? The potential of shortening our length happens, thus affecting the SWR. Our ANT is no longer resonant.

2: When woven, one can expect that you could potentially create a quasi-directional ANT. Example: woven on the back, the RF energy has to pass through the back plate, the kevlar of the body armor, your body itself, front kevlar, front plate, various steel/aluminum/metal mags/frags etc... then finally to the desired station.

Note, the ANT is still omni-directional, but it's distance is reduced towards the front due to the orientation of the ANT and your body's proximity.

How can one mitigate those 2 issues?

1: When weaving coax, skip over a couple of molle webbings, spread it out so it does not "cut" itself.

2: Depending on the the overall length of the coax, weave it back to the front to have some of the radiating element exposed in both directions. Also, if you have the radiating element actually touching your bare skin, your body will act as a ground and will drop the SWR 1-2 points.

Once again these are from my experiences, and what was taught to me from the Commo shed out at Sage. Overall, I've had better experience with the Blade ANT over a body whip.

If you have issues with a Blade check these things:
1: Is the Blade folded? That can be cutting the ANT making it not resonant to the Freq you're operating it on.

2: What is you PWR output? Pushing enough? I have made 35KM+ plus shots with a Blade ANT at .5 Watts numerous times

3: What is the orientation of the Blade is respects the desired station? Are the polarizations the same in respects to each other?

Having a working knowledge of HF helps alot when it comes to constructing ANTs.
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Old 07-03-2014, 06:47   #36
glebo
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Quote:
Originally Posted by boogie View Post
From my experience (both deployed to Iraq as an 11B and Robin Sage as an 18E):

Body whips are mostly affected by terrain (emphasis on my personal experience)...both natural and man-made. that also includes your own personal body. What do I mean by personal body? Two things:

1: When you weave the coax cable up/down OR left/right through webbing of your kit, you have the potential of "cutting" the ANT. Knowing that we want a GOOD SWR (preferably 1:1 - 1:5) we must build the ANT to a specific length (Freq/234) (huh??)

If said ANT achieves that good SWR when stretched out, what happens to it if it is repeatedly woven at a close proximity? The potential of shortening our length happens, thus affecting the SWR. Our ANT is no longer resonant.

2: When woven, one can expect that you could potentially create a quasi-directional ANT. Example: woven on the back, the RF energy has to pass through the back plate, the kevlar of the body armor, your body itself, front kevlar, front plate, various steel/aluminum/metal mags/frags etc... then finally to the desired station.

Note, the ANT is still omni-directional, but it's distance is reduced towards the front due to the orientation of the ANT and your body's proximity.

How can one mitigate those 2 issues?

1: When weaving coax, skip over a couple of molle webbings, spread it out so it does not "cut" itself.

2: Depending on the the overall length of the coax, weave it back to the front to have some of the radiating element exposed in both directions. Also, if you have the radiating element actually touching your bare skin, your body will act as a ground and will drop the SWR 1-2 points.

Once again these are from my experiences, and what was taught to me from the Commo shed out at Sage. Overall, I've had better experience with the Blade ANT over a body whip.

If you have issues with a Blade check these things:
1: Is the Blade folded? That can be cutting the ANT making it not resonant to the Freq you're operating it on.

2: What is you PWR output? Pushing enough? I have made 35KM+ plus shots with a Blade ANT at .5 Watts numerous times

3: What is the orientation of the Blade is respects the desired station? Are the polarizations the same in respects to each other?

Having a working knowledge of HF helps alot when it comes to constructing ANTs.
You sure about that?? (in bold)

Also weaving you're antenna will just physicaly shorten it, it will not electricaly shorten it, so, theoretically it's still "resonant" (if cut to a specific freq)

You are correct though, changing the physical characteristics will effect radiation patterns of any antenna.

What you think you're antenna is doing, is not what it's doing.

Not raggin on ya, just adding .02 worth...

otherwise, good advice..
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Old 07-03-2014, 07:43   #37
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Quote:
Originally Posted by glebo View Post
You sure about that?? (in bold)

Also weaving you're antenna will just physically shorten it, it will not electrically shorten it, so, theoretically it's still "resonant" (if cut to a specific freq)

You are correct though, changing the physical characteristics will effect radiation patterns of any antenna.

What you think you're antenna is doing, is not what it's doing.

Not raggin on ya, just adding .02 worth...

otherwise, good advice..
No worries, Just stating my personal exp..

We hooked up a SWR meter to the whip while we experimented with different weaving patterns and we saw a noticeable change in the SWR. Thinking back now, it may have been because we literally wove it back onto itself.
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Old 07-03-2014, 10:43   #38
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Originally Posted by boogie View Post
No worries, Just stating my personal exp..

We hooked up a SWR meter to the whip while we experimented with different weaving patterns and we saw a noticeable change in the SWR. Thinking back now, it may have been because we literally wove it back onto itself.
that will definetly affect it. Glad you're using the SWR, that's really the only way to find out.

good deal..
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