New 2M Yagi is exciting

   The 2M Yagi that I ordered off of EBay arrived, and it works great! Simplicity itself, it's made out of PVC pipe and tape measures. The boom is sectional, and the elements fold in for relatively compact storage and carrying. At a price of $35, the seller is definitely making a profit, but the design is a sound one. The only thing that I'd even begin to take issue with is the choice of a BNC connector on the coaxial cable pigtail. The seller should at least offer SMA or PL-259 as an option, especially since the three-foot pigtail will probably need to be extended.

  I improvised a mount on my tripod by putting a wooden dowel in the horizontal mount hole and using hose clamps to attach the "handle" of the Yagi to the dowel. I'm working on a more robust mounting scheme, as well as an adapter that would allow this antenna to be mounted on any common photographic tripod. Still, just to test it out, this hokey arrangement worked well enough. 

  Setting my FT-897D on the lowest VHF output available (5W), I adjusted the mast of the tripod to be about shoulder height. This would allow the antenna to be used on my balcony without being seen from the ground and attracting the attention of my neighbours. Pointing it roughly east, I tried a relatively easy repeater first to test the SWR -- the 145.290- in New Brighton. The SWR was virtually flat, and the repeater came back with a full-scale signal (as it usually does, even with a 1/4-wave whip). Next, I tried K0LAV's (Paul) new 147.390+ repeater with identical results. 

  Moving on to bigger challenges, I tried the St. Paul 145.310+ and 145.170- repeaters. These usually both require at least 10W to "ker-chunk", and 15W to work readably, with my whip from here on the other side of town. With the new Yagi (mounted fairly low, remember), they both opened up with only 5W and came back with full-scale (S++) signals instead of their usual S9. Likewise with the 146.985- in Inver Grove Heights. Now we were getting somewhere! 

  Pointing the beam north, while still keeping it low, the Isanti 145.210- responded with 5W and an S9 signal -- and this was with the signal going through the wall on the balcony. That was promising. Swinging the beam to the south-west brought in the Faribault 146.790- machine with an S4 signal, though I couldn't "ker-chunk" it with such low power. 

  So I raised the mast to roof-top height, as it was already getting dark anyway. Free of obstructions, 5W now opened up the Faribault repeater and gave S8 on the return. The Baldwin 145.250- also came in clearly. The Balsam Lake 147.195+ repeater took 10W to "ker-chunk" it, and only came back S4 or so, but that's a decent haul for such a compromise arrangement without superior propagation conditions. 

  I was pretty pleased with the performance and the options this new antenna would offer me, even keeping it low. Even better was that I now finally had a horizontal 2M antenna for weak-signal work. I turned it to mount horizontally and kept it a roof-top level, trying some two-metre CW. I was very surprised to find that horizontal polarisation eliminated virtually all of the interference with my TV and stereo -- and the potential for annoying my neighbours. Unsurprisingly, I found no one coming back to me on CW. Likewise with two-metre SSB on 144.200, but that mode of operation is now open to me. 

  Lowering the antenna, I was just about to call it a night when I got the crazy idea to try the new Yagi on UHF. I set the output to the lowest level (2W) to avoid damaging the radio, and uttered the words "KD0TLS test" on the MARA 444.800+ repeater. The SWR was higher, but still within acceptable range (about 1.6:1). That was pretty amazing in itself, but it was even more amazing to hear K0LAV and KE0ALI (Josh) come back to my sign with a report that I was full-quieting into the machine. With just two watts and the mast un-raised! 

  With it's light weight (virtually nothing), it's dual-band capability, and its ability to break down and fold up, this could be an inexpensive option to play with FM satellites, take camping, or take down to the park for a little portable operation on a sunny day. It also allows you to greatly improve your signal operating indoors with an HT. I was able to attach it to a floor mic stand (like musicians use to mic their amps), and get acceptable performance indoors -- though it works much better outdoors on VHF. 

  What it's not good for is mounting on your roof, since the tape measure elements aren't rigid at all. For portable use in windy conditions, you could tape thin wooden dowels to the elements, I suppose. 

  I picked up a length of PVC pipe, and I'll be working on an improved mounting solution. I expect that this new antenna will be used quite often in my rotation at my restrictive condo location.