KG4CGC
01-25-2018, 10:10 PM
Hello all!
I don't know is you recall Tom, WV6Z. He was an avid member here back in the day. Anyway, he gifted with an Icom IC-207 dual band transceiver. Not an H, just 207. Strange, I couldn't find any info on the 207 only, everything out there said H. A couple of years ago I gave him some vape gear and he's been wanting to gift me in return.
I've had it for 3 weeks and I've been taking my time building and planning for having a 2m antenna at la maison. I built a ground plane with a couple of elements for 70cm. I used an old rf cage from from an old Heathkit something as a base or frame if you will. It was a perforated metal box with one side completely open and a SO-239 size mounting hole. The box was screwed together in two wit 4 screws. I took it apart and screwed it back together longer and flatter and mounted a pole mount assembly to it with more screws, nuts and washers.
I used a 3/8th antenna mount with SO-239 and screwed into it an old Antron element that I cut down to size. I added a 70cm element, just a simple 12 ga solid copper wire coated in hardener but, I also added more wire around the 2m element. I only cut it 1/8th" shorter than the first element but it's a piece of RG6-Q with the center and the shield shorted together. I really wanted a heavy amount of wire since the frame for the rest of the mounting is already so heavy duty. I added those in with pressure clamps against the face of the 3/8th mount and the wires. Coated it all with 5 min epoxy and weather sealed it.
The ground radials are threaded 1/8th" steel rods. I mounted them through the lower part of the frame to add strength to it and subtracted the sides of the frame from the length of the radials. I also added a single vertical radial for 70cm near the main 70cm element although the old rf cage now antenna platform was already acting as one. Painted it all back right after I gooped all the threads to the screws keeping everything together.
It's 21' in the air. Seems to work pretty good. I don't have a veeSWR meter for VHF. I'd be curious to know what it is.
We'll see what 2m is like these days. It has been quite a number of years since I've listened to 2m much less operated there. I need to look up directions on how to program it. There are already a few of the local repeaters programmed as well as some simplex frequencies. Apparently it receives air band but I don't know if it's capable of demodulating AM, I mean, I seriously doubt it but apparently it also receives 320 Mhz all the way up to the top of the receive range.
I don't know is you recall Tom, WV6Z. He was an avid member here back in the day. Anyway, he gifted with an Icom IC-207 dual band transceiver. Not an H, just 207. Strange, I couldn't find any info on the 207 only, everything out there said H. A couple of years ago I gave him some vape gear and he's been wanting to gift me in return.
I've had it for 3 weeks and I've been taking my time building and planning for having a 2m antenna at la maison. I built a ground plane with a couple of elements for 70cm. I used an old rf cage from from an old Heathkit something as a base or frame if you will. It was a perforated metal box with one side completely open and a SO-239 size mounting hole. The box was screwed together in two wit 4 screws. I took it apart and screwed it back together longer and flatter and mounted a pole mount assembly to it with more screws, nuts and washers.
I used a 3/8th antenna mount with SO-239 and screwed into it an old Antron element that I cut down to size. I added a 70cm element, just a simple 12 ga solid copper wire coated in hardener but, I also added more wire around the 2m element. I only cut it 1/8th" shorter than the first element but it's a piece of RG6-Q with the center and the shield shorted together. I really wanted a heavy amount of wire since the frame for the rest of the mounting is already so heavy duty. I added those in with pressure clamps against the face of the 3/8th mount and the wires. Coated it all with 5 min epoxy and weather sealed it.
The ground radials are threaded 1/8th" steel rods. I mounted them through the lower part of the frame to add strength to it and subtracted the sides of the frame from the length of the radials. I also added a single vertical radial for 70cm near the main 70cm element although the old rf cage now antenna platform was already acting as one. Painted it all back right after I gooped all the threads to the screws keeping everything together.
It's 21' in the air. Seems to work pretty good. I don't have a veeSWR meter for VHF. I'd be curious to know what it is.
We'll see what 2m is like these days. It has been quite a number of years since I've listened to 2m much less operated there. I need to look up directions on how to program it. There are already a few of the local repeaters programmed as well as some simplex frequencies. Apparently it receives air band but I don't know if it's capable of demodulating AM, I mean, I seriously doubt it but apparently it also receives 320 Mhz all the way up to the top of the receive range.