Recently I have wanted to do more with satellite communications. To make portable operations easier, I wanted to build an antenna that is easy to carry and compact. The elements on this antenna are removable and held in place with magnets. This makes it very simple to put the antenna together.
Spacing and element lengths came from an AMSAT article with instructions on building a yagi with foam and aluminum wire. The design is interesting and worth a read.
PVC pipe will be used as the boom. To connect the elements to the boom, Macarr Labs printed out a 1/2″ PVC pipe bracket. A magnet is installed in each bracket so the elements are easy to attach and remove. This should help save space while storing the antenna.
Each element is made using ceiling grid wire. The elements are cut to length and installed in a bracket that mates with the PVC pipe bracket.
The radiating element of the yagi is also constructed out of ceiling grid wire. A 3/8″ bolt was used to form the loop on the matching section. A terminal strip is used at the feedpoint. This makes a good connection and makes a sturdier match.
A scrap piece of 1/2″ PVC pipe is used for the boom. A peice of velcro is used as strain releif for the feedpoint. The rare earth magnets hold the elements in place nicely.
After construction, no adjustments were really needed. The SWR shows pretty good across the 70cm band. Field testing will be done with this antenna and future modifications will be made. As this project progresses updates will be made.
Links
https://www.amsat.org/articles/n2spi/
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KM4NMP 
Are the set screws to secure the elements.
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The screws on the top of the element secure the “clamp” which puts pressure on the wires to hold them in place. The screws on the bottom put pressure on the pipe to keep the magnetic base from moving. I’m going to thread holes in the pipe to make it a little more secure. Also may split the boom to make it easier to store.
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Thanks!
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I built (2) 2 meter antennas back in the 1990’s using an optimizing program. Both had the gamma matching using 7” x 3/8” diameter AL tubing with an unshielded section of RG-8 inside. My AL elements were soldered to an AL boom. One was 4 elements, the other was 6. Both worked extremely well. I really like your method of construction. Are those brackets available? Bob, ka4ng
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They are still a “prototype” but send me a email and we can maybe work something out.
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