Amateur Radio SIG:BYOR Antennas 2016
Eagle-eye view of DMS roof (annotated)
Contents
Planning meeting 2016-09-01
Two coax runs: UHF/VHF and HF
Ethernet run: weather station and other electronics -- needs to be outdoor rated cable
Low-voltage power run for auto-coupler
Antenna termination in E-lab proposed to be panel box with conduit from ceiling. One connector for each antenna (HF, UHF/VHF) w/ grounding switch.
Grounding will be to electrical box. Grounding bar connected to this at wall.
Power at the bench: Anderson Power Poles (2-3?), Cigarette-style outlet, and binding posts (for experiments) -- breakers sized appropriately
Power supplies: have one switching supply (13.8) and possible donation of linear regulator-style power supply
Next steps:
- Buy SG-239 and Polyphaser GDT (Art will purchase)
Antenna Tower
Current tower is 18' high, and has one extra 10' pole to extend total height to 28'
Coax
Antenna tower to directly above Electronics lab is 135'
Entry from penetration in Hatcher's will require an extra ~125' at a minimum, due to vertical runs and zig-zag through drop ceiling
Entry through existing A/C control penetrations would be easier/better. Would also be better for Science and their weather station.
LMR-400 (Texas Towers 300'@$0.89/ft = ~$325) would be run to minimize coax losses
HF Antenna
A donated multi-band dipole will be installed in place of the existing poorly functioning G5RV.
Existing ladder-line will be run down to new auto-coupler for best transmitter to antenna match.
Auto-coupler under consideration is SG-239 ($186, needs enclosure $76, 200W PEP or 80W continuous) or SG-237 ($320, may need enclosure, 100W PEP or 40W continuous)
VHF/UHF Antenna
Antenna will be relocated from top of tower to directly over Electronics lab to reduce coax loss
Lightning Protection
The coax should be protected from nearby strikes with a suitable lightning discharge protectors.
qty 2 ($150 total) of Polyphaser ISB-B50LU-C0 - HF & VHF/UHF
RF Connectors and wiring
A tentative budget of $100 is allocated for RF and power connectors
Cost Breakdown
| Coax | $325 |
| Coupler | $186 |
| Enclosure | $ 76 |
| Polyphaser | $150 |
| Connectors | $100 |
Total cost is ~$837
