When I was a newly licensed Ham Radio Operator, I was already to move beyond a handheld radio and be able to extend my range. Since most of the Technician Class License privileges are in the 2M / 70 CM bands, a base station in that range made the most sense to get started. There is a lot of DIY tradition in the Ham Radio community and having a 3D printer made some of the construction easier.
The bottom mount connects to a 3/4′ PVC pipe and the four top pieces are used to steady the radiator and support the ground elements. High winds would tear this antenna apart very quickly without the supports. The MKII version of the ground plane was not published when I put this together but I think I would not have needed the base cap.
The elements are brass welding rod from Harbor Freight Tools. Using the calculator link below, I worked out the main radiator is cut to 19.5′ and I over sized the ground elements to 20′. All elements are soldered to a SO-239 chassis connector and then painted. Once the paint dried, I applied a thick coat of silicon sealant to waterproof the antenna.
I have the PVC attached to a 20″ section of fencing top rail as a mast and all connected together with LMR-400 coax. Performance with this has really impressed me in that I am able to get a good signal into the repeaters in my area which is a 25 to 30 mile line of sight with full quieting.
Resources:
Antenna Calculator – http://www.buxcomm.com/ground_plane_calculator.htm
3D Printer Patterns:
- 1/4 Wave Ground Plane Antenna Mk I – https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2780322
- 1/4 Wave Ground Plane Antenna Mk II – https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2854880
- Mount for low-cost 2m ground plane antenna – https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:670821