Soon after getting active on 2M EME I decided that I needed
more metal in the sky!!

Being typically reluctant to part with cash I decided that it was time to build some new antennas

After some research I decided on the superb designs of YU7EF influenced by the super set up of Kari - OH7HXH

I have to pay tribute to Pop YU7EF who was extremely helpful in providing me with designs to suit the imperial size aluminum available locally and for a wealth of ideas for the construction phase.

All the construction was done with basic hand and power tools.

click on any of the photos for a higher resolution version

Cutting the elements

This is easily done with a cutting wheel from any DIY store,  it is quick and easy and with a little care this can be very accurate and leaves the end nicely finished with no burrs or sharp edges. in very little time I have four sets of elements cut and ready for the next stage

Cutting and bending the Folded Dipoles

Bending Jig for the folded dipoles made from scrap wood and an aluminum "Half Moon" Spacer from an antenna clamp which was just the right size.

After bending the dipoles it just remains to cut them to allow for the correct spacing in the centre.

You can find an excellent description of Folded Dipole construction at the site of GM3SEK

It is always easier to strap the four booms together for marking out

As the design calls for Insulated Through the boom I was lucky to find the exact size of insulator - a 12mm Wall Plug from Fisher or at least the top 25mm of it - a perfect fit for 3/8th inch tube.

I drilled the hole to 11mm which was a snug fit for the plug then push the element through and finished with a small piece of glue lined heatshrink tubing to complete the element mounting.

Once completed the four new antennas were installed on the tower in an H frame and are working superbly - I am seeing 6 dB or more improvement in signal reports in WSJT and has made a significant improvement in the size of station I can work. The new antennas went into service on the tenth of July 2010 and you can see from my initial list the improvement from that date.