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Call Sign : 26-CT-4392 Posts : 6 Times Thanked : 0 Join date : 2022-01-05 QTH or Location : Rochester Equipment Used : UV9R
Subject: Coax for HT DIY antenna Sun Jan 09, 2022 11:39 am
Hello all,
I have experimented with making feeder lines and antenna for a scanner with some success. Now I want to go further with my new HT on UHF. Finding it surprisingly hard to source decent coax in the UK. High Street retailers sell rubbish, eBay let me down with poor sheilded RG58, (even had stranded core, what's that about!) So where do you source decent RG58 or better? I have an eye on a Bazooka antenna design on YouTube that I want to attempt. Many thanks and 73 Rufus CT4392.
Call Sign : 43-CT-016 Posts : 280 Times Thanked : 20 Join date : 2019-11-17 QTH or Location : Perth Equipment Used : iCom IC-7610/IC-9700
Subject: Re: Coax for HT DIY antenna Mon Jan 10, 2022 1:52 am
Just buy it from a decent vendor, and use coax from a known manufacturer. Avoid eBay like the plague, and make sure CB shops are not just buying it from cheap Chinese disties then selling for a price you could get decent stuff for.
A HAM shop like Martin Lynch or Waters & Stanton would be a safe bet, but don't get sucked in to buying more than you need as it's just for a radiating element! Good, known brand, RG58 is fine for a Bazooka, but for UHF feedline, I start at LMR400 if I have any distance to cover.
Good coax is surprisingly cheap when you don't need much of it.