Another1/4 wave antenna solution

 Quick & dirty... but it works

I picked up a Chinese-made 1/4 wave mag mount for my car. I also wanted to be able to use it in the house, but needed a ground plane and didn't have the room/material for a proper sized solid ground plane. I came up with a super simple solution that would work for you as well. I took some 12ga NMD-90 "Standard House Wiring", cut single strands into pieces 4' long and then bent them into a 'V' and stripped the wire off the centre. 

I made 3 of these, and then placed them under a piece of metal I had lying around to electrically bond them all together to create a 6 radial ground plane that the mag mount could sit on. I'm getting great receive, and was full quieting on the VE7RPT (Seymour repeater) last night and today. I was able to activate one of the repeaters in Abbotsford, and also the one at the top of the mountain near Blaine, WA last night. Unfortunately nobody else was on for a QSO. 

Below are some pictures for reference if you want to make one yourself.

73!

~ Warren Moxley

The GOTA Net

A progress report

The GOTA Net has been up and running for almost 5 months now, and it's been fascinating watching it evolve. Other than one quiet Thursday we are averaging 8-12 check-ins each week. Of course the idea isn't to set records for check-ins - we'll leave that to the Rainbow Country Net. Rather, the purpose of the GOTA Net is to help newbies get on the air and assist them with ham radio issues. A little social interaction doesn't hurt either. As one of our GOTAs told me recently, if we even help 2 or 3 new hams get over the hump then we've accomplished something important.

I am aware that some of you are struggling to reach the SARC repeater. That's not surprising particularly if you live in Vancouver or Burnaby, and use a Baofeng radio armed with a rubber ducky antenna. But this is a positive. After all, Ham Radio is all about finding solutions to problems. 🤔

Let me give you an example using my own recent trials and tribulations.

For months now, I've had great success with my IC-7000 using a 1/4-wave mag mount antenna on a pizza plate. About 4 weeks ago my signal began losing its oomph and background static became the norm. Reluctantly, I had to drop my participation in a Saltspring Net. My signal for the GOTA Net became a struggle as well. Turns out my mag mount had a poor SWR reading. Plus, residential construction in my area and that of our repeater has gone crazy so I suspect there's been some building interference lately. 

Anyway, John VE7TI spent some time with me and after experimentation we settled on a 5/8 Larson whip attached to the aluminum flower box outside my 3rd floor window (see pic below). This morning I had a crystal clear signal into the Saltspring repeater. 😁 

Will my signal be as good into the Surrey repeater? Time will tell as my antenna is facing in the wrong direction. I do expect a significant improvement, though.

My point is this: embrace the challenge and don't give up! You'll learn a ton working through these problems. 😊 

Have a great rest of the summer, folks and hopefully I'll catch you on the GOTA Net soon.

73,

~ Larry VE7LXB