trash can antenna?

fire_master_21 · Post by **fire_master_21** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 10:04 am

This morning I was listening to a couple hams here localy on 2m. As normal they were talking about their equipment and 1 of them had said he had an indoor antenna made out of a metal trash can.He said he was using a Icom 2100 at 50w with this thing. He said that he took a mental trash can turned it over and mounted a NMO antenna on it. Now I don't know that much about antennas and everyone on this board has been very helpful with N-E questions I have had and was hoping some one could explian how this could be. I thought NMO's had to be grounded?

va3wxm · Post by **va3wxm** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 10:10 am

It is. The trash can is acting as the counterpoise and is big enough for 2m.

I've heard of people using cookie sheets, filing cabinets and one I guy I know stuck his mag-mount to the underside of some ductwork in the basement of his house. Worked just fine!

jhooten · Post by **jhooten** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:24 am

The hole in the top of a Lowenbrau mini keg was very close to 3/4". I used to put NMO on them. Could never keep one though. As soon as anybody saw it they had to have it.

jackhackett · Post by **jackhackett** » Wed Aug 25, 2004 11:24 am

I made one out of an old 12" guitar speaker frame once. Screwed the frame to the roof (had a flat roofed house) and mounted the antenna in the hole where the magnet used to be, ran a couple of wires out as radials. worked pretty good.

Will · Post by **Will** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 1:30 am

Darn!, I was thinking that the Ham had 'loaded' the trash can as his antenna. Putting a NMO 3/4 mount and an antenna on the trash can is cheating.

Was that 'loaded' series feed or shunt feed?

kg4lmt · Post by **kg4lmt** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 6:48 am

I heard someone on the radio once, talking about how he powered a qrp rig with a string of lemons.

PETNRDX · Post by **PETNRDX** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 6:58 am

I can set off a blasting cap with some lemmons or a couple of potatoes...

kg4lmt · Post by **kg4lmt** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 7:32 am

I have also heard of some tuning their gutters for 160m or 80m. Never personally seen it done though.

mikerabbit · Post by **mikerabbit** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 11:39 am

Wonder if the guy sits next to the antenna pushing 50 watts straight towards his eyes etc....cant be a good thing.
Mike

kmoose · Post by **kmoose** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 12:28 pm

mikerabbit wrote:Wonder if the guy sits next to the antenna pushing 50 watts straight towards his eyes etc....cant be a good thing.
Mike

Do you think it would really matter?

k4wtf · Post by **k4wtf** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 12:46 pm

That's gonna be the trick when I move to the house we're building. I've got LOTS of yard (more than a football field) here at the old house with trees all around it to support resonant wire antennas (dipoles, loops, etc). I'm used to being able to run 1KW on 160M-10M if I need (?want?) to. I'll have the stealth flagpole antenna at the new house and maybe some burried antennas (they DO work, just not as good as the 540ft loop I have on 160M up 90ft). I've heard of people putting loop antennas around the edges of their attics but, with the bedrooms on the 2nd floor, I just don't see this as being such a good idea. With a compromise antenna (small loop in attic), you have to make up for things with preamps and running more power to achieve the same results as a properly tuned resonant antenna up 50-100ft running 10W.

John

Woody_99 · Post by **Woody_99** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 4:35 pm

Same here... I live on a hilltop and my antennas are simply in the attic, lying on the rafters. The VHF antenna is a 1/4wave mag-mount stuck to the middle of a chrome serving tray <that my wife is STILL looking for> and the UHF is 1/4wave mag-mount stuck to a cookie sheet. Both work fantastic. However, I do plan to poke a hole in the roof and mount a pole, upgrade antennas, etc, as soon as I find the time. These have worked so well, I've just not been pressed to change.

jim · Post by **jim** » Thu Aug 26, 2004 5:12 pm

I used to have a Gamma rod setup hoseclamped onto a light pole in a local shopping center up on a hill. I'd just pull up and reach out the window with a coax and go! It was up high enough that nobody messed with it. The truck had 38" tires and a 10" suspension lift, so when I reached up to it, it was at about 8'.