Building A Scanner Antenna For My Uniden Bearcat Scanner

  I am building a antenna for my Uniden Bearcat Scanner. It is just a simple vertical antenna. I am going to insert it into a pvc tube with an eye bolt at the top so I can hang it off of something outside. I could hang it off my mast mounted to my chimney. That is where I have the peak of my dipole antenna mounted. That would probably be the highest point. It is nothing fancy, but it may just do the job.
  I did have to use a SO239 Chassis Connector to solder a heavy gauge wire into. The wire is the vertical element and it approximately 22 inches long.  I got the idea from this website http://garcohio.net/anten.html . I did also go to http://www.ve3sqb.com/ to look for information. There are plenty of other websites on the internet as well to locate antenna calculators. You do want to use a good gauge wire heavy enough so it does not bend over. If you want it to stay steady in the pvc tube use some memory foam filler that come in a spray can.
  Attach the SO239 to a 1 1/2 inch pvc end cap. You will have to drill various holes. One large hole for the barrel of the SO239 to go through. There are 4 screw hole in the SO239 and you can put bolts through to hold it in place. You could also use these to attach 4 ground plane radials. I may just use rubber silicone and some small sheet metal screws to keep the end cap in place. If you use pvc cement you can not take it back apart. I will use pvc cement on the top cap and some rubber silicone to seal around the top end cap.
  One I get it together I will test it to see how it functions. I will try to take some photos, but it is a very simple antenna. This makes for a nice easy project to try.
  Thank You for reading and Happy Holidays.

Ham Radio Books For Studying And Learning

  One of the best books I ever bought was the 1986 ARRL Handbook. I bought that way back in 80s when I was in college in Electrical Engineering. Back then I was not in Ham Radio, I was using it for Electronics in college. I was always looking at all the information on Ham radio and thinking about going for my license. Well I was young, married and had my first daughter. I was so busy with everything I just never got to it. I finally got my Technician License and then my General License in June of 2010. So as you can see I have not been a Ham all that long. I am always learning something new or thinking or building some kind of antenna.
  So if you are looking for good books on Ham Radio, Studying for your License, Building Antennas or whatever you are doing look into one of the ARRL Handbooks. If you are studying for one of your Ham Radio Licenses I would definitely recommend one of the books by Gordon West. I had bought some through Radio Shack years ago and I still have them. I do like the newer books by Gordon West, because they are easy to read and learn from. I intend on buying one to use to study for my Extra License pretty soon.

 

  There are plenty of other books available through Amazon, Ebay or from one of the local Ham Radio Dealers on the internet. Some of my favorites are Universal Radio, DX Engineering, Ham Radio Outlet and AES Electronics. Of course there are other very good Ham Radio Dealers out there as well to choose from. You can also find good books on building Ham Radio Antennas if that is what you like to do. I would also suggest books on shortwave radio as well. The list of books just goes on and on. If you find a book I would look at the reviews on it and then decide if you want to buy it.
  If you are looking for a book or license manual check out the stores below the posts.
  Thank You for reading and Happy Holidays from Dan KC2YTI 73s.
       

The Solar Storms Are Still Affecting Transmissions and Propagation

  I was checking over facebook and noticed that they are expecting another big solar storm from the sun. I have noticed that it is affecting other fellow Ham Radio Operators when they are transmitting and receiving signals. I always here someone say how they can hear another Ham Radio Operator that they usually can't hear. The only problem with this solar storm is that they are saying it may knock out power in certain areas. If you are looking for a website on solar activity here are a few links http://www.solarham.net/ and http://dx.qsl.net/propagation/ . Of course there are plenty of other websites out there with information on Ham Radio and these types of events. Here is a link to one of those websites http://www.radio-electronics.com/info/propagation/ionospheric/solar-flares.php .

                                     
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