I needed to replace my old 2 Meter vertical antenna for the 146 mHz. amateur radio band. The old one had lost its radials and I wasn’t able to hit the various amateur radio repeaters around. So being one who likes to build antennas, here is what I came up with. The Image below shows the materials you will need to build a 2 meter vertical antenna for the 146 mHz. amateur radio band.
Here is the list of parts needed to build a 2 meter vertical antenna:
- 3/4″ PVC pipe – Length to suit
- 3/4″ adapter 8xMPT
- 3/4″THD Dome Cap
- SO-239 connector
- 6ft. 14 GA Romex wire
- qty. 4 4-40 stainless screws
- qty 8 4-40 stainless nuts
- 50 ohm coax Length to suit
An inexpensive and readily available way to get 14 ga. copper wire is to go to the hardware store and buy some Romex wire. The first thing to do is to strip the copper wire out of the Romex wire sheath, then you will see a bare wire, a black and white wire. then strip off the insulation from the black and white wires as well. When you are finished, you should have three bare copper wires 6 ft. in length. 12 GA. wire might have probably been better, as it is bigger and stiffer, but I used what I had on hand. Cut 5 pieces of wire, each 22 in. long.
I then straightened each wire as best I could, but they still weren’t straight. So I laid a piece of wood on the floor a bit longer than the wires, laid one wire on the board, and placed another board on top of the wire. Then I stood on the board and rolled the wire between the boards. This made them pretty straight without any of those annoying little kinks in the wire.
Next, I took the 3/4″ THD Dome Cap and drilled a 5/8″ hole through it. I started out with a 5/32″ drill as a pilot hole, then finished off with a 5/8″ speedbor spade bit.When you are done, it should look like the photo on the left.