DIY Flexible Antenna Build (AKA Signal Stick)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ธ.ค. 2020
- How to build your very own flexible antenna!! This can be a fun project to do if you plan on needing several of them. If you used Ham Study to get your license and want to give back I would absolutely suggest purchasing one from them instead of doing a build. But if you enjoy DIY like I do, enjoy the build!
Materials List:
NiTinol Wire: eBay 1mm super elastic type!
Heatshrink Assortment: amzn.to/39VOyjX
1/16 Heatshrink: amzn.to/3s2kJo2
RG-8X Connector: amzn.to/3t28skM
Liquid Tape: amzn.to/2OzeIBx
Epoxy: amzn.to/3cZDpjY
BNC to SMA: amzn.to/3dgXAKq
Tools:
Soldering Iron: amzn.to/3s19BHR
Crimp tool: amzn.to/3fPKqpk
Cutting Pliers: amzn.to/2QdJ1OI
The above amazon links are part of the affiliate program. I am including the links per a request to make finding items easier. While my goal is to provide educational content because I enjoy creating it, I decided to use these links as they offer a small benefit to me versus just linking to the product page. They do not affect you in any way, shape or form. In fact, I would encourage you to try and hunt for better prices on eBay or elsewhere to save you money. I hope you understand my thought process here. - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
Very nice write-up, kudos! Brings back memories -- this is exactly how we started, and nearly every methodology here was used at some point. A few things to note, based on 15 years of experience and an estimated 20K antennas built:
* First, the reading you're getting from the nanoVNA is ... not useless, but it's not fully accurate. The reason is that you're measuring not just the antenna but also the nanoVNA. That said, you're only about 1/2" away from the length we use (465mm, if you want to be technical), so I expect it'll work just fine -- just bear in mind that literally if you measure that on 6 different antenna analyzers you'll get 6 different readings. (I've literally done that)
* Second, the type of nitinol you're using you'll have a much easier time soldering if you use a powerful flux -- phosphoric acid works reasonably well, but it is very hard on your soldering iron tip. I went through quite a few back in the day... these days we use *much* thicker / wire (that looks like probably around 1mm, the stuff we use these days is 1.5mm) and custom designed connectors which crimp well enough.
* If you can, leave a bit of a gap between the heat shrink and the tip so that the epoxy can bind to the wire itself -- epoxy won't actually bond super well (we use a different adhesive) but it should be at least decent. This is not as likely of a problem with a BNC as it would be with SMA-M or SMA-F, but the most common failure we've had is when the adhesive doesn't hold the wire well enough, or the heat shrink loosens. Kindof annoying, but it is what it is.
* Along with the liquid tape stuff (plasti-dip works as well), try using a bit of hot glue to make the tip a little bigger if you want to reduce the chance of injury.
So, with all of that, the differences between this and a "real" signal stick:
* A real signal stick supports hamstudy.org and examtools (thanks, we appreciate it :-P it literally is what allows me to make my "day" job part-time and spend the rest of my time working on hamstudy and examtools, which is what made remote testing possible)
* A real signal stick has a lifetime warranty, this you have to fix yourself
* A real signal stick has much thicker wire -- less affected by cold and less "wobbly" in normal use. Likely better quality wire, as well -- there is a huge difference in quality between different vendors of nitinol, we've switched several times and lost $3K of nitinol once because after rejecting the wire they sent 3 times they gave up and stopped trying. They contacted me a year later and told me they figured out what they were doing wrong, but by then I was sick of dealing with them.... the poor quality stuff starts developing a permanent curve faster, though any will eventually.
* Different aesthetic -- I guess you like this way better, which is your perogative :-P
All that said, the difference in actual performance? Probably none at all. This is a great project and was one of the first things I learned how to make with ham radio (signalstuff.com/signal-sticks-history/). Thanks for sharing and I hope this provides some useful info for someone!
This is incredible! I'm so happy to see such a supportive comment from you guys, you do alot for new/aspiring hams! Thanks for providing such a useful tool for the community!
@@HamRadioNewb we all have the same goals :) as long as nobody is trying to use our trademarked name to sell antennas or sell them claiming or pretending they are ours we are good ;) I will admit it gets a bit annoying when someone tries to warranty an antenna we didn’t make, but that doesn’t happen often
@@HamstudyOrg I can imagine!! Thanks again for the positive response, 73s and good dx!
As a VE I just want to thank you for helping bring us into the 21st century. Pre-remote testing I sat at Tech for 10 years simply because the local VE crew were extremely inflexible in scheduling and the alternative was driving 100+ miles to be tested elsewhere. Ended up lucking out and catching a session while home on leave but I have to wonder how many potential hams we lost due to similar experiences.
See, this is exactly why I bought multiple antennas from you. Love this approach/attitude!
I literally never complain about the wealth of free info available on TH-cam, but the fact that literally (and, when I say literally, I'm literally 60 years old, and literally rarely use the word literally) every time there was something I couldn't have figured out myself, the action was off cam... like, the only things I needed help or guidance on were out of frame. Besides that, it was absolutely awesome!
Anything specific? I feel like the video covered it all fairly well.
Great job
I have the signal stick and love it. It was TOTALLY worth the money but it’s more fun building your own
Absolutely, but I'd you're like me and wanted one for everything they get to be pretty expensive! Hard to justify 200 on these
This is awesome! I’d love to try and make one for gmrs . As well as a counter poise. Looks like a fund project
Thanks for the video. I'm going to give it a try!
Enjoy! Feels nice to tx off something you created!!!
Great project! If too many antennas were a real thing, I would have that number...but it's not, so I'll probably make one of these soon. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the encouragement
Thanks. Very useful... I will convert BNC antennas I have to SMA Male Antenna for wireless microphone antennas (Lectrosonics) to save money. I assume it's the same process but that I will need to remove the existing heat-shrink and cut off the existing part of the antenna at the BNC-juncture to solder a connection to a new SMA male.... right?
I have 4 SL antennas- But would be fun to try making one on my own. I'll have to look for some wire.
It's a pretty fun, simple project!
Hey great video. If I can not get the wire that you used is there an alternative?
Hey guys! Like I said above, I fully recommend supporting ham study and buying theirs or contributing in some way if their product helped you! Just thought this would be an interesting video as no one else has really done one!
A deck of playing cards from the dollar store makes excellent epoxy mixing boards. Just toss them out when cured.
great video thanks
I found 1mm super elastic nitinol wire it's like $6 for a meter witch should be enough I was going to use a sma female crimp on connector or solder on one. Hopefully it will work 🙃
For a perfectly tuned GMRS antenna that still does 2m, do you recommend a 19" length? This would be essentially 3/4 wavelength for 464.5mhz (middle of GMRS band).
That's awesome! I just ordered everything to make a couple of these - so... I'm always super confused, because I'm not very smart - when you go to test an antenna that's eventually going to be on an HT, and the HT is part of that antenna's ground plane (aka, counterpoise) how do you connect it to/through a NanoVNA to get the bet results? Thanks!!!
Hello, hope the build goes well for you! I personally utilized a tiger tail for counterpoise.to trim it up a bit. If you use the measurements in the video it will be more than close enough and work fine.
Where do you get the wire to make the antenna?
Used PL 259 rather than a BNC worked well
hi thanks for video is it posible to connect male or female sma connector on the wire
You cna utilize whatever connector suits your needs.
Could you make a 5/8 of full wave vehicle antenna using the wire? Would you recommend the 30c for colder climate?
Hi, I don't have experience with the other Temps of wire. You'd definetly need to use thicker wire though! As for the 5/8 wave I believe those need a matching unit.
Overall I think if it's going to be on a vehicle you'd want to use a stainless steel whip since you don't need the ability to coil it down.
Goo job with the video mate just built one. Quick question as I don't have an analyzer do you need the rat tail when it's on the radio or is that just for the testing.👍
A balanced antenna will always perform better.
Hay can you do a newer update version and make a gmrs / 440 mgz ...
I want to try this.
I am about to order the sma and bnc and 2mm nitinol
It's just math, there see several calculators online that can assist you
I think you should've tested it without a Poise wire. How is it then ? Great vid.
Tunes up Terrible. Like any 1/4 antenna missing half of itself. I always run a tail.
How did you manage to solder the nitinol wire? I've had no luck with it, the titanium oxidizes so fast when heated
Nice, i can use a guitar string instead?
Great video. I'm in the process of working with nitinol on a few ideas. Great presentation. How can I contact you?
Hi, feel free to use my email, max@hamradionewb.com
@Ham Radio Newb, what is the brass adapter you have connected to the RG-8X connector?? TIA...
amzn.to/3dgXAKq
Here you go!
I have also added it to the description!
I just watched a video on adding tiger/rat tails to ht's, and someone commented about using two conductor speakerwire cut to two different lengths side by side to work for vhf/uhf. I wonder if you could make a side by side two wire signal stick. It would kinda of resemble a dual band dipole. Any thoughts? Would this antenna work for uhf as is with a 19-20" rat tail?
Unnecessary, there is excellent swr across 70cm as it is a 3/4 wave. Adding a tiger tail would be beneficial though! 2 different lengths could be good there too. I use 16inches myself.
Awesome! I'll try it out. Thx
Bro will I get internet if I connect two antenna one from outside and one from inside
This is for amateur/ham radio. If you look at some want to get involved I can try and find a local group for you to reach out to and they can get you licensed and help you get radios
Please, what is the name of the cable used?
Is there a formula for length of wire if I want to build this to a specific frequency such as 30 mhz?
Yes, 5616/fq will be the length in inches
What other wire can I use aside from Nitinol?
To have the ability to coil it up, nitinol is critical. If you want just a stiff antenna, any wire that is sturdy and straight with the same thickness will work.
The one technical part I was unsure of.... he does off camera.
What's the better length for the wire 465mm or 482mm?
It's hard to say exactly how it will tune up for you, if you have an analyzer I would suggest trying it out!
Can I make one for the baofeng uv-5x
Absolutely, just need the appropriate connectors to put it in!
Great job!! 73’s
Thanks for the support and encouragement!!
What diameter wire did you use? Amazon has nitinol wire in 0.5, 1, and 2mm diameters.
Also, a pointer to the BNC to SMA connector would be helpful. Thanks!
Links and info in the description!
does the nitinol wire have 50ohm impedance as well? Does impedance matters at all in this case?
Wire doesn't really have impedance, so no concerns.
I cant find these antennas anywhere here in the uk,Do you make these antennas to sell,If you do myself and others could possibly be interested.
Hi, all the materials are purchasable. Otherwise you can check out signal stuff (ham study) and support them with your purchase!
What is the purpose of the shrink tubing?
The only thing I can think of is it adds more friction to the wire so it's easier to coil up?
Great question, it protects the nitinol from shorting to anything including you under TX. And helps keep a better swr
Thanks, that makes sense.
I'm assuming it keeps the wire from shorting to ground (the outside of the connector) So definitely check there is no continuity before you seal everything up
Correct, it's why I run it from base to tip.
Experience has shown me, that using a lighter near the BNC connector can melt a lot of the plastic parts right in the connector. Be careful
Good advice, it's definitely something to work quick with. Using quality teflon connectors should avoid this though
You obviously are using an SMA-BNC adapter, does the brand selected impact sensitivity? Thanks, and 73 Tom KC3QAC
It could, but I don't think you'll see major impact from this.
I'd suggest the ones thst are solid body.
@@HamRadioNewb hey! How does one separate the duplexed signals from the Arrow ii antenna to two separate conductors for connection to the two separate ant connectors on the IC-9700?
Can the wire have the black coating on it reason I am asking hard to find the wire
It should be readily available on eBay
@@HamRadioNewb when I looked it said out of stock I might be looking for wrong wire
@@johndeere1034 Here is what i have used in the past. www.ebay.com/itm/NiTi-Nitinol-magic-wire-SMA-shape-memory-alloy-0-5-2mm-15-80-C-59-176-F/382590630166?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item59142db916:g:n7wAAOSwgTRbsS1H&amdata=enc%3AAQAFAAACcBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%252Fn%252BzU5L90Z278x5ickkxFtV7J5P58ubuVigtBH%252Fe81o%252BC%252BQD0oUzEpvLbq82iAD2yFsU2BpQRnpgUvbZ4%252Bsh7lfBCTmU56ccklGpDjqYn4S8zcdB9UjVCj5CzO1SKJD9A6PIil0vWiwmMS0ium8JNKCFFGH0QX6Cz4EzwxAQckkv09pVCDOTCQ%252BIY9tj1kJpMp2j%252FwxadviWD2tGfXgYVY0iywTsbL0nGiuAB4lMej37UtRIhdY0mlFp5BrqjyijRoxJ1ggeEdbONe0jgoojGZpVOCOvgzGbRlXDwdUsrvPwY8YKf8IPZ9QcS64LsRHF%252BGb57apOEuZbNQB0vKQyqbECpfELw%252BVc3IxuQwgmOitT%252Bc5%252BAo5r2HddlpgIj%252B9%252BRKA676PtnRIAtQO3yynMXDC4Nu1Id2PfOkeK3dkUoIs7lba8eHHpWyKlomsnB%252FG1JbPA%252BPksqQkG%252BFZOKp4tDcahQCjbrW6%252BrImkr%252BBc0bB5XOhT98BwNntUUlcntSY1l%252Br%252Bq6NWAUrwqu7UDx1l3PJgURtc1dZ%252Fb29Y0Q7Z82PY%252FCJqPdopmtjTa1csGLT8waZclvGiiH%252FqM2plR4PwxSRI1LI2gbqHK5aBIMATWiRCU889B5rh48exRv%252Fi2S%252FBpqobRY46wnhb6Nxu7kliohI4NhBUr%252FxUOcJC6BE6Tm91Lw59jzM9RvMncYHx8aFuSJdws5tl2eKagSfQwb28du%252FQYWNn38X%252FiHeXHC1V9UgHbkXmNdTg43dGrGo9TV6g5%252F9d1M22%252B6DkGJgD74tAbNuMAueYBv98yHrGUw4ig%253D%253D%7Ccksum%3A38259063016602abbf1f1bf7489d93de4c6ad6d0aa7c%7Campid%3APL_CLK%7Cclp%3A2334524
Obviously it's a HT antenna build. And most likely better than a factory rubber duck. However have you compared this to, say, a Nagoya or a tactical?
Any full size antenna such as the ones you mentioned should perform nearly identical.
@HamRadioNewb thanks for the quick reply. I'm building an Ed Fong right now and was wondering if I should keep the soldering iron hot. Thanks again. Video was great.
If you want a diy option, absolutely. I personally enjoy the 16 inch tactile folding ones as well. Depends on bag space and desires!!
I got my NiNol wire in, I cannot solder, and the wire is way smaller than the RG8X terminal you recommended.
Also my solder did not stick to the Wire!
Did your solder stick to the Nitinol wire?
You can try scraping the wire a bit, also make sure youre giving it plenty of heat so the solder can flow. The nitinol is a great heat conductor.
@@HamRadioNewb thank you! Are you using regular solder or lead solder?
Does the solder stick to the wire or only the terminal
@@washingtonstatepicker3460 I always use leaded solder. When I'm doing projects I have a fume extractor one offs I don't.
@@HamRadioNewb I use 60/40 and a good flux, cleaned the wire, still won't stick!
I guess i will buy crimp sma connectors (crimp center conductor terminal). And rely on mechanical and glue to hold it together lol
@@washingtonstatepicker3460 a "good flux" is not good enough for nitinol -- you need a *really* good flux. If there is an oxide layer on it (if it's not shiny silver) you may need to sand it as well. I found that phosphoric acid works, but really crimping is better
shrinky-dink it on there... Now thats showing your age! Great job and video!
How is the swr when the antenna is mounted to like a back pack or on your back? Even using a antenna relocation wire?
I tried this and the antenna is acceptable ish until I do the question asked above. The swr and freq goes way out of wack
It's getting alot of interaction, I would suggest adding a rat tail. It should help stabilize it.
@@HamRadioNewb i did try that too, it helped barely. (I mean if I am just testing the antenna on a swr like the nano vna it did help a lot). But wearing the setup it did not. I also noticed the ohm reading changed a lot. Guess more testing to be done
@@airsofteo9105 mounted on something there is a ton of interference in the near field, I won't be too concerned personally
@@HamRadioNewb okay, so long as its looking good on the swr test before mounting. Ty for the responses and input, I appreciate it
I don't know everything about your setup, but at 2m/70cm anything you mount like that will have a poor swr, it's to be expected. It's generally fine to use as well. Think about an ht if you have that near your face and body and backpack when TXing normally, you wouldn't think twice
Questions:
1) Could I use a BNC connector for RG-58? It seems an BNC connector for RG-8x is hard to find in my part of the world. Or I am not looking very well.
2) What are the sizes of heat shrink did you use?
Thanks and 73s.
I don't think RG-58 world work, the pin wouldn't have enough room. As for heatshrink, 1mm is the main one, then it goes up to just some small size from there. 1.5mm, 2mm, 3mm. You could realistically skip the other sizes of you want.
@@HamRadioNewb Once again, thanks and 73s.
Glad I could help!
@@HamRadioNewb Hi, I am new to ham and coax cables and don't have both connecters at hand, yet. Why does the RG-58 not work? Is the pin a different size between the two cable types?
The center conductor is smaller, you may not be able to get it crimped and set in there well enough or it may not fit at all.
How long would I cut it for GMRS?
5-6 inches would likely work
Where did u get the nickel titanium wire n what size was that.
Ebay should have it, it should be the 1mm size. Links in the description for most of the stuff.
Check on Ebay: NITI WIRE NICKEL TITANIUM SUPER ELASTIC WIRE 1 FOOT 2.10mm (.082") DIA. A foot long[30 cm] is $11 plus shipping
You need 1mm size, not 2.1mm that is the reason the cost is much higher
Does anything actually still use BNC? Everything these days is some flavor of SMA.
Alot of hams convert their ht with an adapter, it saves the sma connector from wear. It's also quicker to take an antenna on and off
Excellent video! I am going to make one, Thanks, WA2TWF
What is that analizer watchumacallit thingy?
Hi! It would be a nanovna! amzn.to/3BteWfN
@@HamRadioNewb thank you.
hi. i want make a diy dual band antenna for uv 5r. do you know how? thanks
This would be a dual band antenna. Just get a BNC to sma adapter
@@HamRadioNewb i open a na771 and i have a small coil without any resistor or something. can i use him this antenna for this project? or she is better make a new one like you? dont find in my country Nitinol wire :(. and elastic wire soldering in bnc center pin? that it? thank you!
@@nelumoraru163 I don't completely understand your comment, but if you cant get the materials I'm not sure about a substitute. If you have a working good antenna I wouldnt suggest tearing it down.
@@HamRadioNewb i have a fake na7711 antenna and i cut/opened plastic shield coil for see inside, because she is not good. now. i ask you if possible to repair or upgrade this na771. thanks!
@@nelumoraru163 I'm not familiar with doing that so I won't be able to assist
Is there a cheaper alternative to Nitinol wire? I just checked and just a foot long is already $11 plus shipping...
Nitinol is the only thing that is springy. You should be able to find it on eBay for around 2 per foot, I just searched "nitinol" now and saw several listings. Just make sure is the super elastic version
1mm piano wire
@@pen25 does it spring back?
@@HamRadioNewb much more expensive on amazon
@@enginedave it's all where you source it. Amazon is much higher for alot of things.
Will it work without rattail?
Yes, but to tune it you'll need the rattail so it has a proper counterpoise.
@@HamRadioNewb thank you for reply,your video is excellent!
God tutorial however you mention cheap + harbor freight. Well for about $20 or less you can get a proper heat gun and not use destructive fire to work with your heat shrink! Nice tutorial btw!
I've had pretty good luck with a lighter, but you do have to be careful!
How do I make the dual band version?
This antenna is dual band, it is a quarter wave on 2m and a 3/4 wave on 70cm
@@HamRadioNewb ohhh, so will it have a dip in swr at around 120mhz as well as 440mhz?
@@HamRadioNewb also, what does it meab to be 1/4 wave or 3/4 wave?
@@smokingpacman every quarter wavelength resonates to 50 ohms.
146 and 440, it should be wide enough to cover both bands without issue!
Size I meant the gauge .73 Vu3Sxe
I'm not sure of the gauge. This is sold in diameter, not awg
Do we need a rat tail to use this antenna?
No, but it certainly helps performance just like it would any ht antenna. I use one to ensure I'm cut correctly for length
I'd you dont have one, the analyzer can't get an accurate reading
@@HamRadioNewb Roger! I will order the magic wire and make some! I have the NanoVna! Fun tool!
Thanks for sharing
Yep! If you don't want to tune it, 16-17 inches is a safe length that should be more or less there
@@HamRadioNewb oh I want to tune! I enjoy making antennas more than I like using them!
I just bought a Signal Stick for 23 dollars. Your saying you can build one for 8 dollars?
I am! I bought the supplies to build several (5-10) and sell them to locals. But the parts per each cost about 8. Even doing just 2-3 you can save money!
👌🌹
Good info but some of your work is out of the camera view.
Great build your own VHF/UHF antenna, Thxs !! Theo, PA0HTY
Thanks!
Blue pill. Lol.
Lmao forgot about that already xD glad someone laughed!
That made me laugh out loud too.
@@imjelo glad another picked up on it!
@@HamRadioNewb Thanks for the video by the way. Going to make one myself right for my radio using an SMA connector. After I get my sister to buy me a nitinol wire from the US. They don't sell it that long in an online store here in the Philippines. By the way, newb question, how far is the range of these antenna and could I use the same measurement on UHF?!
Thanks! 73s.
@@imjelo yes it is a 3/4 wave on uhf which performs quite well. It really depends on conditions, if you have a clear line of sight you can get out really well. It should outperform your stock antenna for sure though.
Ran across this video a couple of weeks ago. I own roughly 10 or so real signal sticks, they are my favorite antenna. I thought it would be fun to build one. I don't use BNC connectors so I thought I would build mine using an SMA connector. I also purchased some 1.5 mm NiTinol wire based on @hamstudyorg comments. I even jumped on "onshape" and designed my own "gluecap". Problem is I can't find any SMA connectors where the center "pin" in the SMA connector is large enough for 1.5mm wire. Even the BNC connector that you reference is too small, to be clear not your fault. It sounds like @hamstudyorg has custom pins that will work but that does me no good. Also it also seems that even 1 mm wire is too big for the SMA pin so now my project is pretty much dead in the water. If anyone has a solution getting this to work with an SMA connector I'd love to hear it. U P D A T E: after a lot of research I was able to source the correct parts and build an antenna. See my comments below for more info.
You may be able to do some more research into center conductor size for different coax. Sma might be tough, but bnc will likely offer more success with larger sizes.
@@HamRadioNewb Thanks. I did do some more research and after quite an effort of piecing together information on SMA connectors and the core wire sizes of various coax cables I was able to find some SMA connectors that are used for LMR240/RG8 cable. The pins for these connectors fit my 1.5 MM diameter wire perfectly. The pins were not crimp type and since solder won't stick to the NiTinol wire I had to use a little superglue to attach the wire to the pin. It's a little hard to explain but there is a knurled collar that surrounds the wire/pin once it is inserted into connector so i was able to fill that space with epoxy to hold everything in place. After that I used the Onshape CAD tool to design a cover, the signal stick guy calls them "glue caps", for the SMA connector and 3D printed it using nylon filament. I also created and 3D printed a small end piece for the pointy end of the antenna. With both 3D printed parts glued in place and heat shrink on the wire itself I have a good working DIY signal stick. It was a fun project outside the initial frustration with sourcing the correct parts.
Very cool!!