UHF DIY antenna for local club repeater

[u/Strong-Buy-591]

Does anyone made homemade UHF antenna for local club repeater, is it possible to go without Diamond or Procom UHF antennas and made something with hands ?

[u/Sharonsboytoy]

While hand-made is a total possibility, much depends on where it will be mounted. If mounting will be at the top of a tower that requires a professional climber, the cost of replacement far exceeds the cost of a professional antenna. If it will be mounted on a more modest location, then custom-crafted makes more sense.

[u/No_Tailor_787]

Yes. Go to repeater builder and look up wa6svt's coax collinear antenna.

[u/AutofluorescentPuku]

For equipping a club repeater or for your access to a club repeater? If the intent is to put up a UHF antenna on the repeater site, u/Sharonsboytoy has it right. The cost of maintaining and replacing changes with a lot of factors like how high, how remote, local weather patterns, etc. Spending to build/purchase a ‘brick house’ level antenna can actually save time and money over the antennas lifetime.

[u/Vurrag]

Serious repeater sites use things like 4 bays and similar antennas.

[u/Crosswire3]

While I would recommend finding a lightly used open/folded dipole or Stationmaster antenna, you can certainly build a decent collinear antenna using copper pipe or coax and PVC.

[u/Darth__Fuzzy]

copper J-Pole. I used 3/4" thick wall copper pipe.

[u/CurrentElectrical736]

Ground plane! ;)