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Improvised Antenna wires

Shrek1985

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I am teaching a class on improvised antennas and the MLP cites the use of coax cable and insulated copper wire, but doesn't specify what kind. Couldn't find it in the pam either. What sort do I need to make some demo antennas?
 
Shrek1985 said:
I am teaching a class on improvised antennas and the MLP cites the use of coax cable and insulated copper wire, but doesn't specify what kind. Couldn't find it in the pam either. What sort do I need to make some demo antennas?

For expedient antennas and antenna repairs, we used to use WD 40 (I think that is the right nomenclature. The Field telephone wire) which I guess is hard to come by these days.


After using Google:
I guess it is not WD 40 but WD1 or WD1A.
 
No shortage of WD-1 field wire available.

As to the op, "any" kind. Just need a way to connect it to your radio, cobra head is ideal. In a pinch, I've gone as far as a bit of the WD-1 wire mentioned above, jammed it into the middle hole in the female BNC connector, and electrical taped it in place.

You can make a nice long-wire antenna from a bit of coax as well.
 
Heck, if you're crafty, a metal slinky will work for anything lower than UHF. US forces in Vietnam used them as improvised antennas.
 
Oh man, would I love to pull out a slinky in class and hook it to a 522.

So that solves the copper wire bit, but what is a Cobra head? You mean from the cobra headset? how? And any kind of coax?
 
A cobra head has a coax connector on one side, and a pair of thumb screws on the other side for attaching wire to. I don't have an NSN, but there's lots of them floating around in the system.

Any ol' coax will do, if I've got a few minutes later on, I'll cut one up and take some pictures.

There was a lovely little cartoon style publication on improvised antennas, I think I asked about it a few years ago here, and someone posted a PDF link.
 
a Sig Op said:
A cobra head has a coax connector on one side, and a pair of thumb screws on the other side for attaching wire to. I don't have an NSN, but there's lots of them floating around in the system.

Any ol' coax will do, if I've got a few minutes later on, I'll cut one up and take some pictures.

There was a lovely little cartoon style publication on improvised antennas, I think I asked about it a few years ago here, and someone posted a PDF link.

Something like this?
 
More or less, there's a much neater and tidier (also more durable) way to do it.
 
http://www.amrron.com/2014/05/13/field-expedient-antenna-systems/
 
a Sig Op said:
A cobra head has a coax connector on one side, and a pair of thumb screws on the other side for attaching wire to. I don't have an NSN, but there's lots of them floating around in the system.

http://www.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/CBNC35

cbnc35.jpg


Try NSN 5935-01-411-5250, or search on "BNC to banana"
 
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