Lucky Accident

[captain_caveman]

I've been struggling with my local CBS station (12-vhf) with midday dropouts and pixelation. I have massive multipath interference, and can get a signal through almost 200 degrees, but none of it really usable. I'd been using a Stellar Labs 30-2476 long VHF high Yagi with partial success but never really nailed it down.

Anyway, a few days ago I was out moving my pole around and a strong gust of wind blew it down and broke the boom. It bent some of the elements, but they were able to be straightened. Anyway, long story short(er), I used ChatGPT to have it redesign my scavenged parts into a channel 12 vhf yagi. I lost 20" of my boom, and a couple elements, but was able to use the straight ones to make a heck of a single channel antenna. According to ChatGPT, I was going to get a couple more decibels gain and better multipath handling. It must have been right, because now I'm pulling in that station all day with a solid signal.

 

[i_no_nutin]

I've been struggling with my local CBS station (12-vhf) with midday dropouts and pixelation. I have massive multipath interference, and can get a signal through almost 200 degrees, but none of it really usable. I'd been using a Stellar Labs 30-2476 long VHF high Yagi with partial success but never really nailed it down.

Anyway, a few days ago I was out moving my pole around and a strong gust of wind blew it down and broke the boom. It bent some of the elements, but they were able to be straightened. Anyway, long story short(er), I used ChatGPT to have it redesign my scavenged parts into a channel 12 vhf yagi. I lost 20" of my boom, and a couple elements, but was able to use the straight ones to make a heck of a single channel antenna. According to ChatGPT, I was going to get a couple more decibels gain and better multipath handling. It must have been right, because now I'm pulling in that station all day with a solid signal.

Pictures, please. I like to see the antennas, especially modified and made from scratch ones.

 

[captain_caveman]

Pictures, please. I like to see the antennas, especially modified and made from scratch ones.

This is the original:

And this is the modified version:

Sorry, it's sideways, but it's the only picture I took.

 

[i_no_nutin]

Looks like you reduced the number of directors from 7 to 4. I would have thought that would reduce the gain. Maybe that is what helped. Sometimes too much gain can make the signal too hot and can also make it more prone to wind. Did you change the size of the folded dipole or the spacing of the 4 reflectors?

 

[captain_caveman]

I didn't change the dipole. I did change the spacing on all the elements; driven and parasitic. I posted a list of all the components I scavenged on ChatGPT and it told me where to space them for channel 12. It must have worked since my signal strength and stability both increased.

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[MartyDe]

I didn't change the dipole. I did change the spacing on all the elements; driven and parasitic. I posted a list of all the components I scavenged on ChatGPT and it told me where to space them for channel 12. It must have worked since my signal strength and stability both increased.

This is why I love off air. Fooling around and having success just feels good. Went through this myself and a little height tweak, only about a foot, made huge difference.