2.4 GHz Dual Feed Helix Antenna For QO100

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2.4 GHz Dual Feed Helix Antenna For QO100

Рет қаралды 61,175

4 жыл бұрын

Here I show you the ICE CONE FEED Helix antenna designed by DO8PAT. This is a dual feed antenna for use with QO-100, 2.4GHz uplink and 10GHz downlink via LNB.
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Пікірлер: 98

@stevecarlisle3323 4 жыл бұрын

For anyone really interested in the U wave bands, the ARRL has produced a few great reference manuals for tx/rx on these bands.

@alf-omega 2 жыл бұрын

I'm only just getting into this stuff, started with the 2m and 7cm bands, ducked down to 40m, 20m and 10m and now you're turning me on to satellites!! Who knew there was such a thing just sat there!! Really looking forward to trying this stuff out. Thanks for the videos, they're really easy to follow and make the entire thing just sound completely achievable.

@TechMindsOfficial 2 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome Andy! Glad I can help and hopefully inspire people to try new things! Cheers, Matt

@NautilusCL 4 жыл бұрын

Outstanding antenna, i have build helix's, for 1.5Ghz, 1.296Mhz and even for 435Mhz, and its a terrific antenna, with the 435Mhz i can uplink to the AO-91 and AO-92 even with 2w at the rig. I think this is better solution than the potty, the patch antennas are OK but i think helix are better, they are extremely broadband and "forgiving" about manufacture tolerances, and they have always a good axial ratio (axial ratio: how good the circular polarity signal is). And the receive side, you only will have a partial obstruction, not the whole signal coming thru a dielectric lens, that can be very lossy.

@stevenjessop7819 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing this antenna design and thanks to the original designer too. i was wondering about the attenuation through the black PLA but you addressed it right at the end so im happy HI! im right at the beginning of looking at getting into the microwave bands so im getting a feel for how other people are doing things before i go out and buy my own kit, thanks for another great vid 73 Steve - G5ZX

@TechMindsOfficial 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Steve. In fact I have purchased a spool of PETG to reprint the cone as I’ve been told the PLA can warp over time in the sun.. Just havnt got round to it yet, plus it takes around 11 hours or more :-(

@jgwimmer 4 жыл бұрын

Standard antenna on my Motorola Tactical SATCOM LST-5B 25 radio years ago in the Air Force....

@kapilagm77 4 жыл бұрын

I love the theme music at start up

@TheMrR9 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome stuff. Will have to give this a go.

@zerobow9413 4 жыл бұрын

Heat the antenna a bit to get all the moisture out, put an O ring seal on the thread or plumbers tape & a desiccant bag. You can test the radome by putting it it the microwave and see if it gets warm [bad] cold=good] [20sec or so]

@TechMindsOfficial 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks 🙏

@alexscarbro796 4 жыл бұрын

20 seconds to determine if 14 hours were well spent :-) I guess a material with few additives (ie pigments) and a low dielectric constant (i.e. close to air), would be best. I wonder which of the easily printable filaments best fits this specification, perhaps polycarbonate?...

@TechMindsOfficial 4 жыл бұрын

Apparently PETG is the best filament to use, but I don’t have any yet.

@dominionfalls 4 жыл бұрын

Love the satellite videos! Keep up the amazing work.

@technophil7560 4 жыл бұрын

Looks very professionnal but you can also build one with electric câble on a PVC tube what works also good

@ianxfs 4 жыл бұрын

Looks a very professional job Matt 👍🏻

@markg6jvy135 4 жыл бұрын

Watching this makes me want a 3D printer even more - not sure what the bank manager will have to say though 😝 Another quality video Matt cheers 👍

@TechMindsOfficial 4 жыл бұрын

Haha it took me ages to decide if I should spend the money, now I have one I’m so glad I did. It’s such a useful tool to have.

@digitalmediafan 4 жыл бұрын

I just wonder what the electricity consumption would be for a 14 hour print out ?

@nowaymuller6643 3 жыл бұрын

@@TechMindsOfficial Can you PLS explain how you bend that Metal Rod? I bought a long time ago someone for my project but sadly I could not bend them. Someone sad I need to fill the tube with sand and than bend it. Sadly its nearly impossible to do so since the pipe is so damn strong.

@TechMindsOfficial 3 жыл бұрын

What pipe are you referring to?

@nowaymuller6643 3 жыл бұрын

@@TechMindsOfficial How did you bend the pipe, rod,.. who we see in your Yagi Antenna?

@andychow5509 3 жыл бұрын

That antenna looks great. The cone is really cool too.

@liboriodurante 4 жыл бұрын

Where can you buy a propeller antenna?

@surplusdriller1 4 жыл бұрын

Grate vid as always.

@rodneyhansvegatoro3700 4 жыл бұрын

I really enjoyed the video, it was nice and usefull, thanks!

@TechMindsOfficial 4 жыл бұрын

You’re welcome, thanks for watching 🙏

@alexscarbro796 4 жыл бұрын

Great job and a really nice video! I wonder how the phase centre of the helix compares to the LNB? There may be some gains to be had by adjusting their positions relative to the dish.

@todop 4 жыл бұрын

Nice setup

@TechMindsOfficial 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks 🙏

@dermotflanagan2529 Жыл бұрын

Just learning about the Pluto, excellent video. Just want to configure Pluto to SDR Console

@hubzcaps 4 жыл бұрын

Yeeee helical is my fav

@finewoodworkingbyJJ Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the Video. 73 from Germany Jens

@GateKommand 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for an interesting video. Have you considered waxing the cone and dish to prevent rain droplets "sticking" to them? I remember in the early days of analogue satellite broadcasting dish waxing products were available to deter water droplets which caused sparklies on the picture, just a thought.....

@TechMindsOfficial 4 жыл бұрын

I’ve read a few solutions to water proof it, including using nail varnish. But I’ll look at the wax solutions too

@rfmonkey4942 2 жыл бұрын

nice work & nice transceiver its a shame people give it a bad rap based on racist & political ideology but it is a reflection of the quality of individual your dealing with , ,

@fabhorvi7236 3 жыл бұрын

Great job, congratulations ! for printing the cover did you use supports in the print settings? and what temperatures to set for PETG filament? 73s

@shanejustice6414 Жыл бұрын

Hi TM- I'm wondering how your pla printed radome amd baseplate has been holding up with your weather there in GB? I live in Arizona (USA), where the sun eats synthetic materials for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner. It would be very i teresting to know how your 3D parts are holding up. 73!

@vne2328 3 жыл бұрын

That is a brilliant design and I want to make one. Quick questions: If the dish is reflecting received RF towards the LNB, then wouldn't the 2.5 Helix be shadowing a large portion the received signal? Have you compared receive performance with the helix removed?

@lioii 2 жыл бұрын

I've never heard an analyser called that before..!

@OE8ZZZ 3 жыл бұрын

Hi! I tried to build the Helix like described in the instructions but the SWR will not match exactly at 2.4GHz. It is around 8.5 so way too high. I made the matching vane out of 0.6mm thick copper with the dimensions shown in the instruction. Thanks for your reply and 73

@pimentelrogerio 2 жыл бұрын

Please, what is the thickness of the copper sheet you used as matching and what is the diameter of the coil wire?

@suwalalmeena 6 ай бұрын

i like

@davem0udb 3 жыл бұрын

Matt have you made a video of your Pluto ground station?

@Hex-Mas 4 жыл бұрын

Whats a good Highly directional 915mhz antenna Ether DIY or Commercial That will be good for LoRa?

@Blackpro124ff 4 жыл бұрын

Great

@peterwallace1018 3 жыл бұрын

I made 1 of these a couple of months ago, it works a lot better than the POTY, but a couple of db's receive is lost due to the lnb looking through the helix.

@m0pnn 3 жыл бұрын

Great, they are too Peter :). I cannot see the wideband TV beacon with it in front of my LNB mer 2 with helix above LNB mer 7 but signal a couple of s points down on tx.

@AndrewMurphy8383 4 жыл бұрын

also matt i would switch all the cable to cable that is for the ghz range i think that will help you in the long wrong if you need help finding some just leave me msg

@m1geo 2 жыл бұрын

Looking at 6:45 were you show your dish, you don't appear to have adjusted your LNB for "skew". On QO-100 in the UK it's around 17 degrees.

@TechMindsOfficial 2 жыл бұрын

That’s because I don’t use the dish for receive because I have an endless amount of trees in the way. Luckily my 20 watts of RF power at 2.4GHz burns through those trees and gets me a moderate signal to the bird. But yes, you are totally right, there should be a skew on the LNB for optimum Performance. Love your blog btw!

@m1geo 2 жыл бұрын

@@TechMindsOfficial Thanks for the kind words, and thanks for the really useful video! I've been using a WiFi Yagi (with a 2:1 VSWR) for my uplink and the performance is poor! Decided I should do something about it! 😂 Take care! George, M1GEO.

@dogastus 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the useful video. I've been considering using a helix feed in front of the LNB like you have done. Can you tell me if you have compared the received signal strength with and without the helix in front of the LNB?

@TechMindsOfficial 3 жыл бұрын

I haven’t as of yet because my receive is poor on summer due to trees, but now the leaves are dropping off I will be experimenting again, will hopefully do an update video on this. Thanks for watching 🙏

@dogastus 3 жыл бұрын

@@TechMindsOfficial Thanks for the reply. I had a 5 turn 2.4GHz helix without a reflector. I've just tried temporarily taping it to the front of my LNB. Dissappointingly, this resulted in a drop of signal strength on the TV beacon of 3dB. I think a POTY might be a better bet.

@juozasnarvoisas7516 2 жыл бұрын

Nice design...

@ivanogiacchi 3 жыл бұрын

Hi, construction data for Helix are not available ?!

@Alan-bz6iq 4 жыл бұрын

Great video. Did you print the 59mm or 61mm reflector support for the bullseye LNB?

@TechMindsOfficial 4 жыл бұрын

I printed the 61mm, I did try the 59mm but it was too small for the Bullseye LNB

@jonneycon6157 4 жыл бұрын

Use a nail polish remover to make it water and dust proof instead of carry bag bro .nail polish remover is much better than plastic carry bag

@IanTester 4 жыл бұрын

That's just acetone, isn't it?

@jonneycon6157 4 жыл бұрын

@@IanTester no it is not just acetone

@IanTester 4 жыл бұрын

@@jonneycon6157 Okay. A google search turned up this: www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/chemicals-of-concern/nail-polish-removers/

@jonneycon6157 4 жыл бұрын

@@IanTester actually i said it hydrophobic in nature it mostly used by diy electronics engineers to waterproof there electronic components. Read what i comment and there is no matter it acetone or not

@MartusTube Жыл бұрын

@@jonneycon6157 Nail polish remover is acetone and it will melt the PLA, sealing the antenna enclosure. Clear nail polish is used by hobbyists to waterproof electronics, by forming a hard laminating layer. Both can be used to achieve the goal of waterproofing this antenna.

@fotografm Жыл бұрын

What did you use for the bias tee for the lnb?

@TechMindsOfficial Жыл бұрын

Was just a cheap bias tee unit from Amazon I think.

@F5VMJ 3 жыл бұрын

Matt...I have a POTY ready to go on an 80cm dish but read that a helix is better for these smaller dishes and are easier to adjust for a low SWR. How did the two compare in your opinion? Performance and adjustment?

@TechMindsOfficial 3 жыл бұрын

I didn’t do any specific measurements, but I would say the helix works way better for transmit. Receive has always been an issue here, so I can’t compare that. SWR on the helix was pretty easy, with the potty it’s a little trickier because as you adjust the driven plate it can also adjust the circular polarisation which you can only really check with a VNA. Helix for the win for me!

@F5VMJ 3 жыл бұрын

@@TechMindsOfficial Mmmmm ok. I got the POTY but then as I got more stuck into the subject realised that probably the heliax would be more suited to my dish. As well as avoiding all the kerfuffle of making a hole in the LNB cover and trickier tuning. I think I will squeeze one out (so to speak) in PETG and try a heliax. For your problematic receive: I notice the heliax coil blocks a portion of what the LNB will see of the dish. Have you tried a separate and higher Rx antenna to get over the trees?...a long heliax on your roof maybe?

@noimnotarobotcanubeleiveit7024 2 жыл бұрын

is it possible to find a pdf of the structure of the helix? i dont have a 3d printer but is i can print a paper template its fast and easy to cut out acrylic sheet also am i rigt in thinking the helix radiates from the baseplate and not the helix? im wondering the best place to put it at the focal point

@TechMindsOfficial 2 жыл бұрын

Check out my latest video on Version 2 of this product, you can buy direct from the designer ;)

@M0NXF Жыл бұрын

How long is the delivery i ordered last week and still showing as processing the order ?

@TechMindsOfficial Жыл бұрын

Did you get it?

@M0NXF Жыл бұрын

@@TechMindsOfficial Yes mate spoke to Patrick and it was sent out when he said it would be .

@SV1RXI 3 жыл бұрын

is this on the market?

@germanjohn5626 Жыл бұрын

Wonder what the dielectric constant and absorption of that filament material is you are using. Some of them are horrible at 10Gig and will have a signal loss of more than 10db per 1/8 inch of material thickness. I rather would machine a cone from a piece of Teflon or other low loss material than throwing gain away with cheap plastic. The best way to test it is to put a piece of filament into a microwave oven (plus a cup of water away from it as a load) if the filament melts it is not good for RF. Same with the part holding the spiral, how much of your great swr is because of the loss in the material?

@TechMindsOfficial Жыл бұрын

Dunno, I changed to a patch antenna because the helix shadowed the LNB. Also, there was zero difference in RX level with the cone on or off.

@letmelooktv 8 ай бұрын

the character spacing on the VNA is rather unfortunate 😂

@melonmusk3976 2 жыл бұрын

5 pounds for that aluminum plate? That's crazy.

@TechMindsOfficial 2 жыл бұрын

Yep, I would like to invest in some tools to cut my own at some point.

@spakkajack 3 жыл бұрын

3.5 turns. that's nearly three and a half.

@DJ-Brownie-UK Жыл бұрын

14 hrs to print , jeez , yet would take seconds to cut the top off a traffic cone

@DJ-Brownie-UK Жыл бұрын

so your telling me you need a 3d printer to make those parts 😂😂😂have you ever heard of a such a stuff called wood ? 🙄🙄🙄

@TechMindsOfficial Жыл бұрын

Well Mr DJ Brownie UK Trademark Copyright, please feel free to make one from wood and then report back how well it works! I’m sure the 10GHz downlink won’t be attenuated one bit! 😂