09-19-2019, 07:04 PM
Murf and Other Philco-ists,
Here is my contribution for a quick, versatile and effective antenna. Last winter I worked on a radio that didn't have a loop or long wire. When it came time to test I couldn't find the wire I normally used for an antenna so I started looking around for something else. The first thing I looked at was a short ethernet cable hanging on the wall. I looked at the 6 foot cable and it was an older, outdated one so I cut the connectors off, removed an inch and a half of insulation.
[attachment=20157]
After stripping a quarter inch of insulation from each of the eight wires on one end, I joined each pair; orange with orange stripe, blue with blue stripe, etc.
[attachment=20158]
On the other end I stripped the wires but connected each wire to a non-corresponding wire creating three separate pairs leaving the forth pair unconnected. I now have a continuous wire looping through the cable. Attach two gator clips to the unconnected wires and I now have a forty-eight foot loop.
[attachment=20159]
It worked great. I used it on the next radio and it worked for that one too. The next radio I worked on needed an internal antenna loop so I coiled another ethernet antenna into the top of the cabinet with great results. Try one of these and let us know how it goes.
Rod
Here is my contribution for a quick, versatile and effective antenna. Last winter I worked on a radio that didn't have a loop or long wire. When it came time to test I couldn't find the wire I normally used for an antenna so I started looking around for something else. The first thing I looked at was a short ethernet cable hanging on the wall. I looked at the 6 foot cable and it was an older, outdated one so I cut the connectors off, removed an inch and a half of insulation.
[attachment=20157]
After stripping a quarter inch of insulation from each of the eight wires on one end, I joined each pair; orange with orange stripe, blue with blue stripe, etc.
[attachment=20158]
On the other end I stripped the wires but connected each wire to a non-corresponding wire creating three separate pairs leaving the forth pair unconnected. I now have a continuous wire looping through the cable. Attach two gator clips to the unconnected wires and I now have a forty-eight foot loop.
[attachment=20159]
It worked great. I used it on the next radio and it worked for that one too. The next radio I worked on needed an internal antenna loop so I coiled another ethernet antenna into the top of the cabinet with great results. Try one of these and let us know how it goes.
Rod