Just to confirm with you... I am going to put a sheet of plexiglass beneath the reflector - and another over the top of the element to protect it.... this will not cause any issues right? Does thickness of the plexi matter?

It will not affect it. It can be an inch thick and you'll never know the difference.

-Alex

Thank you. Can't wait to scrap the Yagi for this.

Alex, I am assembling a new antenna tracker made out of aluminum. Will it be a problem to bolt the antenna to the tracker with metal screws or should I use nylon screws?

Thanks,
Randy

Originally Posted by rsowder

Alex, I am assembling a new antenna tracker made out of aluminum. Will it be a problem to bolt the antenna to the tracker with metal screws or should I use nylon screws?

Thanks,
Randy

Use anything you want to bolt it down.

Really? I thought that bolting the metal reflector to a metal pan tilt with metal bolts would somehow screw the performance up...

I guess it's just a reflector?

Alex,

I just flew my Skywalker with the Dragon Link for the first time and went out 2 miles using this BiQuad, the video was totally solid! I had never been that far out as being new to this but I was very impressed with your BiQuad, thanks. We will see in the coming weeks how far I can go with this antenna.

Originally Posted by al1242

Alex,

I just flew my Skywalker with the Dragon Link for the first time and went out 2 miles using this BiQuad, the video was totally solid! I had never been that far out as being new to this but I was very impressed with your BiQuad, thanks. We will see in the coming weeks how far I can go with this antenna.

Not bad, my friend. Go ahead and venture out farther. 2 miles is a walk in the park for a BiQuad. Just be sure to stay in the beam. That's the hard part.

-Alex

Originally Posted by Blue Chip

Really? I thought that bolting the metal reflector to a metal pan tilt with metal bolts would somehow screw the performance up...

I guess it's just a reflector?

Yep, just a reflector. It doesn't even need to be electrically connected like I have mine. I electrically connect mine to balance the antenna.

-Alex

Originally Posted by IBCrazy

Technically, yes. In fact, any dielectric will cause a shift in SWR. That said, use the smallest piece of foam possible. Open cell is better than closed cell. If you look at my other BiQuads I made, I used a small wooden block.

-Alex

What about plastic? Specifically, type 2 or type 5? I have all these small single use syringe plungers that are the perfect size to support the element.

Thanks, Alex.

Those will work fine. Closed loop antennas are fairly good when it comes to dielectrics. Open antennas such as the dipole, Vee, and patch are extremely sensitive.

Alex Hi

What is affecting the SWR on these BiQuads is it element to reflector distance,
I think I missed it some were.
Thank you

Cheers CrocEnd

Hi, again a theoretical question, if I would use the biquad also for my radio link, what range can i expect with the unboosted stock setup of about 100mW and the stock dipole antenna that the receiver uses...just an estimation of course..

I have no idea. Expect about 3 to 4 times your current range with a BiQuad on the radio TX.

-Alex

Originally Posted by CrocEnd

Alex Hi

What is affecting the SWR on these BiQuads is it element to reflector distance,
I think I missed it some were.
Thank you

Cheers CrocEnd

Element size and reflector distance both affect SWR.