TO: ALL WEST VIRGINIA ARES MEMBERS (OFFICIAL)
ALL ARES AND NON-ARES AMATEURS ANYWHERE (INFORMATION)
FROM: KEN HARRIS WA8LLM WV SECTION EMERGENCY COORDINATOR
WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS INCORPORATED
WV ARES BULLETIN NR 10.04 DATE: January 24, 2010
SUBJECT: USING THOSE OLD RABBIT EARS.
You know those old "Rabbit Ears" (indoor TV antenna) that used to come with most portable TV's, they were adjustable in length, and could be folded up to nearly nothing?
You can now put them to use, as either a portable antenna or even a permanent indoor antenna on Two Meters, or 220 MHz.
To use the antenna with coax, you may have to cut a little of the plastic off so the radials will lay completely flat, or opposing each other, to make a dipole style antenna. Normally they will not do so.
Then remove the short piece of 300 ohm ribbon cable, but leave a little wire since they are pop riveted onto a piece of stainless steel connector, and you may not be able to solder to it. Drill a hole in the plastic so that it will accept a piece of RG58 coax. A 12 to 15 foot piece of coax would be a good length to use. Wire the center lead of the coax to one of the folding antenna, and the shield to the other.
You can use the dipole formula to determine the length of the elements for the frequency you're going to use it on. With a little adjustment you can get an SWR as low a 1.1:1. The elements can be marked with different frequencies for quick installation.
Most of the rabbit ear antennas have a stub so the antenna could be attached to the TV. The stub can be used to mount a suction cup. The antenna could then be stuck to a window glass to have a better signal to the outside world. A piece of string could be tied to one end of antenna to allow it to be hung from something if the suction cup can’t be used.
The antenna could be used as an emergency antenna for walkie/ talkies for either voice or portable packet. It can be used in either a horizontal or vertical position.
The antenna can be used inside the house during severe lightening storms and you don't want to use your outside antenna. (this bulletin is a reprint, with modifications of Wood County ARES Bulletin 97.38, by Duane Jones, N8LDM)
Ken Harris WA8LLM
Wood County WV
WV ARES Section Emergency Coordinator
WV ARES District 3 Emergency Coordinator