This page last updated 05/12/2023.
(Price: £85 + shipping. Price correct October, 2024)
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Over the past few years, interest in satellite communications has increased exponentially, and this has led to an increase in demand for QFH antennas for different purposes. I have built a few different models over the years for various commercial customers, along with many for NOAA weather satellites which transmit on 137 MHz. I have been asked many times if I can produce QFH antennas for the 2-metre and 70-centimetre amateur bands, for use with the various amateur radio satellites which are currently operational. Well an occasional request for these turned into a weekly hounding, so I decided I had better get on and design some antennas for these two bands!
I designed and developed an antenna for the 2m band, based around the 137 MHz antenna design which I have been building for many years. A QFH antenna for the 70 centimetre band (430-440 MHz) proved something of a challenge, as the perfect design can’t actually be physically assembled, (an issue with many great design ideas I’m told!), and feeding the antenna from the top while retaining its omnidirectional properties presents further hurdles. Eventually, the challenges were overcome with the use of a few tricks, some experimentation, loss of a few nights’ sleep, and some helpful input from some work colleagues.
I am pleased to report that I now have two new QFH models in production to meet these demands.
This means I have 3 models of antenna available, so have added a dedicated web page for each antenna. If you require a pair for 2m and 70cm bands, these can be shipped together in the same box.
If you need a coax feeder for your antenna, I can offer various options from stock. Full details are provided on this page.
To find out more, click on the info boxes below.
If you need more information than you found on this website about any of these antennas, please feel free to contact me by emailing joe@ft8.co.uk.
The price of an antenna is currently £85 (price correct October, 2024) excluding shipping. Please use the contact webform on the relevant antenna page (found by clicking one of the three info boxes above) to place a provisional order. Once I have all your details I will send you a firm quotation for the full price, including shipping costs to your address. If you prefer, you can just send an email to joe@ft8.co.uk but don’t forget to tell me which antenna you require! Please also remember to include your full postal address so we can work out the shipping cost.
Because of occasional difficulties when attempting to reply to a Gmail address, please also include a telephone or mobile contact number in case I can’t reach you by email.