This page last updated 05/12/2023.
(Price: £85 + shipping. Price correct March, 2024)
Click any of the gallery images above for larger view. In the images showing three different antennas, the 144MHz antenna is the one in the middle of the group.
This QuadriFilar Helix Antenna is a development of the original design for the weather satellite band. It was produced in direct response to popular demand from radio amateurs who wanted to experiment with satellite reception on the 2-metre band.
The QFH antennas I build and sell are carefully designed to be effective both in operation and in cost. They are built from copper tubing which is formed into the required helix shape using a 3D tube bender, and is soldered at the joints for reliability. The antenna structure is supported using solvent-welded tubing and associated fittings for mechanical strength and weatherproofing. There is a screw-cap fitted at the top for easy access to the coax feed point. I also polish the copper tubing and lacquer it to prevent corrosion and weathering. This antenna could surely be excused as a garden ornament, Christmas decoration, or similar! Whatever happens, your better half won’t mind too much.
Antennas are built to order, priced at £85 each plus shipping in a huge box! (Antenna is approximately 95cm high with a diameter of 36cm. Price correct March, 2024.)
If you need a coax feeder for your antenna, I can offer various options from stock. Full details are provided on this page.
Feedback from customers is always good, with reception results always reported as being nothing short of excellent. These antennas will always beat crossed-dipole antennas, and turnstile antennas by some margin, simply by their design.
My aim is to produce these antennas at cost in the spirit of the hobby. A few people have suggested that the antenna is overpriced, and the materials cost around £30 at their local DIY store. Of course these people omitted to realise that when you buy the components, they don’t just magic themselves into a complex antenna of exact dimensions and set up to perform as required! This takes a few hours of work, and requires the following materials and equipment:
- Pipe straightener
- Pipe cutter
- 3D pipe bender
- Tube drilling jig
- Copper tubing
- Steel wool
- Solder
- Soldering flux
- Soldering torch
- Gas for soldering torch
- Flux remover
- Degreaser
- Lacquer
- Sealant
- PVC solvent cement
- Wet & dry paper
- Heatshrink tubing
- Antenna Analyser
If you need any further information, please feel free to contact me by emailing joe@ft8.co.uk.
The price of an antenna is currently £85 (price correct March, 2024) excluding shipping. Please use the contact webform below 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 are interested in! Please also remember to include your full postal address so we can work out the shipping cost.
If you require a pair for 2m and 70cm bands, these can be shipped together in the same box.
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.