"ml" wrote in message
...
hi

Wanted to see what people thing regarding the design of a modest
satelite set up hopfully soon to be installed.

I was going to get the Yaesu as/el rotator and a circular pol
beam by M2 both for 2m and 430. at a future point i might put a
small 1296 ant on it as well.

the 2m/430 beam antennas are around 10ft and mount in the middle.


I have sorta two options for the EL boom.

a) i can use a fiberglass mast

question, how strong are these I was also looking at the M2 one in
particular

anyone know of anything better ?

b) how much of a difference signal wise would it make going from the
fiberglass to say a regular metal boom (EL)??

C) any special advantage that might be afforded due to the less
weight?

I used a piece of PVC pipe with a wooden closet pole inside it. It is
holding up a KLM 22C and the 435 KLM antennas. The 435 antenna is mounted
at the back so the coax comes out the back side and does not get in the
antenna patern. I did not go out the back of the 22C 2 meter antenna, but
ran it up the boom and out the side. I did turn the antenna so the elements
are at a 45 deg angle to the boom so the coax is halfway between the
elements. I do not know if that makes any differance or not. I did work
Oscar 10 and 13 while they were at the maximum distance running 100 watts on
435 into about 75 feet of the 9913 type coax on both antennas.


If you do not go out the back of the antennas with the coax, I doubt it
would make much differance what kind of cross boom is used, especially on
two meters if the coax is taped to the cross boom.

I have not used the antennas in a while , but think all the sats are now in
a low earth orbit and it should not take too much to work them anyway.