<<Good fun tape-measure Yagis. They don’t work in the wind though, they collapse. Been there and discovered that. The question to ask is “will it ever be windy on top of a mountain?”>>
Tape measure antenna will be for exploring satellite, not SOTA.
<<Not sure why you want to buy a cable with fitted connectors and then cut them off?>>
I need a length with a BNC on one end and no connector on the other. Cutting this will give me two of those for experimenting. If I already had the tools, or access to them, I’d buy the coax and components.
Quick warning on cheap RG58 coax with ready to use connectors. I had very bad experiences for VHF and higher frequencies. SWR high. 2m J-pole antenna just not getting resonant.
Hi Doug -
I may have missed it in all the excellent responses here, but I’d suggest that you might also consider “none” for what feedline to use. There are several options for EFHW where you connect the antenna directly to the rig. Here’s an example: Trail Friendly – LNR Precision Inc.
73, Etienne-K7ATN
I once bought some good RG58 with an N type plug pre-fitted. Unfortunately, when I tested it with my multimeter it was shorted and I had to cut it off and install my own. It was from a reputable dealer as well. I would always check custom cables with a multimeter before transmitting.
73 Matt
Matt, looks like quality controll failed on their side.
It was not that bad with the one I had. A 3m RG58 50 Ohm with 2 BNC from an electronic discounter. Visually it looked nice overall.
As written the J-Pole just would not work at all. Antenna analyzer always showing strange readings.
Replacing the piece with a good quality RG58 and BNC solder connector solved the problem.
The shielding of the cable was just very very poor quality and on 2m just not sufficient at all.
73 Joe
I started off using RG58 but switched to RG174 to reduce bulk/weight. My main interest is 5W/QRP/HF, so I don’t have to worry too much about power rating or loss. I got some decent RG174 (from SOTABEAMS) and made up a 0.5m, 3m & 10m lead with BNC plug on each end. When I construct an antenna, I usually fit a BNC socket at the feed point. This means I can use the 10m length for something like a centre fed dipole and the 3m length for end feds. The 0.5m length is if I need to put a matching unit or SWR bridge inline. Most QRP equipment have BNCs but you can use a BNC to PL259 etc. adapter if you need to connect to something different.