Building an antenna out of an existing coaxial cable is a great way to get on the air quickly and start receiving those transmissions. Using a 50 Ohm coaxial cable, which will connect directly to the rear of a scanner, will allow you to tune in and receive transmissions from your local weather authority, police emergencies, and other emergency broadcasts in your area.
Instructions
1. Lay out one end of the coaxial cable and measure 22 inches from the end. Cut the black, outer insulation back from the end of the cable to the measurement.
2. Loosen the wire mesh insulation with your fingers, and pull it away from the cable. Leave about two inches of the wire mesh, and cut the rest away with the wire cutters.
3. Trim about one inch of the white, plastic insulation off the very end of the center conductor or center wire. Using the needlenose pliers, bend a small loop in the end of the center wire.
4. Lay out the 20-inch long pieces of copper wire. If they have insulation on them, trim one inch off each end of the three wires.
5. Plug in the soldering iron and allow it to heat up. Spread the remaining one inch of wire mesh on the coaxial cable evenly around the cable where it is attached. Solder the three wires to the wire mesh, with them evenly spaced around the cable. Touch the solder to the tip of the soldering iron and apply the solder to the connection between the copper wire and the wire mesh to solder each together.
6. Bend a small loop in the remaining ends of each of the three copper wires.
7. Locate an area in the room, with the radio/receiver, to attach the antenna to the ceiling. Push the tack into the ceiling and cut a piece of string to the desired length, and tie one end to the tack and the other to the loop in the center conductor/wire.
8. Cut three pieces of string to tie from the loops in each of the three remaining wires that will come together and tie to the loop in the center wire to provide support. Cut the strings to the length so that when tied they will hold the three copper wires at about a 45 degree angle.
9. Attach the remaining end of the coaxial cable to the rear of the radio, following the manufacturer guidelines for your particular model radio. Turn the radio on and test for reception.
Tags: wire mesh, center wire, coaxial cable, each three, loop center, around cable