VK5RHO VHF Antenna Replacement

[VK5AAD]

Well I can now at least trigger the repeater from indoors at Blackwood but reception is marginal at best so I doubt my signal into it is any better.  I'll try again from outdoors in the daytime when it's a little warmer.

Richard VK5AAD

[VK5VI]

Today Wed 15th July 2026 the NERC Repeater Team commissioned a new antenna and LDF450 coax feeder for the club VHF repeater to replace the antenna which had previously seen many years of commercial service and had become faulty. A decision was made to replace the low-loss feeder at the same time.
The antenna chosen is a folded dipole with unity gain and is mounted facing west to give best general coverage to the metro area, positioned approx 5m from the top. The extra height should improve radiation which previously could have been masked by local foliage of an adjacent tree.
The transmitter output was increased by approx 2dB and initial reports show no receiver de-sensing.
A sweep on the antenna and feeder shows excellent VSWR and a flat response over a broad VHF range.
The Team encourages signal reports from this long-awaited project. An ideal place o report is via this website.
Our thanks go to Dean and Jon for their expertise in handling the rigging requirements.

Brian.
VK5VI
For the NERC Repeater Team