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Re: [VHFcontesting] US Antenna Manufacturer

To: Les Rayburn <les@highnoonfilm.com>, "vhf@w6yx.stanford.edu" <vhf@w6yx.stanford.edu>, VHF Contesting Reflector <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] US Antenna Manufacturer
From: David Olean <k1whs@metrocast.net>
Date: Sat, 30 Jul 2022 08:32:12 -0400
List-post: <mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Hi Les,

Directive Systems used to make a pretty FB FM broadcast antenna just for FM DXing and serious audiophiles. It was an 8 element dual driven yagi on a 16 ft boom, optimized for 88-92 MHz. All of the "listenable" stations were located at the bottom of the band and that was the focus for the audiophiles.  My dentist was a serious FM listener and he was complaining to me while drilling one of my teeth, that he could not pull in WERU, in his favorite station from Blue Hill, Maine. WERU had it's beginnings with the help of Noel Paul Stookey, the Paul, of Peter Paul and Mary fame. WERU was about 100 miles up the coast and his stacked array of old Channel Master yagis was not doing it. Sometimes, he could get it in the morrning when there was some tropo enhancement. I offered to make him something and came up with the design after hearing what was needed.  Bear in mind that FM has the dreaded (or good) capture effect, meaning that the stronger station will blot out any weaker station on that channel. I felt that a great pattern was a necessary trait for FM listening and DXing.  I could not get great patterns across all of 20 MHz with any design that was practical, and still maintain the amount of gain needed to pull in those distant stations. I settled on a 4 MHz spam of great patterns and fantastic gain and then it all degraded as you went above 92 MHz. It was OK up to about 95 or 96 and then would pick up stations above that but had the gain and pattern of a bed spring.

My Dentist was thrilled. A single DS88-8 pulled in WERU all day every day, winter and summer in stereo even!!  He was so enthused that I made a 2nd antenna for him, and he stacked them on a Rohn 25 tower.  He marveled that he could rotate that array and pick up many low power FM stations on the same frequency.  I made the antenna available to WERU listeners and the radio station even had a link on their web page for Directive Systems.  I sold a few of the yagis to the FM translator people who used off air signals pumped into new areas, but also sold them to end users who just wanted to hear a certain FM station. Then the trouble began. Dealing with consumers turned out to be a huge time sink and general time waster for me, while trying to run a small antenna shop. Not only was I the antenna designer, but I was also the customer service agent. Any of my employees had no background to handle customer service. I found that an antenna that required assembly and proper siting was beyond he capacity of many people. I remember spending so much time with one customer that I started dreading to hear the phone ring!  I finally told her that she should return the antenna and I would refund her money. The next spring, a pickup truck appeared in my yard. A old Mainer hobbled out of the driver's seat, while the woman who owned the DX88-8 exited the passenger side with her large poodle. I looked in the bed of the truck and there was only about 1/2 of the antenna. The boom was missing along with a few elements. What was left was all covered with chicken shit. Apparently the antenna, or what was left of it, spent the winter in her chicken coop.  The poodle saw my huge hay field and immediately bounded off happily barking and howling and checked out his new digs. The smelling must have been great as he had no desire to answer the calls of his master. She started yelling and screaming at the dog to come back. The dog paid her no attention. She started running after the poodle, while I was trying to explain that she had forgotten to bring back most of the antenna.  She was getting more upset by the second, so I went back to the shop and talked to the old Mainer who drove her down to my place. We both leaned against the truck while observing the lady running all over the field chasing after the poodle. She was now screaming vile epithets and was truly unhinged.  It actually was a surreal vision!   I told her driver that it was my opinion that she had anger management issues. He replied "Ayuh".

While watching all of this, I decided that life was too short to try to sell any product to the general public. My customers who bought yagis and loop yagis were great. They knew what they wanted. They always asked reasonable questions, and any problems that surfaced would always get solved very quickly.  I realized that the VHF/UHF ham population was a great group and any time spent on the phone was very rewarding for me.  The general public? Not so much!I discontinued the FM yagi shortly after the poodle incident.

I think I still have the design available on paper.

I could write a book!

73

Dave K1WHS

On 7/29/2022 8:44 PM, Les Rayburn wrote:
For those VHF weak signal operators who also enjoy FM DXing, you may be aware 
that antennas for the FM Broadcast band 88-108 Mhz are nearly impossible to 
find now in the US. Those available are of limited performance. Dipoles, 
4-element beams, etc.

The days of running down to Radio Shack or an electronics shop and buying an 
APS-13 fringe-FM antenna are gone.


InnovAntenna makes some large OP-DES Yagis for the FM band, but they’re 
expensive, shipping costs to the US are high, and delivery times have been 
unpredictable.

https://www.innovantennas.com/en/our-antennas/240/26/88mhz-108mhz-broadcast/11-element-88-108mhz-op-desInnovAntennas%20shop.html
 
<https://www.innovantennas.com/en/our-antennas/240/26/88mhz-108mhz-broadcast/11-element-88-108mhz-op-desInnovAntennas%20shop.html>

Antennland in Germany makes the famous Korner 9.2 FM antenna, which are well 
built, and perform great. A few years back, I imported ten of them into the US 
and sold them immediately. We discussed bringing the larger Korner 14 design to 
market, but their vendor in Italy went out of business, and shipping costs 
became prohibitive.

https://www-antennenland-net.translate.goog/3H-FM-9M19?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc
 
<https://www-antennenland-net.translate.goog/3H-FM-9M19?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc>


I believe there is a market of FM DXers and audiophiles seeking 
high-performance FM antennas. Albeit a limited market, where the antennas would 
have to be expensive to be profitable.

It seems like the perfect market for a small, specialty antenna manufacturer. There 
used to be such a company in Maine that manufactured VHF weak-signal antennas. But I 
can’t recall who that was.

I’d be interested in discussing this as a business venture and am willing to 
help with development costs to explore the idea further. Does anyone know a shop that 
might be interested?

73,

Les Rayburn, N1LF
les@highnoonfilm.com <mailto:les@highnoonfilm.com>
121 Mayfair Park
Maylene, AL 35114
EM63nf

NRC & IRCA Courtesy Program Committee Chairman
Member WTFDA, MWC

Perseus SDR,  AirSpy + Discovery, SDRPlay RSP Duo, Sony XDR-F1HD [XDR Guy 
Modified], Korner 9.2 Antenna, FM-6 Antenna, Kitz Technologies KT-501 Pre-amps, 
Quantum Phaser, Wellbrook ALA1530 Loop, Wellbrook Flag, Clifton Labs Active 
Whip.

“Nothing but blues and Elvis, and somebody else’s favorite song…”

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