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Old 7-Dec-2014, 12:35 AM   #1
Splitzcreen
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Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Centl FL (USA)
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Stealth Hawk Questions....

Hello all, I'm brand new here, and new to the DIY-antenna mania....
(maybe not a good place for a OCD personality like myself, but... )

Anyone played around with a Steath Hawk?
I just threw one together... and it works, inside a mobile home (aluminum skinned) I don't even know what kind of metal this is, or the gauge, it came off an old busted up unusable lampshade, certainly not cooper or aluminum, (wrought iron?... pig iron?...zinc? ), and difficult to bend. I chose the variation of the Stealth Hawk 'Optimized for 14 to 69' and I added a 2" NAROD to each bottom leg for my area's NBC affiliate on the higher-VHF (11). I have it hanging from the ceiling in the living room near the TV, and near the front window. Haven't even played around with aiming it yet. Outside of this window is the porch, with an aluminum overhang...so I have to have it low near the window -- too high the signal is going to be reflected away by that aluminum overhanging the porch.
Here's my data for a 5 foot AGL elevation (in the living room, hanging near that window and the tv): http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...d243364efe2a72

I want to try and optimize this... but I don't want a directional antenna - looking at my radar-plot you'll understand why - I have a sprinkling of (indie's and pbs) channels I would lose if I had a directional antenna 'aiming/seeing' NNE or SSW.
I've also considered mounting it outside, at 15 feet elevation (wouldn't be hard to do). But I really don't want to put it up on the roof, and make myself lightening-bait, not if I can first optimize it further keeping it inside.
Now here's the 15 foot AGL elevation scoop (this would of course be outside, and above the roof-line. The TVFool software doesn't 'know' that first five-foot data was 'inside'):
http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wr...d243a73503a29b

Here are my Q's for all :
How much of a difference does the metal I'm using make?... a Copper wire, vs a copper tube, vs aluminum, vs wrought iron (this piece of old lampshade-ring is far too rigid, too hard to bend to be aluminum), vs zinc...?
With/without a Balun?
Has anyone played with the SH design further?... If I were to put together another, slightly smaller one, scaled down but the exact same angles, and mounted it inside the first one at 180 degree's to the first (so looking at it you would see something looking like the skeleton of the Apollo lunar-landers), would it work?... maintaining multi-directionality? Would that improve the gain?
I considered a inner-loop also... that same idea... would a 7.5 or 8 inch diameter circular loop, also within the SH frame, at 180 degrees, would that improve gain?
Yes, mounting it outside and at least 3 feet above the roof-line may be the best -- aluminum roof, aluminum porch-overhang may provide a lot of bonus reflectivity. But how to best optimize inside first?....
Thanks all in advance...

Last edited by Splitzcreen; 7-Dec-2014 at 10:47 AM. Reason: second TVFool link didn't copy in; Balun Q
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Old 7-Dec-2014, 3:38 PM   #2
ADTech
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There is a comprehensive thread over at DHC with over 600 posts regarding the antenna you've inquired about. That thread is at www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=123803 and you'll likely find everything there is to know about it in that thread.
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Old 7-Dec-2014, 5:52 PM   #3
Splitzcreen
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Thanks.
I saw that, I read through some of it. The thread goes all over the place (you don't really expect me to read through 600 posts talking about all sorts of things, do you?)
thanks, mike
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Old 7-Dec-2014, 6:34 PM   #4
timgr
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Research (ie reading through that thread) seems like the equivalent of sweat equity, if you are going to DIY your antenna. Just MO. Double win - you'll learn something and get an antenna in the process.
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Old 13-Dec-2014, 1:45 AM   #5
Splitzcreen
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I got this up on the roof since Weds. Picking up all four network plus pbs channels from Orlando 38 to 42 miles away, and also from just about 180 degrees the other way from Tampa 48 to 52 miles. Plus a couple more indie's and pbs. AND throw in the sub-channels. I'm delighted... AND it's not even 13 feet above ground level! I'll upload a couple pictures when I get the chance.
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Old 21-Dec-2014, 5:10 PM   #6
Splitzcreen
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ADTech, TimSo, et al:
Here's what I came up with. I have a cluster of Orlando area channels at roughly 52 - 53 degrees, at forty-ish miles. Also a cluster of Tampa-area channels at just about the reciprocal heading (235 - 238), at roughly 50 miles. The Hawk (optimized for 14 - 69) at 12 1/2 above gound level (and at least 2 1/2 feet above the roofline) was pulling in all four network affiliates from both Orl and Tpa markets and the pbs channels and a few independents. Aimed roughly 52 - 53-ish degees, dead-reconing (I don't have a compass). However, 'aimed' that way, even though it was outside and above the roofline, I was losing what is my strongest channel, the ION affiliate from Melbourne (at roughly 110 degrees and 30 ish miles). And I like some of the ION law-enforcement shows.
Here is the Stealth Hawk (vers 1) which I tried my best to get the angles and lengths as perfect as possible with.... I did add one 2 " Narod to each lower leg for the higher VHF channels.
nikiml's Antenna pages - Stealth Hawk optimized for ch. 14-69
my own photos :
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/o...psafe3bf6a.jpg
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/o...psfbdc1e49.jpg

I wasn't happy losing that ION affiliate. So I looked for another option.... and came up with this -- another 'diamond' added to the same mast within the radius of the Hawk diamond. ( and I don't remember the website where I found it, but tried to get the angles correct here also, although the lengths are a bit shorter) This second diamond is by design not fixed at 90 degrees to the the Hawk diamond. And it's not connected directly to the Stealth Hawk -- it has it's own leads running direct to the Balun.
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/o...psd344774e.jpg
http://i356.photobucket.com/albums/o...ps3cd3c739.jpg

Now i've got some desired multi-directionality. That ION channel to my SE, and also, another PBS and indie (which the websites don't seem to agree on what and where they are).
This was all scrap metal from that 40-plus year old busted up lampshade. I have no idea what cheap metal it is. Again, 12 1/2 feet AGL, 2 1/2 to 3 feet above roofline. This is a mobile home with an aluminum 'roof-over' (round roof, not pitched-angled) ... that aluminum roof-over might be helping. If so, it would help even more if I were to re-mount the antenna at the highest point of the (round) roof.... but I don't want to go that far. So again the question for those of you deep into antenna-homebuilds -- I have no idea what cheap metal that lampshade was made of. Duplicating the design, using aluminum, using copper wire ... would that make a difference in the gain? (I have enough Romex lying around, could redo the design using that, easier to get the lengths and angles perfect)
Expecting some weather here this eve and overnight... we'll see how this holds up

Last edited by Splitzcreen; 21-Dec-2014 at 5:20 PM. Reason: detail
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