Got given a 36V solar panel a few weeks ago by a friend. Not much use for a 12V system, so I set about rewiring it.
Originally it was three 12V arrays in series. I’ve split the middle array in two and given half to each of the remaining 12V arrays. Paralleled them both up for 18V.
Sealed it all up. Perfect!
Last month the Rottnest 70cm repeater came online (http://www.vk6uu.id.au/Rottnest-mark-2.html).
Getting into the repeater should have been easy for me at my QTH with nothing but water between, but due to some teething limitations of the new repeater a challenge has been set.
Firstly I tried my flower-pot dual-band antenna (pictured at the top of the mast) with no luck. Sometimes I could open the repeater, but that was about it.
Next I tried a home-brew 8 element co-linear. I could consistently open the repeater, and had reports of carrier with some modulation, but not enough to hold a QSO.
So then, just the kick I needed to build a Yagi! I settled on a modified design of the Bow and Arrow dual bander (http://www.radioaficion.com/…/1478-qbowq-and-qarrowq-satell…) utilising a gamma match to feed it, negating the requirement for a balun.
For less than $50, including mounting hardware, here is the result.
My first contact was with Will, VK6UU where my signal was reported to be a readable 5.
