How to make a sliding contact on the Buddipole coils. Quick and cheap DIY project.
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Buddipole and Buddistick is the name for two portable shortened antennas by the same Buddipole company. Buddistick is a vertical , Buddipole is a dipole made of actually two Buddisticks. Both use the same loading coils. It's a good quality coil (to my mind) with just one weird thing (to my mind), that is the coil clips! It is so troublesome to fix and unfix these clips on the coil when there is a need to change the tap on the coil in order to change the resonant frequency of the antenna. I discovered myself dropping and even losing this coil clip nearly each time I make the antenna tune-up. Other manufacturers of similar antennas make a sliding contacts on their coils since many years now and their coils are quite popular. Since I had the Buddipole antenna and didn't want to buy another brand, I thought the only way out is to make a sliding contact on the Buddipole coils myself! It turned out to be a very easy project and my idea proved to be working and repeatable! So, if you, like me got fed-up with this mingling with the coil clips on your Buddipole dipole or vertical, this video might be for you!
Please leave a comment and say what you think of the Buddipole coils in general and the clips in particular.
If you would like to get familiar with how the Buddistick work together with my Icom IC-705 please find my other video on this channel here:
• Be my buddy! Icom IC-7...
If you'd like to see more stories about the Buddipole and other antennas in real action outdoors, please consider subscribing, it will be more convenient for you to get informed as long as new videos coming! I value your subs very much for I want this channel grow and become an experience- sharing channel for all who interested in Ham Radio!
Thanks for watching, 73! Linas LY2H
Spent a small fortune on buddipole, yet i hardly use it, one of the reasons was the tuning method and fiddly clips. I really like this idea and only wish it was incorporated in the design. Buddipole should learn from you elegant design and commercialize it, but I for one, will be willing to spend some time on the original kit to make it more useable. Thanks very much for this. 73 2E0FWE
I made a wire(x2) with a minigrabber test clip and a ring terminal wire connector on the other end. Replaced the original mini banana plug wire and did not have to modify any of the original parts. have been using it on all bands 40m-6m for over a year with no problems. K5RFS
Sounds cool! Would you mind sharing some pics for everybody interested to see the idea? 73! Linas LY2H
@@Linas_LY2H I don't know how to add pictures
@@bobseger4496 I’m afraid, there is no simple way to add pictures here to the comments section … :). Thanks for your email, I’ll post your pictures in my channell Community Tab. 73! Linas LY2H
Thanks for this comment! I just ordered some test clips on Amazon. I can’t wait to try this!
Great idea as well! Thanks for sharing.
Labai ačiū!!! Been pondering something like this for a while but your approach is far more elegant and less complicated than anything I thought to try. I love that it doesn't modify the coil or the wiring in any way, and I have lower profile brass knurled nuts for the coil clips that I think would work. (Stripped out the plastic ones too often.) Brilliant solution, sir!! 73 de KM4RB (proud of my Lithuanian heritage)
Malonu girdėti! I’m really glad you know the Lithuanian script Frank! Thanks for the message, I’m sure these brass nuts will do fine. Let me know how was your project going with this mod! 73! Linas LY2H
Nice I always try to use the bright Red clips so I can find them in the long grass, Buddy pole needs to lift the game and do some more R and D on the coils for sure. Now I am lusting after one of their Hex Beams but more money out the door. 73's Kris from ZL1 country
What a great idea! Buddipole should have provided better clips if one is interested in fast band switching. But your solution works great
This would actually allow me to use my Buddipole kits. The clips are such a pain to get tuned, and then you have to keep moving them based on your location so I stopped using the kit itself.
What a simple but incredibly elegant solution for the very reason I got rid of my Buddipole system! Bravo Zulu (Good Job) to you!
Great idea OM. 😃👍
I also thinking about coil clip problem in the field.
I try this great mod soon!!
TNX 73.
Fantastic idea and simple too! Thanks for sharing.
Brilliant idea to build a coil and do it this way thank you for showing the edit Brilliant:)
A great idea. Hope to make the modified coil soon. 73. VU2DSI. Datta Deogaonkar.
fantastic! i love stuff like this!
pac 7 (ex-usa, don't know where) had a metal slider on their coils.
Thanks! I'll be doing this soon. Much needed improvement!
I have built crystal radios with sliders similar to that another great video thank you
Wow beautiful idea 🙏
Thanks!
That is a great idea! I have the large coil also and plan on giving this a go. 73 Jason KB2SDR
Super! Let me know how is it going! 73! Linas LY2H
laughed out load when you dropped the clip. "Sh*t" Great Mod
Thank you! I will make one today,
Very nice, thumbs up!
Good job!
Nice mod, going to try it. 73s
terrific job 73 from kb2uew
Thank you for the great idea! 73's K1YPB
Just buy a Wolf River Coil antenna, same principle and much cheaper too !
Good idea! I might go for it! Just of curiousity if there is anything to mod on it :) 73! Linas LY2H
@@Linas_LY2H Not sure I understand. There is the coil, the slider, you can get a double slider to tune 2 bands at once, the tripod legs can be either small or large depending on the size whip you use, for stability use the larger legs, extension rods so you can make the coil either centre fed or top fed. Check out the WRC website and you'll see what's available !
@@martinsalt1839 Just kidding :) I like the WRC a lot , frankly. The problem is they don't ship oversees anymore and it seems, they don't have dealers in the European Union (unlike the Buddipole). I would really like to buy their Silver Bullet Platinum Coil and use it with my 15 ft MFJ telescoping whip installed on my Ham Radio Van. At the moment I use the MFJ coil which is surprisingly rugged and able to withstand strong winds and multiple mounting/unmounting events in the harsh environment. ( there is a video on that on my channel in the Antennas playlist). So, I'm open for the second hand offers, or I would gladly borrowed one for a week or two for the decent in-depth review on my channel.
And as it comes to my Buddipole mod video, it's for those who want to keep and use their Bud- dipoles and sticks, not sell them.
@@Linas_LY2H I live in the UK and had it shipped over about a year ago. It's one of my best antennas. If I'm only going to use 20 and up, then I use the Megapod with the MFJ1979 whip (no coil), with 4 x 5m counterpoise wires. Works a treat. I'll also use the coil for all bands with their 102" whip if I'm on a SOTA activation. Oh and I use the Silver Bullet Mini coil.
@@martinsalt1839 Fantastic ! MFJ1979 is really doing a great job! As to the WRC shipping policy, the current status info is on their website, it’s due to the C-19 issues. So it seems I gotta wait a bit… 73! Linas LY2H
Make one of these to FIND where the tighter clip needs to be. Then fasten the more permanent clip as Buddipole originally intended. Their clips are “bullet proof” and extra tough once you find where they need to be for each band. K8WPE
Love the videos Linas. Could you turn the volume down on the intro part- it blasts my ears. Thanks
Thanks for watching! Sorry abt sound- will check and fix it! 73! Linas LY2H
Nice 👍👍👍😁
good dogs do not bark a lot. only when there is a problem. my molly bless her hart she had this tiny woof when she had to go outside. now this was a 95 pound rott. very loving to the end.
i love this mod, next time at the store i am going to get a short length of pvc to do this.
did you patent this? you must, then "rent" to the makers of the buddy pole/stick.
Sorry for your dog, Larry. I know how it feels… Good luck with the mod! I think Ham Radio is all about Free Source/Open Code and sharing. I’m glad if my idea is liked by others, that’s all. 73! Linas LY2H
I think this is a great idea, however when I build it and try to use it I keep getting a "Pack of Dogs" barking at me!
That's a small price to pay for the peace of mind!
Very nice modification ❗️👍73 KV5P
Have you tried making a 10 meter J pole with the Buddipole?
Hi! Not yet, tell us!
I've just taken delivery of an original second-hand one that I won. Not had any time to have a play with it yet. I like that idea though, looks good thanks. How high do you normally operate this on your tripod stand? - I have a 4 meters (13ft) tripod but will have to adapt the fixing at the end as it is a normal 1/4" 20 thread. 👍
Thanks for watching and commenting! Hope this will help if/when you get tired of fixing the coil clips ! :) Otherwise it's a nice compromise antenna, especially if used with the longer telescopic whips. As to the hight, my "painter's pole" allows for up to 3m/9ft so, that's the limit. I noticed that even at that hight the SWR changes considerably compare to what I tune up to at the eye-level ( abt 1,7m). So , the ATU might be a good idea , or just trial and error method tuning and retuning the coils... In the latter case, the sliding contacts might save lots of time and nerves :). Good luck with your new toy! 73! Linas LY2H
J shape points up. That way it doesn't fall off.
If you drill the hole smaller could you thread in the brass clip? If trading it in is hard, some heat from a soldering iron might help.
Thanks for the comment! I don't know , really :) , haven't tried this out. If you do, please share your experience with the rest of us! Actually, the plastic which the pipe is made of seems a bit too soft for me to make a thread in it and the clip might get lose quickly. On the other hand, I wanted the original Buddipole's nylon nuts to get used for good :). Anyway, let's keep experimenting! 73! Linas LY2H
Thanks but TCDV
So you took a buddipole and made it a Wolf River Coil? 👍🏻
If you say so :). I myself, have never owned the Wolf River Coil , so I have no idea if my mod to the Buddipole coil has anything in common with the WRC design. From what I can read, the WRC looks like a robust and good quality coil. If they ever have a dealer in Europe , I might try one, at a reasonable price :) 73! Linas LY2H
Good video ,n6whk
You should market/sell these, I will take two ! de K8MH
The best marketing is your comment! Thank you! As for selling, well, it's an Open Source. Everybody welcome to watch my channel and make one, including the Buddipole guys! 73! Linas LY2H
The contact cant be as good of the originals. They are not fixed.Anyway for me its not necessairy . I dont have to change fast from one band to the other. My personal idee, now more then that.
The contacts are made from the same original pick-off clips and they are kept pressed to the coil by the force of the pipe bracket. Surely, it's probably not that strong as it would be with the screw-on clips but strong enough for me to provide the reliable contact on the coil. And if you like the original arrangements , it's even better- no need to change anything! Have fun! 73! Linas LY2H
Just buy or build a Wolf River Coil. I like my Buddistick and Buddipole just the way they are. Sorry!
No sorries! I'm , actually , very glad you do! Wish you many dx. 73! Linas LY2H
Good video , terrible intro