September 04, 2006 5:10 PM A fellow Ham has constructed a 6M Halo of your design for me. We have some antenna restrictions here and I have been painting my antennas the same color as our cypress siding to camo. Would it effect the halo to paint it? Thanks for your time. 73 Hugh<> KE5HBE

Hi Hugh,   The only thing is, do not use metallic based paints.  Other then this, the paint will probably have some added benefits.  Namely keeping the weather out.   Please send images of the project so we can post it!!!! With and without paint???   The Stealth 6M Halo!!  Sounds like Great fun! 73, Steve KB1DIG

Thanks for the reply about the paint Steve. The friend that constructed my Halo,  his and several others, hooked up yesterday afternoon for the first time and gave me excellent reports even though mine is only 12 feet off the ground at the present. He is about 25-30 miles east of me. I am south of Starkville, MS and he is southeast of Columbus, MS on the AL state line. While we were talking, a guy in Florence, AL said he had me full scale. He was on a large Yagi beam 60 ft up. What we were wondering is if the Halo is in anyway affected by the mast. Does it  reflect off the mast and make it directional? Will try to take some pics of the halo before and after painting for you just as soon as I figure out this new digital camera... 73 Hugh KE5HBE

Before painting

After painting

Hi Hugh, The metal mast should become invisible to the antenna. I think this HALO will work just fine if it was suspended by strings and hanging from tree limbs.  Also, attached to a wood pole.. Time to go to work...  1 hour drive each day down into the Boston, MA area...  Shoving off at 4AM...home after 5PM...5 to 6 days a week... 73, Steve KB1DIG

June 10, 2006 HELLO STEVE:  I AM AC5JV , GEORGE  I BUILT ONE OF YOUR 6 HALO BUT  JUST LITTLE DIFFERENT DESIGN , BUT USED YOU BASIC PATTERN . WHAT I DID WAS USED 7/8 ALUM SKIN HARDLINE IT STILL HAS THE CENTER CONDUCTOER IN IT  , ITS ALL I HAD. AND DIDNT DO THE SPLIT LOOP USED IT ONE PEICE AND PUT GAMMA MATCH ON IT . GOT TO TELL YOU BOY DOES IT WORK !!!! GOT IT UP 20 FEET AND USING RANGER 5054 WITH 25 WATTS PEP AND MAKING CONTACTS EVERWHERE ON IT . . I HAVE A SMALL QUESTION ON IT, THAT ALL MY FREINDS AND I ARE WONDERING ABOUT ? HOW MUCH GAIN DOES THIS ANTENNA HAVE ?  AND DO YOU HAVE THE E & H ON IT TOO BY CHANCE? SURE DO LIKE IT AND THANK YOU FOR THE IDEA MAKED GREAT OMNI FOR THE BAND .         73 AC5JV , GEORGE Hi George,   Thanks for checking out this design.  Specifications??  Not 100% sure...  It should be about the same as the M2 6-meter halo.  Will send you a copy of this info in a 2nd e-mail. REF:  http://www.m2inc.com/products/6m/6mloop.html   Be good and have fun on 6 with your new halo.  Please send an image of it, if you get a chance.  This hard-line idea sounds interesting.    73, Steve KB1DIG HELLO:   GOT THE SPECS ON 6 HALO YOU SENT / RIGHT NOW GOT IT UP 20 FEET AND HAVE BEEN WORKING 6 M CONTEST WITH IT . AM OPERATING A RANGER 5054 WITH 25 PEP OUTPUT AND YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE THE REPORTS I HAVE GOTTEN BACK OFF IT . I LIVE IN SALINA,OKLAHOMA  THATS ABOUT 40 MILE ESE OF TULSA OK . SO FAR I HAVE WORKED FROM WEST COAST INLAND TO NEVAD AND NORTH TO MONTANA , CANADA NORTH AND SOUTH DAKOTA AROUND TO THE OHIO AREA IN TO AND AROUND THAT STATE AND UP NOTH INTO JERSEY NEW YORK, MARLAND ON DOWN TO VIRGINIA'S CAROLINA'S INTO FLORIDA . WITH THIS THATS ABOUT 50 CONTACTS IN 2 DAYS . I IWASNT REALLY WORKING CONTEST MORE THAN IWAS TRYING IT OUT . BOY AM I TICKLED TO DEATH WITH IT . TRY TO GET YOU A PIC TOMMOROW ALONG WITH A DRAWING OF HOW I BUILT IT [ NOT A GOOD ARTIST BUT HOPE YOU GET THE MEANING] HIHI  WHAT I BUILT COMES REAL CLOSE TO YOUR DESIGN USED SAME GAMMA MATCH BUT WITH 7/8 IT WAS A FUN DEAL TO GET IT TO MATCH-UP , BUT IT DID IT . I HAVE MFJ ANALYZER MFJ 269 IT SHOWED 1.0 TO SWR AT 45 OHMS AND 0 CAP AT 50.125  AND SHOWED 100% MATCH EFFEICENCY. HOOKED IT UP WITH 45 FEET OF RG/8U . METER SHOWS ABOUT 1 DB LOSS FROM RADIO TO ANTENNA .       TELL YOU WHAT IF ANYBODY ASKS YOU IF ITS WORTH BUILDING YOU TELL THEM TO CONTAC ME YOUR DESING OR MY SOUTHERN ENGINEERED DESIGN FROM IT / TO ME IS ONE OF THE BEST OMNIS FOR 6 I CAN THINK OF . I HAVE BEEN ON 6 FOR 4 YEARS AND USED LOT OF DIFFERENT ANTENNAS BUT I LIKE THIS ON THE BEST        WELL THANK YOU AGAIN 73 FROM AC5JV HI STEVE;    THIS IS AC5JV AGAIN ON THE 6 METER HALO I BUILT USING YOUR IDEA . OK I PROMISED YOU SOME PIX AND SOME DEATAILS ON IT WELL HERE YOU GO COULDNT GET UP THE TOWER TO GET PIX SO BUILT ANOTHER ONE , REALLY JUST TO SEE IF MY IDEA WORKS . IT DOES !!!. FIRST A CORRECTION ITS NOT 7/8 HARDLINE ITS 1/2 INCH HARD LINE WHERE I GOT 7/8 NEVER KNOW . NOW THIS HARDLINE IS GOT ALUM/LIKE TUBING AROUND THE CENTER CONDUCTOR AND USES A PLASTIC INSULATOR FOR INSULATION FROM CENTER CONDUCTOR WHICH I LEFT IN THERE . THE GAMMA MATCH IS YOUR DEMENSIONS BUT THE SHORTING STRAP IS 8 INCHES AND SPACED 1- 1/2 INCH DRIVER TO GAMMA MATCH . NOW THE LOOP ITS 110 INCHES , MADE IT LONG JUST IN CASE BUT IT WORKS OUT GOOD . THE GAP AT THE END WHERE THEY MEET  IS 2 INCHES HELD IN PLACE WITH SPLIT PVC AND ZIP TIES AND HOT GLUE . CHECKED IT OUT LIKE LAST TIME ON ANALYZER IT CAME OUT THE SAME  SWR AT 50.125 1.0 TO 1  GOES UP TO 50.500 AT 1.5 SWR SHOWS 45 OHMS AND 0 CAP ON ANALYZER . <>     HEY IF YOU WANT YOU CAN USE THESE PIXS WHERE EVER YOU WANT TO SHOW THAT YOUR IDEA IS POSSIBLE IN OTHER DESIGN POSIBBLIITY NO PROBLEM GO AHEAD YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION .   THANK YOU AGAIN . 73 AC5JV   <> HELLO AGAIN STEVE:    HOPE YOU GOT THE PICTURES I SENT YOU ON MY VERSION OF YOUR ANTENNA . WELL HERE IS A BIT OF UPDATE . I BUILT A SECOND ON AND USE THE SPECS YOU GAVE ME OFF THE M2 SITE FOR STACKING THEM . LET ME TELL YOU WOW !! WHAT A DEAL !!!  BUILT ME OWN CO-PHASE HARNESS WITH ANALYZER AND DUMMY LOADS  THE SYSTEM COMES OUT AT 1.25 TO 1 SWR @ 50.125  AND 39 OHMS AND THE STACKED PAIR GO UP TO 50.550 MHZ BEFORE HITS 1.5 TO 1 SWR . YOU SURE KNOW HOW TO BUILD THEM !  JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT AND EVERTHING ELSE YOU TOLD ME . IT HAS REALLY PAID OFF . AM MATCHING CONTACTS STATION FOR STAION WITH A FREIND OF MINE 25 MILES UP THE ROAD , HE USING 3 EL CUSHCRAFT YAGI AT 30 FEET AND 100 WATTS , I ONLY HAVE 25 WATTS  AND MINE ARE 20 AND 32 FEET .      SO WITH THAT AGAIN THANK YOU . YOU MAY USE ANY OR ALL OF THIS TEXT TO ADD TO YOUR SITE ABOUT THE HOW WELL YOUR IDEA WORKS                      73 AC5JV GEORGE

Subject:  question about your 6 meter halo antenna
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2002 00:54:10 -0700
From: "Paul R. Garcia" <paul_r_garcia@csumb.edu>
To: buck0@attbi.com

Hi, I have just built the 6 meter halo antenna built from 3/8" aluminum
tubing you have detailed on your website and have some questions. How
critical are the dimensions exactly? The SWR I get is terrible and I'm
wondering what I can do to start troubleshooting this. Any help you can
give is greatly appreciated.

Thank You
Paul Garcia
KF6MVO

Subject:  Re: question about your 6 meter halo antenna
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2002 10:15:30 -0400
From: Kim & Steve Merrill <buck0@attbi.com>
To: "Paul R. Garcia" <paul_r_garcia@csumb.edu>

Hi Paul,

Don't panic!  Thanks for trying this design...  Perhaps there is nothing more
frustrating then building something and have it not work.  Drives you crazy.

First off, how are you doing your testing?  The reason I ask is that
sometimes objects to close to the antenna tend to throw the match off.  I
first tested the SWR on the Halo I built mounted on 20' of mast and wire tied
to a 4' chain link fence.  The SWR readings were about 1:1.1 at 50.100Mhz and
went up as I moved up the band.  This was pretty much what I was looking
for.  The SSB DX.  My Kenwood TS-2000 has a built in antenna tuner, so a
little mismatch was not a big problem for my purpose.

The position on the gamma section in the images was never changed.  (a lucky
guess).  In your case, the best way to adjust for SWR is to start with the
gap between the 2 elements.  Change the spacing.  This will have a small
effect on the SWR.  Try for the lowest reading.  After that, work with the
gamma section.  Start with the amount of exposed coax then the shorting
section of the gamma arm.  You may find it a lot easier to do all this with
an MFJ antenna analyzer.

Some other stuff.

Coax:
I used 100ft of RG-8.  Not to say that something like the smaller RG-8x will
not work, but probably best to keep away from the RG-58.

Element length:
I determined the 54" lengths for the Halo by first building a simple dipole
antenna and adjusting for best SWR.  This gave me a good approximation.
Aluminum in not as easy to work with as copper.  After, I shorted the 2
elements to a plate and then folded them on to each other to form the Halo.
The information for the gamma section came for ARRL Antenna Book.

FM:
For FM work it will require shorter main elements.  If you plan to do this,
trim a little 1/4" piece at a time.  Perhaps 3" on each element will need to
be removed to get it totally readjusted for the FM portion of the band.  I
have not tried this.  The gamma section will stay the same.  Another way is
to go back to building a simple dipole for the frequency you're looking for
to determine correct element lengths.

Hope this helps!
Steve  KB1DIG  ;-)

Subject: Re: question about your 6 meter halo antenna
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2002 23:21:46 -0700
From: "Paul R. Garcia" <paul_r_garcia@csumb.edu>
To: buck0@attbi.com

I appreciate your prompt reply. I guess I should have thought about some
of that stuff myself but I was pretty frustrated when the thing didn't
work. I took your advice and went step by step first eliminating nearby
tree branches and adjusting element spacing. Then I adjusted the gamma
section in small increments and ended up getting my SWR below 1.5!

I now have the antenna permanently mounted on a mast with my 2 meter
repeater antenna and am happy with the final result. I will try to get
some pictures to you if I can get my hands on a digital camera if you're
interested. Thanks again.

Paul Garcia
KF6MVO

Subject: Re: question about your 6 meter halo antenna
Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2002 06:14:31 -0400
From: Kim & Steve Merrill <buck0@attbi.com>
To: "Paul R. Garcia" <paul_r_garcia@csumb.edu>

Hi Paul,

It works!!!  This is great!  Good job!

I'm on my way out the door for work...

Please send an image, so I can post it, if you can.  Is it also okay if I
use your comments on my Webpage?  Information like this is great to pass on
to others.  Great fun to build stuff like this and save a few bucks!

Off to work...
Be good!
&73's
Steve KB1DIG ;-)

I love the 2 & 6 meter halo designs you have posted to the web page and I am
planning to try to build some of them for myself.

Would like to see you post the dimensions of the 6 meter halo's mounting
plate such as you state it is 2" by 4", what are the spacings of the holes
for the 2 element and the coax connector? This would be of great help to
anyone trying to build this antenna.

J.Tennant  K8JWT/R

Subject: Re: 6 meter halo question/suggestion
Date: Mon, 02 Sep 2002 16:45:49 -0400
From: Kim & Steve Merrill <buck0@attbi.com>
To: Jacob Tennant <k8jwt@ntelos.net>
 
Hi Jacob,

Good suggestion!  This is a little doodle of the placement for the holes.  I
used a rat-tail file to finish the larger hole for the so239 then I marked and
drilled for the pop-rivets.  Face the rivets away from the gamma section.  Even
though the size of the 1/4" plate was somewhat small I was able to fit
everything on it quite nicely.  I'll have to do a better diagram for posting on
the Webpage.  This Web-work sometimes takes me longer then building the
antennas.... Hi hi.

Please let me know if you have a problem viewing this "jpg image" I sent you.
It happens sometimes.  If so, I'll come up with some other way for you to be
able to view the image.

Hope this helps!
&73's
Steve  KB1DIG  ;-)

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