POC Motorola Solutions

TLK Radio TLK110 TLK100 TLK150

Scopri le soluzini POC di Motorola Solutions
sinora.it

APRI

The Morse Sagas

M0AUW - Stories of a Radio Ham within UK Amateur Radio. QRP CW - Working the Ham Radio
Bands.

Cobweb Antennas ▼

Cobweb Antennas
Since I've done so many posts on the Cobweb antennas I thought it best to separate them on a
different page so that potential Cobweb builders can see all the posts together. Hopefully this will
make planning and building easier.

I've tried to give as much information here as I can, but you'll notice I don't go through the actual
precise build process, there are plenty of links within these posts or on the right hand side of the
webpage that give the detailed measurements etc depending on what type of cobweb you wish to
build.

For starting out from scratch on the G3TPW I would recommend the original Cobweb Revealed
Website and the YouTube video by Denmonkey For the G3TQX version go to Steve Hunt's website

As I've stated before the Cobweb antenna is fairly easy to build, I'm no great technical genius and
yet I have managed to build both the G3TPW and G3TXQ antennas and if I can build this antenna,
so can you!

This is quite easily the best antenna I have used, it's small (8ft circumference) omnidirectional and
produces very little TVI. Either type of Cobweb is ideal for small areas or where you are limited in
raising an antenna.

If you decide to build a Cobweb do let me know how you get on and good luck!
Servicing the Cobweb G3TPW Antenna

Finally I've got round to begin the service of the home-brew G3TPW Cobweb. Taking it down from the mast wasn’t as
bad as I thought, I decided to do it now as the weather forecast is not good with high winds expected over the next few
days, so while there was a break in the weather I zipped up the ladder and began the removal process.

Once down the initial inspection was that it didn’t look too bad considering it’s been up on the mast for nearly two
years and been subject to some pretty bad weather conditions. A bit of rust here and there on the metal tubes that
hold the wooden poles, but perhaps through luck or my building capabilities it has managed to withstand all that has
been thrown at it!

The wooden poles and the box are covered in mildew and slightly bowed, but still sound, the cables are fairly loose
which I suspect is the main reason my SWR has been out, especially on 20 meters which at the last reading was 2.5.
Interestingly I thought the box would have been pretty rusty inside but surprisingly looks very clean apart from a good
½ “ of water slopping inside, first thought was hmm, I forgot to drill any draining plugs!
The wooden poles are going to be replaced with fibreglass, I managed to find some ex army surplus which should do
the job nicely but I will have to wait as I’ve only just ordered them so it will take a few days to arrive. Since the main box
is in such good condition I will do little except give the outside a good scrub and more importantly drill a couple of
draining holes.

The silicon grease has done its job and kept the contacts all clean and rust free, I'm amazed there is no rust on the
copper wire or the steel screws. Originally I bought a Cobweb (back in the 90s) for the grand sum of £160 and when I
sold it I remember inspecting the box and seeing how badly rusted everything was, so I was expecting the home-brew
to be the same, just goes to show what a bit of silicone will do to protect.

Over the next few days I will tighten the cables and recheck the SWR and if needs be replace any that are suspect,
luckily I have some spare cable that I got last summer from Maplins, (our version of Radio Shack).

Looking inside the box it is a remarkable simple system that is very easy to build and yet gives great results. This is
easily the best antenna I've ever built and quite honestly if I can build one anyone can. If you want further information
look at the Cobweb Revealed website or alternatively please ask and I'll be happy to help where I can (but I warn you
now I don't understand the theory, hi hi). I will include as many picture as I can during the service process so you can
see just how easy it is put together.

Further work on Servicing the Cobweb Antenna

The fibreglass poles have arrived for the Cobweb antenna, these I suspect are fibreglass fishing poles but ideal for
what I want and more to the point once I had removed the plastic ends with copious amounts of boiling water fit the
metal sleeves perfectly. Their length is 7ft which provides the correct length for arranging the twin speaker cable. One
thing to make sure when purchasing poles, you require fibreglass only, no carbon or metal!

I have replaced the 20 meter cable, although I could find no fault. I suspect the SWR was high either because of the
element being too short or tapping point misaligned, so I have re-measured and added a few more cm for trimming,
twisted and soldered the wire at the correct length for the tapping point.

I’ve also smothered the internals of the main box with more silicone and added some draining holes to the bottom of
the box. then lastly I attached all the poles together and slotted them in to the metal sleeves, ready for re-attaching the
elements.

With the poles in place I started fitting the elements

Something that I learned whilst originally building the antenna was that the Cobweb plans do not seem to allow for
extra lengths when tuning/trimming, so it's worth adding some extra length when measuring up. Also when tuning for
a good SWR, if the antenna can be raised to a minimum height of 6ft, tuning may well be easier. Over time building
these antennas I've come to learn that although the tuning can be completed at ground level, sometimes raising the
antennas will help.The PDF is a very useful guide but there are other very good and possibly simpler instructions
besides the G3TPW design. It's worth searching on the web to see what else is about, G3TXQ does a similar antenna
but uses a 1:4 balun and single wire which probably makes life a lot easier.
 Starting to take reading off the MFJ on 28 and 24MHz, wire, bits of string and loops everywhere!

Now comes the usual tricky bit of tuning up the elements for each band, sometimes you get lucky and other times it
becomes a real test of patience.

The ties for holding each element is some simple plastic tie straps with a screw to stop it slipping inwards, Ella one of my labs takes a mild interest!

Generally I start at with 28Mhz and work downwards, (but it doesn't really matter) naturally with new poles and slightly
different lengths I knew I was going to have to re-tune. So far I’ve roughly got all 5 bands in to the ball park figure of
around 1.8/2.0 SWR but I need to do some final adjustments which consists of individually checking each twin cable
with the MFJ and adjusting the loop at each end of the antenna to get a good reading.

All elements fitted and just ready for the final trimming.

The only issue I came across was that I had to add some extra twin lead to the 18Mhz band as it was giving me a 1.5
at 18.170, herein lies the mystery because with the wooden poles it was spot on, typical!

For the rest of the weekend I will continue to trim up and hopefully by tomorrow afternoon I should be ready to think
about mounting the antenna back up on the mast although there's no real hurry and I may just end up waiting till next
weekend.

If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It!

As the old saying goes "if it ain’t broke don’t fix it", I think I went a bit too far in servicing the G3TPW Cobweb. I tried
tweaking the elements to the absolute minimum SWR and got in to a real mess which eventually got me readings of 5
on pretty well all of the bands!
Just to explain, I'm not an antenna theorist, so I'm not going to go in to the ins and outs of the Cobweb design, my
explanations are based on layman's terms, so to all purists out there apologies in advance!

At first I was at a loss as to what I had done and so eventually decided to do a total rebuild and took the main box
apart to check that everything was in order and to clean out all the silicone which was causing a mess everywhere.
The box was fine, all connections were good and everything was in order.

I removed all the elements and started measuring each one and to my surprise found that some were uneven and out
by a few inches, this probably happened from the tuning and trimming when I originally built the Cobweb with the
wooden supports, no wonder my SWR was out. It just goes to show if you make alterations such as changing the
poles, measurements will go out of the window and you need to recheck them! These things happen and you just have
to except your mistakes, learn from them and move on.

So I re-measured all the elements and added wire where necessary, once completed I re-attached them to the box and
laid them back on the poles and took some readings, everything looked much better and in some cases the SWR was
lower than the original build.

I haven’t done my final tune/trim yet as the weather has turned and there is snow on the ground, the forecast for the
week is very cold with more snow predicted. What’s noticeable is how the twin speaker wire which is quite thick (42
strands) gets very hard to manipulate in cold weather so I shall leave things until it gets a bit warmer. These are my
SWR readings so far:

28 MHz 28.782 1:2

24 MHz 24.248 1.2

21 MHz 20.633 1:2

18MHz 17.664 1:2

14 MHz 14.079 1:1

The only one which is pretty well spot on is the 20 meter band so obviously I now have to adjust the loops on each
band element by lengthening or shortening to get the SWR readings to exactly where I want them.

Bear in mind I use CW most of the time so I want the lowest SWR in those particular segments of each band. I don't
find that the gap between each elements makes any real difference, generally its about 6 inches apart and seems to
work fine, although theorists may have other ideas.
 Each loop is held by plastic ties so that it can be easily adjusted

For instance on 28MHz I want to lengthen the loop on each end of the element by a small amount to bring the SWR
down to around 28.010MHz, whereas on 24 MHz I have to shorten the ends of the element to raise the SWR up to
approximately 24.890 MHz.

A closer view of one of the loops

When I was working with the SWR readings I did a lot of browsing on the internet to see if I could find any further
information. I came across the G3TXQ website which I have seen before but as it was a different design I'd not really
had a good read. He uses single wire (as apposed to twin) and a 4:1 balun which by all accounts seems a much
simpler and easier design to build.

So as a further project and from personal interest I have decided as an experiment to have ago at building another
Cobweb using G3TXQ design and will compare against the G3TPW original. It will be interesting to see the difference
and more importantly how each one compares on the bands. The toroids and other bits are on order so more in later
posts!

G3TXQ Cobweb Build

As I said in my previous post I’m going to have a go at building the G3TXQ Cobweb and see just how easy it is to build
compared to the G3TPW original. To be honest the only difference will be the terminal box and the single wire
elements as opposed to the twin wire elements on the G3TPW design, the frame will be exactly the same, but I
suspect with the single wires and smaller terminal box the antenna will be a lot lighter.

Whilst I have the G3TPW Cobweb down from the mast I am going to change the pole support to the proper aluminium
set up (before I used an old plastic bread board together with a thin slice of aluminium plate to make it sturdier). The
elements have all now been re measured and the antenna is sitting in my shed almost ready to go back on the mast.
But I will now wait till I’ve completed the G3TXQ design, compare notes on both and then put up the winner!
So to the G3TXQ build, firstly the terminal box; thankfully as the Cobweb has become more popular there some small
companies dedicated to Amateur radio you can find on Ebay that supply bits and pieces ready made for this antenna,
one of them being Spratreader which sells the 4:1 Guanella Balun in a kit form which is extremely easy to put together.

This balun is slightly different to the G3TXQ version, in that it uses the ferrite core, but has 6 winds (as opposed to 8)
and uses thick copper wire instead of the RG-58 coax. I have a small enclosure for the terminal box and will use some
old copper roof slate tags as conductors for the elements.

I will be connecting one end of the balun to an SO239 connector (red to center, black to ground) and the other
connections to the two copper plates which then connect to each of the 5 element on each side of the enclosure via
small bolts. I’ve still got some spare twin 42 stranded wire so I will peel single strips and use these for the elements.
The pictures above show the mock up, I've drilled all ten holes for the element connections and fitted the copper plates
I've also fitted the SO239 and its just a matter of trimming the wires from the balun to fit neatly in to place and solder
up.

I'm still not sure whether to use the frame I already have or to to purchase some more fibreglass poles and build a
separate frame for this version, we'll see. More to follow in later posts.

G3TXQ Cobweb Build Update

The terminal box has now been soldered up and completed and I must admit I’m quite pleased as it is far smaller than
the one I had on the original cobweb.

All soldered up and ready to go.

I’ve now made up all the single wire elements and soldered connectors on each one so that they can just slip on each
of the 10 bolts quickly and easily, I just have to cut the elements to the correct length for each band but that will be
done at a later stage.
 Connectors added to each element which then fit neatly on to each bolt.

I decided in the end to go for a completely separate frame and have ordered some more fibreglass poles and will
attach these to the aluminium plate that has now arrived, I still have to cut the plate in to two and then drill the holes
for the clamps. The 100mm x 150mm plates as suggested by the "cobweb revealed" are quite small so I will increase
the size to 150mm square (e.g. just cut it in half) to give me a bit more room to play with.

The new aluminium plate is 300 x 150mm

On my first Cobweb the plates were built with a mixture of an old plastic bread board and some thin aluminium
sheeting which actually works quite well, but the size is considerably larger than the 100x 150mm, it’s more like 400 x
200mm and therefore a lot heavier.

The original frame made out of breadboards and aluminium plating

As the whole idea is to reduce weight on this new antenna I have to come up with better solutions than home brew
breadboards etc! The weather here is still miserable, there is snow on the ground and it is very cold, so getting outside
to play antennas is a bit of a no no at the moment. Hopefully next week temperatures will pick up and I can get on with
building the frame.

Carrying On With the G3TXQ Cobweb

Unfortunately I didn’t get much done this weekend so I’ve only progressed very slowly on the cobweb. But I have
managed to measure out the elements and build the plate for holding the fibreglass rods. The aluminium was fairly
easy to cut and with some accurate measuring the U bolts holes were drilled and everything fitted smoothly.
I've fitted some more metal tubes (as with the original cobweb build) to hold and strengthen the fibreglass rods when
they are fitted. The extra rods I had ordered finally arrived over the weekend so I need to measure them out and mark
up where the corners of each element will sit, hopefully that shouldn’t take me too long.

Finally I fitted the plate and the terminal box to the one rod that comes off the inner X, so hopefully the majority of the
work is now done and it's a matter of waiting for a reasonable day so that I can fit the four rods and elements and start
to begin the tuning process.

However, as the rain continues and I am stuck indoors I had a thought that might prove interesting and that is to try
setting up this new antenna in my attic. I had a quick check and it will fit with about a couple of feet to spare on each
side. Not sure how it would behave, but the height would be approximately 25ft which should be OK.

The G3TPW Cobweb website promotes how good the antenna behaves in an enclosed area and does not cause much
interference, it maybe worth having a play especially if this horrid weather continues and I'd love to see how much of a
difference when compared to my original up on its mast!

Antennas in the Attic

Well I decided to give my “antenna in the attic” plan a try and have installed the new G3TXQ Cobweb up in the roof. I
managed to squeeze it in, it was a bit nightmare to get all the elements threaded and in place. Resting on old boxes for
support it is approximately around 25 feet above the ground, so it will be interesting to see how well it works.
The trimming proved interesting as surrounded by wood, slate and bricks I knew it might prove difficult, but in the end
after much swearing I eventually got the SWR readings pretty reasonable but I am sure I can improve with some
further delicate trimming.

14.030 - 1:2
18.070 - 1:2
21.030 - 1:2
24.900 - 1:3
28.030 - 1:1

On receive it seemed a bit noisy (that could be present conditions) especially when compared to my 30 meter vertical,
but a quick QSO on twenty at 5 watts to an SM station proved that I'm getting out and I got 449 but I will give it a
proper try tomorrow morning and let you know the results.

Both Cobwebs Now Up and Running

Well after much playing about with tuning and trimming, I finally got the G3TPW Cobweb back up on the mast
yesterday evening.

After my initial tuning the other day I had to dismantle the antenna as the weather was proving very bad, so yesterday
by the time I had re-assembled and started up the tuning process the morning had passed quickly by. Finally with a bit
more trimming completed, I climbed the ladder with antenna in hand and clamped it in to place.

I switched on the MFJ 259 and did some checks, the SWR was all over the place, I had a problem, something was
definitely not right and after a quick check of all the coax cables, I had to make the decision to bring the antenna back
down, and so I clambered back up the ladder and removed the antenna.

I spent most of the afternoon with the terminal box open trying to figure out what the problem was, I knew it was
shorting somewhere but in the end I had to go through each connection to find the short. Eventually I found the
problem, it turned out to be one of the 12 meter elements had split at the join to the choc block causing one of the U
connections to short and all it needed was re-stripping. Then it was just a case of re waterproofing the box, sealing up
and mounting back on the mast.

Dusk was fast approaching when I clambered back up the ladder and attached the Cobweb back on the mast, I quickly
said a prayer and then did my checks on the MFJ, thankfully all proved OK.
 Finally back on the mast!

The SWR measurements are now pretty good, they are all set for CW except for 10 meters which I set for 28.500 as I
like an occasional rag chew on 10.

14.000 - 1:2

18.070 - 1:0

21.050 - 1:0

24890 - 1:2

28.500 - 1:1

With the G3TXQ Cobweb now set up in the attic I am at last ready to do a bit of testing with both cobwebs. Obviously
as this antenna is in an enclosed space there is bound to be a difference. The most noticeable being the background
noise but that cannot be helped as the attic naturally has bricks and mortar and electrical wiring.

Here is the final SWR reading for the G3TXQ:

14.075 1:2

18.080 1:2

21.073 1:3

24.890 1:1

28.015 1:1

As suspected there is not a lot of difference, but the SWR is slightly higher on the G3TXQ on a couple of bands (most
likely because of the attic positioning). I could trim to match the frequency of the G3TPW, but to be honest I couldn't be
bothered to get it exactly the same.

Physically the G3TXQ is far lighter and easier to handle also the tuning is much quicker because you only have one
wire for each element. But that said, I do like my G3TPW, it is heavier and chunkier with my larger home made plates
and it definitely feels more solid especially with the windy condition we have round here.

It was very apparent when lifting back on to the mast how much heavier it was compared to the G3TXQ, you feel the
lighter cobweb would literally blow away in the wind, although that said it's exactly the same build just lighter
materials.

The main difference on receiving is of course the background noise but if the G3TXQ was raised outside on my mast I
doubt you would know the difference when listening. On transmit I've now used both Cobwebs on 20 meters and
reports from both are good with the G3TPW showing slightly stronger RSTs, again no doubt due to due location.

So all in all as suspected there is very little difference, for me I'd go for the G3TPW simply because it feels stronger, but
that personal choice from QTH circumstances. It's been fun servicing the old cobweb and building a new one and I
hope you have enjoyed the entertainment as I've struggled along. I'm not a technical antenna geek so all this is very
basic but hopefully gives you a rough guide to both types of the antenna.

Not sure what I'm going to do with the G3TXQ cobweb now, so for the moment it's sitting snugly up in the attic out the
way. Currently I'm saving up for either a K2 or a TS590 so I'm tempted to keep the G3TXQ and connect to the new
radio, then I'll be spoilt for choice with two cobwebs!

Swapping Over the Cobwebs

Last Friday evening in a bit of madness during a bout of boredom, I decided to dig out the
dismantled G3TXQ cobweb from the attic and set it up outside in the garden. I’d wanted to re test it
against the present G3TPW cobweb I'm using, just to go over the pros and cons and possibly
replace the G3TPW.

With the G3TXQ quickly set up on a piece of 6ft scaffold pole and after doing an approximate tune I
couldn't believe my luck when wondering over the 21Mhz band that I managed to have a qso with a
Russian station who gave me a 599 which made me think maybe it was time to swap the cobwebs
over.

Saturday morning I set to work and I did the full tuning with the MFJ 259 which took an age as the
G3TXQ definitely has much finer tuning points, it dips very quickly and the freq range is literally a
few hundred kilohertz, a noticeable difference to the much wider freq of the G3TPW.

Because I was tuning/trimming the antenna with the MFJ 259 at only 6ft above the ground I had to
take the risk of setting each of the elements to tune a little lower than the freq I wanted to operate
on, the theory being that once raised the SWR would rise slightly from the tuning at ground level.

By Saturday evening I had adjusted all the tuning, secured the ties and finally waterproofed the
junction box, I hadn't needed to do this before because this antenna had only been set up in my
attic, So by Sunday morning the G3TXQ was ready for mounting

I grabbed the ladder, lowered the 40ft mast and removed the old G3TPW cobweb, I’d forgotten just
how heavy the antenna is and it took a while to gently bring it down the ladder back to mother earth.
Placing the two antennas side by side it was interesting to see the physical difference. The G3TXQ
is so much lighter; certainly the single wire and smaller aluminium central clamps make all the
difference.

The G3TPW has a much heavier clamp and is beginning to look very worn!

The G3TXQ is a much neater and lighter clamp, a definite improvement.

I also needed to do a few adjustments to the mast, add some more kevlar cord guides and do some
general maintenance. Once that had been completed I grabbed the G3TXQ and hoisted it up the
ladder and clamped it to the top of the mast, I have to admit it was so much easier than with the
G3TPW and just looked a lot tidier!
 The final result and there was a definite improvement in performance.

By the afternoon it was all finished and after a quick SWR check I called a CQ and got another
Russian Station (Alex R3ZK in Belgorod) who gave me a another 599, I was very pleased with the
final results.

There’s a few little bits I need to do, (like add the top mast clamp cover which I forgot.....doh!) But
everything went pretty well according to plan and I shall now dismantled the G3TPW and store it
away in the attic until I have another mad moment!

Final SWR results for the G3TXQ:

20 meters 1:2
17 meters 1:1
15 meters 1:1
12 meters 1:1
10 meters 1:1

42 comments:

9M6PAT May 15, 2013 at 6:03 AM

what type of ferrite core you using? FT140-61?

Reply

Cotswoldgent May 18, 2013 at 4:33 AM

Hello,
Fair-rite 2631801202
Outside diameter 28mm
Inside diameter 20mm
73s Richard M0AUW
Reply

Anonymous August 21, 2013 at 7:09 AM

I just put a cobweb antenna in my attic. My house is a wood frame so the attic is fairly electrically
transparent. The height is approx 10-12m above ground.

My cobweb is of the single-wire type with FT140-61 toroid. Since the attic provides four support points
I didn't use any poles; just strung up some Dacron line in an "X" pattern and attached the wires to the
line. I machined some plastic thumbscrew adjusters to slide along the line and hold the wires in place.
It's very easy to adjust the elements into symmetry this way. Plus, it looks like a real spider web!

I'm still evaluating the cobweb but am very happy with its performance on 20m compared to my
outdoor endfed wire antenna (approx 30m long and 10m high), which has been my main antenna over
the past several years. A definite improvement.

I use the WSPRNet low power beacon system to compare the antennas side by side over the course of
several thousand "contacts", both transmitting and receiving. I will do the same for the 10/15m bands
for which I have attic dipoles set up. (Also interested to see what, if anything, the cobweb will do on
30m compared to the endfed wire...)

I have also set up a 40m single band "cobweb" antenna in the attic. Unfortunately, due to the attic
dimensions the antenna is more rectangular than square and one end must slope downward a meter
or two along the roof line. This antenna performs worse than the endfed wire, but not by so much. An
increase in output power of less than 2x should make up the difference according to my WSPRnet
data. I have a low power station (10 watts) so will probably get an amplifier to compensate as the
endfed wire must be taken down soon.

73,
Drew
AF2Z
Reply

Cotswoldgent August 27, 2013 at 7:50 AM

Hi Drew, Thanks for you note, glad to hear the attic cobweb is a success. I've also been pondering
about a 30m cobweb in the attic, but like your 40 it would be more of a rectangle! At the moment I use
a 30m vertical which works very well, but I always like to experiment and see if I can improve things.
Having now completed the K2 the attic cobweb is permanently connected to that transceiver. It works
well especially for European QRP work..... I figured hombrew kit, homebrew antenna!

73s - Richard M0AUW

Reply

Anonymous June 17, 2014 at 11:59 AM

Hello Richard,
this is my CobWebb made from old military phone cable ("PKL"): http://sp-hm.pl/thread-1073.html This
is ~G3TPW version + additional 30m element (frame). Next element for 40m will be added soon.
Antene works OK, especially with EU stations in contests.
73, Marek SP2MKT
Reply

Cotswoldgent June 18, 2014 at 8:20 AM

Hello Marek,
I like the design, looks very strong. I guess it will be quite big for 40? I just haven't got the room for that
size, will be watching with intererest - 73s Richard

Reply

Geoff NW7GM July 1, 2014 at 5:51 PM

This comment has been removed by the author.

Reply

Geoff NW7GM July 1, 2014 at 6:40 PM

Sorry for the double post...

Anyway, I am in the design phase of building a 40-10m cobweb (G3TXQ syle). I have exchanged a few
emails with Steve and he has suggested that I feed the 30/40m elements with a separate feed and
balun. His reasoning for this is two-fold. The first is because there would be some 3rd harmonic
interaction with the 10 and 15m elements (10 and 15m are 3rd harmonics of 30 and 40m
respectively). The other reason is because it would allow the 30 and 40m elements to keep more of a
square shape because the balun would be further out from the center.

I'm still trying to source fiberglass poles/tubing for the spreaders (they will be approx 12 feet long).
Once I start building I will take pictures and post them online.

73,
Geoff, NW7GM
Reply

Cotswoldgent July 3, 2014 at 10:10 AM

Hello Geoff, My apologies for not getting back sooner sadly sometimes work gets in the way of the
hobby !
This sounds an interesting project, I've thought about building a separate cobweb just for 30 and 40
meters but not all bands combined and I can certainly see the issue with the balun and I guess at
some stage I would have worked out the harmonics (but probably not till after build completion!!).
With 12' spreaders it will be quite large but even so still reasonably lightweight. I'd be interested to
hear how high you intend to mount the antenna, presumably a lot higher than the recommended 30'
for a standard cobweb as you are working with lower bands, do you have a tower of some sort?.
Please do send some photos or a link, I'd love to see how you get on.
Best luck and many thanks for your comments.
73s - Richard M0AUW
Reply

Replies

Geoff NW7GM July 3, 2014 at 6:57 PM

Hi Richard,

Sadly, the antenna will only be about 25-28' off the ground - it will be mounted on a mast
that is attached to the eaves of my house. Yes, the 12' spreaders will be long. Overall the
antenna will be about 17' square but that is still smaller than a lot of 40m beam antennas
(which I know this will not be).

I am getting close, I think I have settled on the MaxGain Hexkit 1 spreaders (they can be
used with G3TXQ's broadband hexbeam), but I will have them cut the 1.25" tubing in half
instead of at 58".

I certainly will send a link or some pictures your way once I'm underway and/or finished with
the project. Thanks for having a lot of good pictures on this site to reference as well.

73 - Geoff, NW7GM

Reply

Anonymous January 17, 2015 at 8:25 AM

Do you think a 6m element could be added with an adjustment to the ferrite in the balun to go to 50
MHz? An Amidon FT-240-K toriod with 8 bifilar windings looks equivalent to the double toroid in your
system. It's a 4:1 Guanella too and will go to 50mhz. This would span 6m to 20m then.

Don - AK4SJ

Reply

Replies

Cotswoldgent January 19, 2015 at 4:37 AM

Hi Don, That looks good to me, I did a quick check on the net and found
http://www.oparc.net/attachmates/antennas/baluns3_071116.pdf
Page 2 section III shows a balun with a freq response of 1 to 50Mhz 98% efficient and a 2kw
continuous. You might have to play about a small bit but that should be fine. Let me know
how you get on....73s Richard

Cotswoldgent January 19, 2015 at 4:40 AM

Forgot to say the balun is using a Amidon FT-240-K toriod!
- Richard
 Reply

Stefano IZ3NVR June 3, 2015 at 3:06 AM

Hi, really nice post. I was considering the CobWebb (both types) since a few but I am a bit worried
about the bandwidth of these antenna. I am mostly a contester and span from CW contests to SSB
contests. Is the SWR reliable on both ends of the band?

Thanks
Reply

Replies

Cotswoldgent June 3, 2015 at 6:25 AM

Hi Stefano
I would go for the G3TQX it's an easier build and the bandwidth is ok, presumably you have a
tuner you may need it for the high end of the bands. Good luck let me know how you get on,
love to see some pictures!

Reply

Cotswoldgent June 3, 2015 at 6:30 AM

Oops G3TXQ!
Reply

Unknown October 14, 2015 at 1:38 AM

I agree with all of the points keep up the good work.Thanks for sharing this.

3g antenna manufacturer & lte antenna manufacturer

Reply

Unknown October 16, 2016 at 11:38 AM

Returning to your web page regularly as I carry out work building my G3TXQ version - great reference
particularly as I have not made any antenna for something like 30 years...

Reply

Replies

Cotswoldgent October 16, 2016 at 12:43 PM

Glad to be of service Alistair

Reply
Anonymous December 21, 2016 at 3:32 PM

hi there ive refurbished a g3tpw twin wired elements cobweb and was wondering instead of using the
mis mash of coax inside the box as a balun as it was originaly would I get away with making a 1.1
balun with a t200/2 torroid if so how many windings would I need to do and would it take my ft 2000d
200 watts
Reply

Cotswoldgent December 23, 2016 at 12:20 AM

Hi,
There's an excellent article on VK6YSF 's Blog that gives a good explanation about 1:1 baluns using
T200-2 toroid's. URL is http://vk6ysf.com/balun_1-1.htm Looks like 17 turns of 1.25mm of copper
wire, the copper wire is 600mm in length, would be OK up to about 400 watts.

Hope that helps.

Reply

Unknown June 25, 2017 at 8:04 AM

I there! I think I've read almost all' about cobwebb (and cobweb) but I still have some doubts.
1) if I would add a 6th dipole for 50 MHz where I have tapping the twin calle? I can't find that
information or the way to calculate measures.
2) Instead of glass fiber, it would be easier to find PVC tubes for electrical systems. What' the problem
about it? Too much fragile? Too much flexible? Are good enough?
3) instead of coaxial in air (in a box) rf choke I would put a 1:1 current balun to avoid RF come back in
the shack. I think that a toroid glued inside the junction box is more clean (I'm afraid that coax choke
could damge terminal's interlinked and cause shortcircuit) and maybe more efficient than a (Very)
Ugly RF Choke.....don't you?

Many thanks in advance for your reply and I hope to start cobwebb between next fede days.

73's Federico, IW0RBS

Reply

Replies

Cotswoldgent June 26, 2017 at 1:21 AM

Hi Federico,
Sorry,I'm not sure about the tapping points for 50MHz, but the best way I would think is to
roughly guess where the tapping point would be and then stick a pin in the twin cables to
create a short and read off on your analyser.
PVC tubes if you can get the right length and size would be fine, but that maybe difficult
hence the fibre glass poles.
A 1:1 balun would be fine, but if built correctly, the coax is good and I have never had a
problem.
It's entirely up to you how you construct, if you feel your design is better, try it and see how it
goes, that's half the fun.
 Good luck with your construction, let me know how it goes.
73s Richard

Unknown July 10, 2017 at 9:27 AM

Thanks Richard for your kind reply.

At the end I've decided to proceed with the project of G3TXQ, the antenna version with 1:4
balun and single wire. I will use the same kind of fishing rods in your pictures produced in
Italy in fiberglass and with a really good price (Lineaeffe Delta 4mt. rods). The balun in a
Guanella current balun and is as a 1:4 impedance transformer as an rf choke.
I will begin collecting the needed stuff in the coming days and keep you informed of the
project's developments. Thanks again for your suggestions and best 73's de
Federico IW0RBS

Reply

Mathbob November 2, 2017 at 5:28 AM

Richard, I have built the G3TPW version since I live in a noisy urban area, and the doubly folded dipole
could help in that respect. Since mine lies on thick fiberglass insulation batting in my attic, I need
minimal support structure. To make a long story short (and it has been a LONG story), the antenna is
now semi-functional, usable with a tuner on 10 and 12 with SWR <= 3. a) After having horrible SWR
problems, a friend suggested I should tie the two conductors at the end of each element. I had not
seen this mentioned before and photos do not show it. It seemed to help - maybe coincidentally - on
some bands but not others. Do you have any experience with this? b) The gap between element ends
seems to have a significant effect. c) Someone earlier asked about determining short points for 6m. In
another article I found a formula: Vf x 492 / fMHz. I worked backwards from the values in the table in
the Kerry ARG site to determine a Vf value of about 0.28 (although I suspect that the velocity factor is
actually double that value). I also experimented with trying to move the short points, using pins - a
pain the the ... - but found it wasn't worth the trouble. So, to determine a short point, use 0.28 x 492 /
fMHz - in feet. If you want to get really technical, Vf depends on the wire you use, but this seems close
enough for ordinary speaker or lamp cord. d) I'm interested in a 30/40m version - in the attic, not
outdoors, on a separate coax from the 20-10 antenna to avoid problems with harmonics. Any
experience here? Thanks! Bob KE8VU
Reply

Cotswoldgent November 10, 2017 at 7:35 AM

Hi Bob, Having the Cobweb in the attic does cause some issues as I found out. The SWR with mine
was also all over the place (mostly because of all the wires etc running thru my roof)and it was only
sorted with a good analyser and plenty of patience! I have not seen the two conductors tied at the end
of each element. The gap between elements ends does have a big impact and there are various gap
measurements you must follow for each band. Moving the short points via pins is slow but worthwhile
(as you have probably found out). Unfortunately I never got round to a 40 or 30m version due to size
restrictions at my QTH, instead I went with an inverted dipole for the 40m and a 30m vertical with
about 60 ground wires at various lengths laid out, both antennas seem to work well.
73s Richard
Reply
Anonymous December 20, 2017 at 2:33 PM

Hi Richard, I am in the middle of building a G3TXQ-style antenna. I'm a new ham, and I am just now
setting up my base station, and the CobWebb will be my starter antenna. I see that you wrote: "The
gap between elements ends does have a big impact and there are various gap measurements you
must follow for each band." Wow. That's the first I've heard of that. Would you mind posting the list of
those optimal gaps, or providing a link to that information? I've got the fiberglass spreaders ready to
string, so I've tripped across this information just in time, it appears!
Many thanks!
73,
David K6DKA
Reply

Replies

Cotswoldgent December 22, 2017 at 12:58 AM

Hi David, yes indeed the gaps will effect the SWR of the antenna, you need to follow the
G3TXQ link to make sure you have the elements cut to the correct lengths, then each length
gap will need a very slight adjustment by measuring the SWR using something like an MFJ
259 or similar to get the accurate SWR. By doing this in theory you should get 1:1 on each
band but inevitably it will range from 1:1 to 1:5 or higher! The build is fairly easy (especially
if I can do it!)I have plenty of links on this site for cobweb measurements. I found it more
difficult sourcing the poles (which you have) and coming up with a good strong clamp for
the centre! Good luck in your build and please let me know how you get on. 73s & Merry
Christmas.

Reply

K6DKA December 22, 2017 at 11:00 AM

Hi Richard,
Yes, I have an MJF 259 (brand new) (I expect to be making more homebrewed antennae down the
road), and was planning to make all the gaps about 4 or 5 inches wide, held by knotted shock cord,
and vary the length of the wires themselves from a few inches longer than given on the G3TXQ down
to whatever gives the optimal SWR. I've designed and made adjustable gizmos that employ small
hose clamps that can be loosened and moved along the length of the spreader. If I could post a photo
of one I would, but I don't know if this blog has that capability. Anyway, as I shorten the wires, I intend
to take up the slack by moving the gizmos until the shock cord tensions. Does that sound workable to
you?
Merry Christmas and a big 73 to you and yours,
David K6DKA
Reply

Replies

Cotswoldgent December 23, 2017 at 12:47 AM

Hi David, Yes that sounds about right. Provided you have measured out the element lengths
beforehand you should have a small amount of adjustment and with the slip cord you'll be
fine. If you intend to build more antennas do have ago at a moxon, dead easy to build and
 great fun with a good gain. For 10 or 12 meters they are a reasonable size and if you can get
them up to about 20 foot high you'll have some fun! 73s & Merry Christmas.

K6DKA December 27, 2017 at 11:35 AM

And a Happy New Year!

Reply

John G0KFM March 23, 2018 at 2:00 AM

Thank you for the very useful information and comments. I am just about to complete a G3TXQ and it
is nice to be aware of any snags which might occur. I suspect the final tuning might take a while to
obtain a good vswr. How much change did you get in the vswr when changing from about 6 feet when
setting up on the ground, to 30 feet atop the mast. I plan to use the CW end of the bands.
Regards, John (G0KFM)
Reply

Cotswoldgent March 24, 2018 at 3:10 AM

Hi John, thanks for the kind comment, From testing at around 6ft The SWR started at about 1.3/1.4
and once raised dropped to 1.0/1.2. So there is a small difference to see. If you can't get any element
lower than approx. 1.3, do raise the whole antenna and see what you get at the working height and
you'll be surprised!

- 73s Richard M0AUW

Reply

John Helt March 1, 2019 at 7:39 AM

Thank you for this awesome content! I am in the process of the G3TPW build from scratch. I am trying
to determine how much wire to initially fold over for the end loops. I am not sure if I should initially
fold at the design specified length point (5310mm, 4400mm, 3440mm, etc) and let in/take out from
there, or if that length already took into account the loop.

Any feedback would be helpful. Thanks!

Reply

Ilya Chaikovskij March 25, 2020 at 9:29 AM

Отличная работа!
Reply

Dave Williams July 5, 2021 at 7:59 AM

Hi, I read with interest your experience with the Cobweb. I am using a vertical dipole , but an seriously
thinking of changing to the Cobweb. From what I can gather, it is a folded dipole with double Gamma
match. Can you confirm that the ends of the loops are soldered together, or is it capacitative coupling?
Are the two twin wires shorted together on each side of the rectangle, to provide the gamma match.
thenks for any help you can provide
Dave G0ODE

Reply

Unknown September 3, 2021 at 7:10 PM

How much power can that speaker wire take?

Reply

Replies

Cotswoldgent January 19, 2022 at 4:53 AM

Hi, I've had about 500 wtts

Reply

Unknown September 14, 2021 at 6:35 PM

What was the power rating for your Geanella 1:4 balun?

Reply

Replies

Cotswoldgent January 19, 2022 at 4:54 AM

Again around 500 watts

Reply

Carlos October 27, 2021 at 2:18 AM

Hi. I'm in building cobweb 10-30m process. Mi SWR measurements are over 1:2 in the 6 bands. I used
a comercial 1:4 balun (not homemade as I see everywere) and suspect this is the cause of my
troubles with the SWR adjustment. What do you think about this? TNX de Carlos, EA1US
spender36@gmail.com
Reply

Cotswoldgent January 19, 2022 at 4:56 AM

Hi Carlos, The higher you raise the antenna the SWR will lower, but I'm inclined to agree that the
commercial 1:4 will not help, but it should be able to be adjusted.
Reply
 Enter Comment

Home

View web version

About Me

Cotswoldgent

Been a Radio Ham since 1996 and a cyclist forever! Rarely heard on SSB I can be soon be found
if you just tune the band on to CW!
View my complete profile

Powered by Blogger.