Discone Antenna Hub 400MHz and up, 70cms, ADS-B

thingiverse

The Discone antenna stands out due to its remarkable ability to receive and transmit over a broad spectrum of frequencies with excellent matching capabilities. As a result, it makes an ideal match for SDR receivers such as the popular RTL-SDR sticks. One tricky aspect of crafting a discone is that the disc must be perfectly balanced at the very apex of the cone, which presents mechanical challenges. The two components provided allow the cone to be securely fastened and offer a stable base for the disk. Additionally, there are two holes for bringing the coaxial center and braid out to the disc and cone. The base component features a socket at its bottom for 25mm (1 inch) plastic conduit for mounting purposes. This antenna is designed for frequencies of 400MHz and above, making it suitable for transmission on the 70cms amateur band, US and UK PMR channels, and 23cms. It also receives aircraft ADS-B signals with remarkable clarity. I utilized .3mm plastic sheet for the cone and 2mm plastic for the disc before covering them with aluminum weatherproof tape. It is essential to verify continuity across the tape stripes. The screenshot displays a calculator by VE3SQB, which can be downloaded from http://www.ve3sqb.com/ if you wish to design antennas for other frequency ranges.