Fold-tenna (double cross dipole antenna frame for 137MHz)

thingiverse

This is just a basic frame for building a collapsible antenna, designed to be mounted on a tripod and easily folded up for transport and storage. All the electronic components and radio information were sourced from https://www.qsl.net/py4zbz/DCA.pdf. I modified some of the parts to make them easier to assemble, and adding nuts and bolts should complete it. I use a hiking pole as a tripod to compact and multi-purpose the design further. By using remote decoding, I hope to make my weather observations from above and while mobile. When unfolded, this antenna forms four crossed dipoles with 30-degree offsets, which can be easily threaded onto 1/4-inch rods. I'm eager for someone else to try building it as well, and I'll post pictures once it's printed. Many of the components are quite large, exceeding 250mm in size, but my build area is only 220mm x 250mm. To print them, I used a 0.2mm layer height, 120mm/s speed, full supports, and Glow-in-the-Dark Filament at 220C. Your machine's temperature settings will likely vary, so adjust accordingly. The resulting antenna is quite bulky, but folding should help keep it contained.