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How to Set Up a Yagi Antenna

Yagis are directional antennas that are commonly used by ham radio operators. These antennas focus radio frequency (RF) energy primarily in one direction. This allows the signal to travel over much greater distances than a signal from an omnidirectional antenna, which broadcasts in all directions equally. Proper installation ensures that the user gets the greatest benefit from these directional antennas.

Things You'll Need

Yagi antenna
Ham radio transceiver
Small piece of coaxial cable
Longer run of coaxial cable
SWR meter/tester
Lightning arrestor (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Select a location for the installation. This location should have sufficient space for the antenna to move freely and have a unobstructed view of the sky in all directions, and not close to any electrical lines.
- 2
  Install and mount the antenna rotator, if desired, according to the directions included with the unit. Install the mast onto the rotator.
- 3
  Unpackage the parts of the Yagi antenna. Read the instructions to see how the manufacturer asks that the antenna be constructed by the user: improper construction can lead to degraded performance. Construct the antenna to these specifications.
- 4
  Use the small piece of coaxial cable and connect the Yagi to an SWR meter. Measure the signal-to-wave ratio of the antenna: a good result is 1.2:1 or less: if the antenna does not meet the suggested ratio, adjust the elements of the Yagi as recommended by the manufacturer and test again.
- 5
  Mount the completed Yagi to the mast after completing the SWR test. Connect the long coaxial cable to the antenna and feed as desired to the location of your radio.
- 6
  Install a lightning arrestor before the radio if desired, otherwise connect the coaxial cable to the radio itself. Turn on the radio and make several test transmissions.

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