One of the things I really like about ham radio is experimenting and building antennas. One of the things I really like about working 2m (2 meters) is that the antennas do not take up much space. That means it is really easy to build, change, modify, tweak, test, use, . . . and then WRR (wash, rinse, repeat).
I have made a simple 2 meter ground plane antenna out of an SO239 connector and some bare copper wire. Dimensions can be tweaked, but I just soldered about 19.5″ of copper wire to the center lug of the connector. Then made 4 radials also about 19.5″ long and soldered them to the mounting holes of the SO239. Each of the wires will need to be a little bit longer to allow for mounting. I made a small loop in the vertical element so I could hang the antenna. I then attached a length of suitable coax that was terminated with PL259, fired up my HTX-202 and away we go!!
Years ago when I first earned my Tech license (with code, thank you very much) I made a simple 2 element quad 2 meter beam antenna. Again, I used copper wire, (still with the insulation). Cut a piece about 78″ long (4 X 19.5 = 78), bent it in the shape of a square, soldered the center wire of a coax feed line to one end of the wire and the the shield to the other end of the wire. Each side of the square was about 19.5″ long. On the last side I made the ends of the 78″ wire meet in the center of the side. This square “loop” was my driven element.
I cut another wire a little shorter than 78″, bent it into another, approximately 19.5″ per side, square loop. This was my reflector. I then taped both element to the ceiling of my “ham shack” (bedroom) with the feed point of the driven element on a vertical side. This made the antenna vertically polarized. The reflector element as “in front of” the driven element. I hooked up my Ten-Tec 2 meter handheld, plugged in a “distant” repeater frequency, keyed up, and WOW!, the repeater responded. I made a call and made contact with another ham on that distant repeater. (OK, just how distant was it? Well, I don’t know for sure, but I was close to downtown Edmond, OK and the repeater was in Stillwater, OK. A little over 50 miles following the roads)
My most recent 2m antenna was a 3 element Yagi beam. I really enjoyed making this antenna because it was made from . . . are you ready for this . . . a broken 1” wide tape measure. This antenna was designed for portable fox hunting. The elements are very flexible so the are easy to take in and out of a vehicle while on the hunt. Here is a link to one of the websites that got me started with this “design”. (Goggle tape measure antenna). I modified the way the elements were attached but kept the lengths and spacing of the elements pretty close to the same. I offset the mounting a little to reduce the effect on the radiation pattern. I now have an older MFJ antenna analyzer and according to it, this antenna is very wide band with an SWR of less than 1.5 across the whole 2 meter band. This design uses a “hairpin match”. 
OK, so I have been throwing around “about 19.5″ quite a bit. Where does one come up with that dimension? 19.5″ is approximately one-quarter wave length for a 2m antenna. A formula that I use to calculate antenna length is 300 divided by the desired frequency in MHz. This equals the full wavelength in meters. So if you want 1/4 wavelength in inches multiply your answer by 39.96 (inches in one meter) and then divide my 4. For example, how long is 1/4 wavelength at 146 MHz? 300 / 146 = 2.055 Meters. 2.055 * 39.94 = 82.068 Inches. 82.068 / 4 = 20.52 inches. I adjusted the dimensions to what worked for my situations. Your mileage may vary.
So, there you have it. Scrounge up a little wire, get out your solder iron, tape measure, calculator, and a few other simple tools, and get to work building 2 meter antennas. It sure is fun, and who knows, you enjoy it and end up with a project you will be proud of, too. (And even learn a little in the process.)
73, DE David, KC0NCQ
