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I recently built an antenna for my attic inspired by http://degood.org/coaxtrap/. I found making the coax traps very time consuming and frustrating to tune.

I got to thinking about 3D printers, and I've been wondering if there is a better option (at the very least using a 3D printed form instead of PVC pipe.) With modern construction capabilities like CNC mills and 3D printers, not to mention inexpensive high quality circuit board production available, are there any better choices these days?

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  • $\begingroup$ Better choices to what end? Do you just want a multiband antenna? Probably thousands of ways to accomplish that. $\endgroup$ – Phil Frost - W8II Nov 12 '13 at 19:33
  • $\begingroup$ Good point... I really like a lot of the aspects of this antenna design, I just hated making the traps (and they aren't quite tuned as well as I would like), but in the end I want an antenna that will fit in my (long, but not roomy) attic. I guess my specific question is if there is an alternative to the coax trap that could be used in a similar manner. I'm always interested in other antenna designs, but that would probably fall under another question... $\endgroup$ – K9KRB Nov 12 '13 at 19:41
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W6NBC had an article published in QST in February 2011.

Here's a link to it

He details creating traps without forms, and they certainly look easier (once you got the technique down anyway) to build.

He summarizes four key points that make them advantageous:

  1. Easier to make with a whole number of turns
  2. Lighter in weight
  3. Lower in Cost
  4. Simpler fabrication
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  • $\begingroup$ Great answer, thanks, I never ran across this before! I'm going to try it out. $\endgroup$ – K9KRB Dec 8 '13 at 3:39

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