Rich says: Looks great. I would be interested in one. You may even consider modifying to hold 65’ of wire and integrate an 49:1 unun in the unit so you can have a readily deployed EFHW antenna. I’ve been working on using a kite string winder but your reel looks much more robust.
The reel will be sold with or without the wire, and with a handle in the middle for easy winding/unwinding.
VE7FXG says: Looks good especially when you are using RG316.
Honestly, I did this for myself, because I got tired of wrapping my coax on an old reusable shopping bag. Not sure if I want to go into the business of cutting coax and putting on the ends, testing, etc… The spool, I will definitely improve, first for myself, and then for the larger community. The thing works, but I want to put a handle in the middle, because putting my fingers in the slot is a bit annoying. Not sure which way I should go with this. Well at a min, I will improve the design, again, because I really want to, and will post the results. If I just make the reel, both the costs and the shipping will be minimal, and I can just pass on the savings to everyone else.
Chuck Schotta says: I wonder how much 18-ga wire one could hold? I use a 9:1, and I’d love to have a way to keep my antenna wire tidy. 🙂
well, rg316 is roughly 2.5mm and 18g is roughly 1mm, so doing the simple math at a min 100 feet or 30m. (not going to even try to the volumetric calculation of a wire on a spool)
John - KH6RF says: What is the inside measurement, between the flanges/outer rims? I’m wondering if you could wind up 20-25 ft of 450 ohm ladder line, which is ~1 inch wide.
John, The inside width is .8″, but that can be modified. The issue is that it is quite bulky. I just measured my 450 line, and it is .1′ thick. Doing the very rough calculations, if widened, the reel could only hold 8’+/- of 450 ladder line. I’m assuming you wanted to store/transport ladder line in the reel.
It is possible, but everything would have to be re-engineered and printing cost would go up a lot to maybe $100. Not sure if it would be worth that much. What do you think?
Greg says: What is the reel made of? That is to say is it anodized aluminum or some other metal? Thank you.
Everything at theQRPstore is 3D printed with a chopped carbon fiber infused nylon. Some parts such as the HD frame have continuous fiber reinforcement such as fiberglass.
BLaF says: Not a whole lot of recent comments so, I’d like to ask if these reels are still being made. Also, I’m using RG58 Coax – would it be possible to commission a reel to accommodate a 50-foot length of that or is the current form factor all that’s being offered? Thanks!
Yes, the reel is still being made, and a run with the reel and the coax is being produced now. Thanks and 73, Ed
It’s a beauty.