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A question about antennas

Thanks for your input on the Super Scanners , I wasn't actually set on buying one ... just wondered what you guys thought as a Beam . I did read a bit about the Maco V5/8 antennas as well which also seem to be a decent antenna as well . And Marconi ... 30 years is by far the longest I have ever heard of an A99 working for . :D
 
I had no idea the 99 was pushing 30 ? I believe the Wilson 1000s came out in 89 which would make them roughly 18 years old . I thought the 99 was around the same time ? I remember the Shakespears and the Big Sticks and Radio Shack had one that was really shitty in a blue color. What was the name of that damned thing ?? I must say though ,the Antron / Solarcon 99s have surely held there own for what they are over the years. Commonly known as bleed sticks :) 50 bucks a little coax and a shit pipe up top and your raising some hell before you know it. I've had a few in my time and they all worked good enough that I was buying my neighbors left and right filters for there phones and what not and even a few TV antenna's so I could continue using them , that got old after a while and pretty much just stuck with the Alpha V-5/8 which after years of different antenna's became my antenna of choice. IM surely no antenna guru , but something about those damned Antrons ?? Go figure ..........the bottom line is this .......bleed stick or not ......those damned things work and work well at that. They also would seem to make guys sound louder for some reason or other ? I guess that's why there still around after all these years and more then likely the cheapest base antenna on the market . Cheers to the Antron 99 ....for what they are anyway. ;)
 
Well you might be right guys. Maybe it is closer to 20 years old. I can't remember for sure, but I thought I bought my first one back early in 1980. Maybe it was a Shakespear Big Stick or a Super Big Stick I bought in the early 80's.

I got back into radio in 1991, maybe that is when I got the A99. I think you are right Switch Kit.
 
It's all good Marconi , seems like the older I get , it seems like time just flys faster then my mind can keep up with it , the years seem like months and weeks seem like days ago. Wow !! I remember when I was a kid watching my father shave every morning , as a kid I thought it was pretty cool , my father said it was a pain in the ass and to enjoy my youth while it lasted .....He was right !! Time seemed so much longer when I was a kid , after 35 or so , I blinked my eye's and it's almost 15 years later and all my hair could fall out for all I care :) I suppose it could have been worse , I could have been a woman and then I would have had to deal with the thought of labor and monthly bouts of cramps and bleeding and PMS , although I think I can relate to the PMS for some reason or other. ;) Peace
 
I bought mine in 1985 when I got my HR2510 replacing the Rat Shack big blue stick I believe then it was the newest greatest thing out. The patent was filled July 21 1981. It was a great antenna talked all over the world didn't have any complainant except one guy said I bleed all over him I still think it was his radio... :LOL:
 
An IMAX 2000 will outperform both the A99 and the MACO V5/8.

http://www.www.premiere-electronics.net/store/imax2000.html

If you get an IMAX 2K try tp put it up, (as Marconi advised in another post) at least 20' above the roof, then guy it well with 4 guy wires per 10' section of mast.

Here's what will help you get the best performance:

Add insulators to the top set of guy wires at 8' 8" down from the top of the antenna's aluminum mounting plate.

What I did is drill two holes about 1/2" apart and 1/2" from the top of the Aluminum mounting plate, and 1" from the fiberglass and put a pair of closed eyelet bolts facing 180* off from each other so two of the guy wires attached to one eyelet (ie: the N & W guys) and the other two (E & S guys) to the opposing eyelet.

8 feet, 8 inches down the top guy wires (peaked for ch.38 ) I placed a ceramic or 'Egg' (porcelain) interlacing insulator on each of the top 4 guy wires which effectively made them into 1/4 wave ground radials, or a 'counterpoise' and I saw about 1 S-unit improvement on both receive and transmit at ~30miles plus.

It's really not hard to do and only takes a few extra minutes.

The IMAX 2000 antenna system outperformed the MACO (which was on the same mast, coax & radio) by about 1 S-unit without the radials and about 1.5 to 2 S-units with the radials.

The IMAX is 24 feet tall, not 19.8' or so like the MACO.
The IMAX is a .64 wave antenna whilst the MACO is closer to a 1/2 wave.

You'll have noticeably better performance on both receive AND transmit on the IMAX than the MACO, and MUCH better performance than the A99.
You won't match it, but with 500w - 1Kw power handling you will come about as close as possible to the performance of the I-10K for any antenna available on today's market, and for about 1/3 the cost.

So, unless my experience was different, and I don't see why it would be as these antennas were all assembled correctly, tuned and used just like anyone would, this is the level of comparitive performance anyone should see.

- Hey Marconi, whay haven't you upgraded to an I-10K or an IMAX 2000?

73
 
007, I have both the antennas and I agree that they are both very good antennas. Here is my Starduster at about 41' to the hub and my I-10K at about 35' to the hub. I saw very little difference in operations when I got my SD'r up almost as high to the tip as the I-10K and it was a lot quieter.

Hopefully you can click on image for a larger view.



http://img88.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img88/8254/1190469157mw5.smil
 
Marconi said:
007, I have both the antennas and I agree that they are both very good antennas. Here is my Starduster at about 45' to the hub and my I-10K at about 35' to the hub. I saw very little difference in operations when I got my SD'r up almost as high to the tip as the I-10K and it was a lot quieter.

Hopefully you can click on image for a larger view.



http://img88.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img88/8254/1190469157mw5.smil
Click to expand...

That is a very impressive "antenna farm". 8)
 
Unit 194 said:
Marconi said:
007, I have both the antennas and I agree that they are both very good antennas. Here is my Starduster at about 45' to the hub and my I-10K at about 35' to the hub. I saw very little difference in operations when I got my SD'r up almost as high to the tip as the I-10K and it was a lot quieter.

Hopefully you can click on image for a larger view.



http://img88.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img88/8254/1190469157mw5.smil
Click to expand...

That is a very impressive "antenna farm". 8)
Click to expand...

Yes it is!

Marconi, at what distances did you do your comparison between the SD & I-10K? It seems really odd the I-10K didn't trounce it.

If I push a button on my 'way-back machine'...

In '75 I had a Hy-Gain Penetrator on a 5 section mast on the old 12' roof which topped out at 76' as I only used 44' of the 1973 Rohn 48' push up mast. I was being patriotic as 1976 was nearing, so I had a 24" flag on the top of the antenna at '76' feet.

Anyway Dan was 2000' to the north, (2' higher ASL) a 5 section mast on top of his 27', 2 story apt. roof with a Starduster.
We both ran modified E.F. Johnson 223s with an extra modulator tube and 12w carrier / 24w with audio. He is a stickler for detail and was using double shielded coax with less loss than mine, and my coax run was 15' longer than his.

His was never BETTER than 1-2 full S-units below my signal so he got PO'd (he was 27 and I was 15, he was out to SHOW ME!) and replaced the SD with a Super Scanner and when pointed center of one of his 3 peak directions were were now equal, "Within a needle's width" they would say, sometimes favoring me, sometimes Dan.

I also have what's left of my 1977 Starduster and I recall not being impressed when I ran it, performed about like the long version big stick.

I like your setup, and I bet the SD keeps up with, or beats the I-10K for shorter skip.

Would you say the SD is almost more of a center-fed dipole than a 1/4wave GP since the radials are so steep an angle?

I'd like to see you get the I-10K up to ~72' / hub!

Have you ever owned a Hy-Gain Penetrator?
 
007, no I have never owned a Penetrator.

Here is a signal report I took when I compared the SD and the I-10K and a few others in 2006. This was all local contacts that range from 5-60 miles.

Yes I agree that the SD is more of a dipole than a GP and that it is a bit off center fed. Notice the reports for the Marconi which is my homemade version of the SD. It has a 102" radiator with three 72" horizontal and three 1/4 wave elements at 45 degrees using a GPK hub from an A99. Picture shows three down radials installed. The 72" elements were installed horizontal in the side of the hub where you see one hole.

img02145kv.jpg

Shot at 2006-06-17

ri10k64wolf1et.jpg

Shot at 2006-05-04
 
IF.....im interpreting the chart correctly.....cost aside the star duster and astroplane made a very good showing and won a good share of top spots . taking cost into account......and again if im interpreting it correctly......they kicked azz . and look how much lower the astroplane was mounted !
Marconi if im not reading it correctly can you help me to do so ?
 
Marconi

your having a A99 up and working that is almost 30 years old. I have refinished it several times, but it works great and I live 60 miles north of the Texas Gulf Coast.

is impressive

i also used to think the A99 worked well (and worked reasonably well when i used to use one)

but i learned the Interceptor I-10K is by far a much better made as well as much better transmitting and recieving antenna.

do you really think a A99 is as good or better then a I-10K
or that it is even close at all

mind you i used to love the A99 and worked all over the world with my old A99
(that i gave away for free to a friend of mine, when i realised just how much other antennas can be)
 
I have had and used both the A99 and Imax 2000
i didn't see much of a difference (if any at all)

was when i then went instead to jay's I-10K
only then did i realise a rather large difference

anyways
whatever works for you (or whatever works for anyone is good)
 

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