I 10K ANTENNA

[davegrantsr]

"You are paying for superb construction and materials that will stand up to a hurricane and power handling ability that will stand up to a broadcast transmitter. What you are not paying for is more gain then any other well designed 5/8 wave although the antenna is one of the top performers in the omni class.

I can vouch for that ... for a Fact !!.

Mine has been in extreme weather conditions..
including 2 tornado's (not direct hits but extremely close..and they were quite small tornado's )

Mine has been through some extreme thunder storms..
Has been through some crazy extreme Icying..

Heck one day i heard it moving all over...and when i went to look at it thinking it had collapsed or something...Only to find it was so windy that i actually saw it where the top hat/top of antenna was bent over upon the rest of the antenna where the top was whacking my roof..

So i figured that was the end of the antenna..
Following day i looked at it...it was in perfect condition..
I was Amazed..
( but my chimney mounts were trashed..so i bought 2 more sets of chimney mounts..as well as fixed the twisted to hell ones..and my antenna was fine again )

However....
I understand many have issue in paying what they think is a crazy price..

yet when i use it..people in skip land do not believe i am using only a ground plane and say i am indeed using a huge beam...for my signal seems to not fade and just stomp on all the others when skip is rolling in ( and i am talking from nyc area...on down to texas..mexica..carribian...africa...europe ) and have often been accused by others on my end to be talking to ghost skip ( only to have them over and be like...damm or wow )..

But also..
It seems at times ( many times ) to even cause its own skip..

Yes there are many great beams out there..
But i have only ever encountered one other antenna that might be comparable to the I-10K and that is the wolf .64..

When talking to another I-10K or with a wolf .64 it is like having a direct party line 1-300 miles away regardless of skip or conditions..

Oh and no rotor or huge tower is needed..
Mine is simply on my roof at a height of 52 ft ( at its base)
Although i have 3 guy lines to help keep it properly in place..

So what is the down side..

for one maybe is price ( not to me though )
the other maybe is it is indeed a huge antenna and the wind takes to it like lightning to a lightning rod and so the I-10K MUST be properly installed..

Figure to mount it at least 2 times stronger then you had first considered..
and then guy it extremely well..

Then simply sit back...turn on the radio...and press on the mike and have fun..

You can almost be sure to not have TVI issues and you do not require crazy power ( most i use is 135 watts )"------------




ok.....for the most part, this sounds like braggadoccio from somebody justifying having spent an exorbitant amount of money on a non-spectacular item. or, $450 for $40 worth of aluminum at a scrapyard.






"This past summer 13 tornados were said to hit the area..4 of them confirmed twisters (last week alone they said maybe as many as 11 but only 2 have been truly confirmed)

Yet my I-10K is happy as can be..
Now winter ill be with us soon ( winters can get brutal with the nor-easters) and again the I-10K simply takes it in stride..

Try that with even your smaller beams..

and as i said earlier..
When skip shoots in...i will put this against all but the largest of beams..and skip land refuses to believe i am on a vertical..saying how i am stronger then anyone ( yet am bare foot )"------





next, i'm not exactly sure where you had 13 reported tornadoes AND experience noreasters. they don't really affect the same areas. 1 confirmed in staten island, 1 in queens nyc this year-that's it-and a few noreasters which are far more typical to the nj/ny/new england coastline.

ok, the next next, i am willing to bet i am in a far more weather-affected part of the northeast then you are. how do i know? NOBODY is east of me, and NOBODY is sitting on the atlantic ocean where i am. i have a measly little maco v5/8. this antenna has surpassed the quarter century mark in age. it has NEVER been rebuilt. it has NEVER bent. it has NEVER broken. i GUARANTEE you put your i10k next to my v5/8 & NOBODY ABSOLUTELY NOBODY will be able to tell the difference. GUARANTEED. the trombone-type tuning MAY be more efficient, the i10k may be closer to 'real' 5/8's in that it's longer, it may have a capacitance top hat, but the laws of physics, theory of relativity, radio/electronic theory, and ANY other 'facts' you can come up with, PROVE that 5/8's is 5/8's is 5/8's and in no way shape or form will ANYBODY be able to tell the difference between 2 different 5/8's wave antennas equally mounted at the same location. i'll give you that if we scrapped both antennas, the i10k would fetch $10-15 more based on it's weight. my maco v5/8 HAS withstood at least 2 hurricanes, countless ice storms, snowstorms, blizzards, and noreasters. it routinely blows in the breeze-50mph breeze. 60 mph? what breeze? 70+ mph? how many times has it reached that speed here since june 1st? more then a couple. how about 100mph? how about ALL DAY this past march? did i say blizzard? 60+ mph winds AND 28" of snow. i paid far less then the current $90 asking price. sitting here with a target on my back, i won't say that it will never break, but for another $90? versus $450? who's kidding who? ask jay himself-'testimonials from my customers speak for themselves. but it's still only a 5/8's wave antenna'-smart man that jay, to NOT LIE. he lets his customers lie instead. ask eddie wolf himself. after i asked him to build me one last .64 wave for 10/11m, and he said 'no', he added that a 'maco v5/8 is indistinguishable from his .64, the i10k, the coily, the sigma, the penetrator, et al'. the miniscule amount of 'improved performance' due to different feed systems will never ever be able to be detected by ANY radio.

as for the i10k outalking a beam? skip is a crapshoot. but i'd again bet your i10k on my roof next to 3 elements of ANYTHING vertically polarized & reasonably built would NOT be the winner. local, probably EVERY SINGLE TIME. on skip? probably 99.9% of the time, and again, i will guarantee that. how about 17' of 14 guage wire laying on top of a 6' stockade fence with 15 watts of carrier on 27.135 in AM mode and 40db over S9 signal to over 100 stations? THEN, going to 28.500 with the SAME piece of wire & the antenna tuner switched on, 60 watts PEP SSB & ANOTHER 150 contacts of between S9 and 40 over for over 6 hours? that piece of wire was FREE. it was in my shack for maybe 30 years. i needed to test something. can i call that the U.1K? (uninspired .1 kw hanfling wire?) then sell it for $250? hey, it'd scap for nearly $3. angle of radiation, based on your mounting style, probably a bigger skip maker then any super vertical antenna.

that said, the i10k may be built like a tank. i doubt that justifies the $450 price tag. otherwise, it's a 5/8's wave antenna, and performs just like any other.

 

[Shockwave]

While the I-10K would be indistinguishable in signal from the other 5/8 waves, Wolf was off a little if he threw the Sigma in the mix. Extending the radiator while folding the radials upward will show a noticeable signal increase on nearly any distant receiver. The V58 is a good antenna that will hold up to most weather but it is not in the same class as the I-10K in terms of mechanical construction.

 

[davegrantsr]

While the I-10K would be indistinguishable in signal from the other 5/8 waves, Wolf was off a little if he threw the Sigma in the mix. Extending the radiator while folding the radials upward will show a noticeable signal increase on nearly any distant receiver. The V58 is a good antenna that will hold up to most weather but it is not in the same class as the I-10K in terms of mechanical construction.

honestly, not too much built as heavy duty as the i10k. point is, how many people actually need to spend $450 for HEAVY DUTY? they're not spending it for performance, that's a fact. no matter what they may think. they're spending it for survivability. again, i'd bet 95% of the owners of one could have gotten away with a maco v5/8 AND still had enough $$ left over to put a 3 element yagi up on a 5' tripod with a tv rotator. and buy 2 pizzas and a 12 pack for his assistants. and then get out better then the i10k owner. ;-)

 

[Red Ranger]

davegrantsr, there is "bragging rights" if you want to be the idol of your CB friends, you need a 10k.

 

[Robb]

I have no doubt that everything said for/about this antenna is correct.
And if I had the money to buy one - I would.

 

[TonyV225]

I have heard it all I never would have thought Ide here someone say there vertical groundplane antenna will perform aswell or better than a beam antenna!! did some secret guy that beats the laws of physics build that one of a kind vertical or was it one of the class C comp Amp builders that told you this when he sold you your antenna??

Some people just dont get it and believe it when there told there hiddeen magic in an item and then they use this as a buying point to justify the purchase. I agree that Jay make one of the nicest Groundplane Verticals but to say it comparable to any beam is just insane.

I hope Jay chimes in or Ill have to ask him about this statement or claim. Im confused forsure because if I remember right Jay was working on a beam or maybe even finished it?? Someone that actually knows what there talking about please enlighten me or correct me if I am wrong.

If Jay is building a beam I hope its whatever is considered a (bigger beam and not a smaller beam) otherwise its worthless against his Vertical. If this is true that it performs aswell as any of my beams Ill get 1 ordered right away and aslong as and its as broadbanded as the Antron 99 and Imax 2000 I have here Ill take 2 I-10K instead of 1 and Ill take my Vertcal antennas down and give them away and use the I-10K for 17-10 meters as I do with my no good Antron 99 and Imax 2000!!!

I run several radios so aslong as the capabilities are there Ill need 2 of these antennas. I been thinking about buying one but have been content with the newest beam I bought and put up rejection and gain is a plus but what do I know Ive never had or actually seen a vertical that compares to a beam. I am in noway attacking Jay and he is a very smart man and knows what hes doing and wouldnt think for one moment that he would tell anyone his antenna has the gain of a beam.

I would like to try one and when his orders are filled and there isnt a waiting on the build I will get one to try but need to know factually where they are operable as far as the HF bands go from someone whoes actually tested one and knows what there doing. I have no doubt that it is a built well and true performer but is this just at 11 meters/

 

[Marconi]

TonyV, I think maybe all of us that have been around for a long time and really know what DX can do when it is really hot, will tell you that they've heard such remarks. For me it simply means that some guy was really seeing, hearing, or thinking some other operator was really banging in with a really big signal and it must be a beam antenna.

The idea talked about is a perception that someone gave somebody on the air and all of a sudden the I-10k, A99, or the Lil Will turn into a big old long beam and the idea gets stuck in the Alice and Wonder Land parts of their mind. Just because someone says some BS and someone else hears it and believes it---don't make it true.

Sometimes skip signals come and go between two points with more than one reflected wave, that I cannot explain. These waves arrive and add to the signals when they're together, in phase and on time---and they can and do make a big signal. When that happens you can probably make a contact on an open feed line laying in the back yard. I think I've been around for three skip cycles and seems to me each one gets a little weaker than the previous one. At 73, I'm holding out for one or two more, but it better hurry.

I use to have a buddy that used several switch boxes to connect all of his junk, and sometimes he would get things switched wrong, and he'd be talking into and open feed line, a broken antenna, or just to his switch box, but he'd still be broadcasting on one of several other antennas he had connected to the same switch box. Sometimes we knew he was messed up over there, switch all wrong, and he would still be shootin' skip. His local signal would be in the mud, and we knew he was talking DX right thru his switch box.

I would not trade or sell my I-10K unless someone offered me big bucks which I'm planning on soon. The I-10K is a fine antenna, but it is not the Holy Grail.

 

[TonyV225]

That was my point exactly when conditions are good a coat hanger and a good forgiving tuner wouls do wonders. I talked 11 meter DX oneday when goofing around with 20 watts off of an indoor workaman dipole horizontal stretched along my indoor porch durring a batch of storms thats why I hooked up that dipole because when it storms I dissconnect all antennas and drag all 6 feedlines out and tuck them away in a safe dry spot away from the house.

I actually listen to shortwave when I go to bed and this little dipole lets me do this good enough when its storming. Now does that make my Dipole one of the 7 wonders Im just glad that I was understood in what I was saying about some comments. Like I said Jay is a great guy with the smarts and know hows when it comes to antennas but when theres a vertical groundplane that has better gain than any type of beam big or small then lookout beam builderds because your out of business and I would certainly have one for myself and take these big beams down with the rotar and beable to run less wire and control boxes and have less to worry about.

 

[davegrantsr]

HOORAY!!!!!! tonyv & marconi! glad somebody gets it!!!!! and in personal emails to ME, steve (or maybe it was jay)@ i10k has said 'what his customers say, speaks for itself!'. so he hasn't actually spoken the 'lie', but he doesn't deny his customers 7 S-unit claims!


as for this quote below......

I have no doubt that everything said for/about this antenna is correct.
And if I had the money to buy one - I would.

i should probably leave it alone, since we've gone that route before.......but as tonyv said, just another person repeating what he's heard, with absolutely no basis on fact. unless that quote is ONLY referring to survivability.

 

[443]

Hi Marconi! Remember me? CDX-443 out here just west of Houston. I haven't boomed in your speaker in a while!

I-10K = great antenna (is Jay still building these?)

Personally I would opt for a nice beam for DX'ing. I had a Maco V58 which should be close to performance of I-10K or same, just not as rugged for weather concerns as the I-10K perhaps... I made way more DX contacts on my M103 beam on flat or vertical than I did on the V58. For talking local, same thing, M103 seemed to put out better, and of course, receive better.

I recently bought a Imax 2000 just for simplicity talking local, not having to turn the beam, gonna put the beam on flat and leave it that way. Cheap, effective. Should work as good as Maco V58 / I-10K. I know several locals that have/had the Imax 2000 and it worked every bit as good (not kidding) as any other GP/Omni type vertical antenna, and these guys been radioing for 20+ years so they are not BSing.

 

[443]

. When that happens you can probably make a contact on an open feed line laying in the back yard. I think I've been around for three skip cycles and seems to me each one gets a little weaker than the previous one. At 73, I'm holding out for one or two more, but it better hurry..

I've been around for 2 cycles now. This will be my Third when it starts back up... Though at 36, I'm still a youngster... Started CBing when I was a teenager.... Seen almost everything (but the 70's CB craze). BTW: the charts I looked at showed what I thought to be the greatest cycle peak around 1990.. dropped down since then in "total" quantity.

I once made several DX contacts during the last cycle on AM, just below channel 1, to several countries on a homemade 1/4 wave ground plane 2 feet off the ground under a tree, with about 5 watts. So yeah, depending on the solar activity and the way the signals arrive after bouncing, you can do amazing things with any antenna. Best source of info on antenna performance is to learn how they work first, then simply ask around what people that have been doing it long enough to have been through 5 or 10 antenna's had best results with.

 

[davegrantsr]

i'm not denying the i10k is a great antenna, 443. the point is, it is NOT superantenna. it is what it is, a 5/8 wave antenna and as such, that is all anybody will get out of it, as you say. and, yup, more often then not, especially locally, a beam will outperform it. as for skip, anything can happen, but for an i10k to outperform a beam every single time....well, the beam was built wrong or the rotor controller is pointed west when the bean is pointed north.
being west of houston, i'd guess you are outside of hurricane alley, so i seriously doubt your weather is tougher on an antenna then mine. and my v5/8 has reached 'antique' status. i have family that has been in magnolia for over 30 years, have NEVER experienced a tornado, or even been remotely near one, and 1 of their homes had a cb antenna on it when they moved in, only to remove it when the roof was done a couple years back. so that antenna survived nearly 30 years. if you took the difference between a $450 i10k and what probably cost less then $60 30 years ago & invested the nearly $400, you could have over $1200 to purchase an ic7000, g5rv, the general license manual, pay for the test, and have skip even during NO sunspot time periods.

more food for thought....i also have family, some of which remained, on the west coast of florida. they experienced hurricane hell a few years back. i don't care WHAT the i10k is built like. when you have 145 mph winds uproot palm trees, remove a house's roof like it was just setting there, & twisting towers like a pretzel, IF an i10k survived, you are damn lucky....even if your house blew away. but, chances are, you weren't watching to see the i10k snap into pieces before the mounting system blew apart & the flying antenna was mangled into a small ball of scrap aluminum. so in all honesty, to say the ANTENNA is built like a tank, is fruitless. for $90, you can replace the i10k with a maco v5/8 5 times.....

 

[443]

i'm not denying the i10k is a great antenna, 443. the point is, it is NOT superantenna. it is what it is, a 5/8 wave antenna and as such, that is all anybody will get out of it, as you say. and, yup, more often then not, especially locally, a beam will outperform it. as for skip, anything can happen, but for an i10k to outperform a beam every single time....well, the beam was built wrong or the rotor controller is pointed west when the bean is pointed north.
being west of houston, i'd guess you are outside of hurricane alley, so i seriously doubt your weather is tougher on an antenna then mine. and my v5/8 has reached 'antique' status. i have family that has been in magnolia for over 30 years, have NEVER experienced a tornado, or even been remotely near one, and 1 of their homes had a cb antenna on it when they moved in, only to remove it when the roof was done a couple years back. so that antenna survived nearly 30 years. if you took the difference between a $450 i10k and what probably cost less then $60 30 years ago & invested the nearly $400, you could have over $1200 to purchase an ic7000, g5rv, the general license manual, pay for the test, and have skip even during NO sunspot time periods.

more food for thought....i also have family, some of which remained, on the west coast of florida. they experienced hurricane hell a few years back. i don't care WHAT the i10k is built like. when you have 145 mph winds uproot palm trees, remove a house's roof like it was just setting there, & twisting towers like a pretzel, IF an i10k survived, you are damn lucky....even if your house blew away. but, chances are, you weren't watching to see the i10k snap into pieces before the mounting system blew apart & the flying antenna was mangled into a small ball of scrap aluminum. so in all honesty, to say the ANTENNA is built like a tank, is fruitless. for $90, you can replace the i10k with a maco v5/8 5 times.....

If Marconi's I-10K is setup (I think he has a motorized pole/tower or something to lower his) anyway, it went through Hurricane IKE. I know what you mean though, other than in Tornado Alley/ hurricane alley Most antenna's will survive fine.

My Maco V58 I gave to another local years ago, a friend, he used it for a while, but last year the bottom section rotted out and it fell off. He just bought a new one for $89 and stuck it up and back in business. He might get the parts to fix the old one too....

On that note my M103 is 13 years old and still in good shape, I think... Putting it back up soon, will find out.

Super Antenna = urban legend. I agree. They all work about the same for a given size/design, no secret ingredients to get more S-units.

 

[Marconi]

If Marconi's I-10K is setup (I think he has a motorized pole/tower or something to lower his) anyway, it went through Hurricane IKE. I know what you mean though, other than in Tornado Alley/ hurricane alley Most antenna's will survive fine.

My Maco V58 I gave to another local years ago, a friend, he used it for a while, but last year the bottom section rotted out and it fell off. He just bought a new one for $89 and stuck it up and back in business. He might get the parts to fix the old one too....

On that note my M103 is 13 years old and still in good shape, I think... Putting it back up soon, will find out.

Super Antenna = urban legend. I agree. They all work about the same for a given size/design, no secret ingredients to get more S-units.

Yep 443, when I bought my I-10K and put it up about 35'-40' to the hub I also had my Starduster up to about 58' to the tip. The I-10K was strong and a good talker, but my SD'r showed a little better RX signal reports as often as not and it was a lot quiter. When I lowered it down to near the same height at the hubs, the I-10K was almost always stronger.

I have contended for years that all of my CB vertical antennas performed much the same, and for sure if height is not the issue. I have never had a vertical that would not make the trip compared to another at any height above 10' maybe 90% of the time or better.

Signals only interest me when trying to compare signals. I consider the ability to hear a far more important factor, because I figure if I can hear em' I can talk to em' and nothing else matters even when we don't see a very low signal or none at all.

For me the challenge is trying and reaching those weak signals I hear and not trying to squash another radio operator with a bigger signal when the other operator is at a disvantage probably due to location or some ground interference issues in his way.

 

[TonyV225]

I was going to say I should put an I-10K up and put a rotor under it and boom the airwaves LMAO!! Like I said they are built with quality but because its built well does not change the fact that its an omni directional vertical 5/8 wave groundplane antenna.

It all boils down to what your plans or goals are as far as what you plan on or want to do with your antennaIve tried several different antennas and meathods trying to get around having to spend all the extra money in putting up a beam but guess what?/ The beam was the best match and had the ultimate results to what I was trying to accomplish.

If a person cannot put up a beam and only talks 11 meters then that I-10K is what you may want or maybe its 10 meters you want then again maybe it can be tuned for 10 Im not sure but most likely it can be tuned for 10.

I chose what I did as far as a vertical because of how much use I would get out of the antennas band coverage. As far as my beam I already explained why I do the beams and the biggest factor is yes I could put a beam up and yes I have plenty of room to do so.

Anyone ever wants to know or hear why I went with also putting a beam up just pick a time and frequency and we can I would love to try the I-10K and know what to expect but am still curious as to how well it does perform if I cant find a used one Ill have to buy a new one. It would be fun just to tinker, play and test one out.

I have seen articles on how RFI was stopped or cut back with switching to one of these I-10K but Ive never had issues with splatter so i wouldnt have anything to compare that antenna to. Alot of people like these antennas but I would hope so I mean it would be devistating to spend $300.00 on any antenna and go uh ohhhh I dont like this thing.