Par Electronics Antennas

[Riverman]

I never see much discussion in these forums about Dale Parfitt and his antennas.

http://www.parelectronics.com/index.php

His Omniangles, HF Rectangles, Moxons, and his his new portable loop all look impressive and get great reviews on eHam. Just curious if anyone here has one and can comment on it.

I am considering purchasing the OA-50 Omniangle for use in my attic. I currently have a 6 meter wire dipole up there but it is in close proximity to a lot of metal and wiring. I can locate the Omniangle in an area of the attic that is clear and free of such obstructions for the most part and get it a little higher.

Here's some assorted info about it:

http://www.parelectronics.com/oa50-specs.php

http://www.parelectronics.com/omni-patterns.html



Thanks.

 

[Tallman]

Hmmm? Mounted in a location with lots of metal? Your radiation pattern will be unpredictable. Are you in a HOA situation? If not can you mount out side the building?
Be sure you are not hit with too much radiation since 6 meter can cook you.

How do you like your IC-7100? I love mine.

 

[Riverman]

Hmmm? Mounted in a location with lots of metal? Your radiation pattern will be unpredictable. Are you in a HOA situation? If not can you mount out side the building?
Be sure you are not hit with too much radiation since 6 meter can cook you.

How do you like your IC-7100? I love mine.

I can get the Omniangle in a clear area in the attic where I can't hang a dipole. Love the 7100! Very cool radio. My first ham rig. And maybe my last. It does everything.

 

[Paul-W5lz]

I've never seen these antennas before, but in general, I don't think there's anything particularly 'better' about them. Typical radiation pattern, which depends to a great extent on how/where the thing is mounted. If you wanna try one, do it.

 

[Riverman]

I've never seen these antennas before, but in general, I don't think there's anything particularly 'better' about them. Typical radiation pattern, which depends to a great extent on how/where the thing is mounted. If you wanna try one, do it.

I know they won't be better performing, but the thing they have going for them in my view is their relatively small footprint. Am no longer interested in the OA-50 for 6 meters, but Paul tells me he offers an 11 meter version of his HF Rectangle even though it is not shown on the website. Might be a good DX antenna for CB and at 8' x 4' would be easy to mount.

 

[w9cll]

Paul tells me he offers an 11 meter version of his HF Rectangle even though it is not shown on the website.

Just be aware that if you run any kind of power that antenna will radiate into just about everything, your TV, Stereo, toaster, dog...etc. I have a similar one called the QSO-King and while it works okay my signal gets into everything.

 

[Riverman]

Just be aware that if you run any kind of power that antenna will radiate into just about everything, your TV, Stereo, toaster, dog...etc. I have a similar one called the QSO-King and while it works okay my signal gets into everything.

Yikes!

And mine won't be very high so will likely be even worse.
Don't watch a lot of TV or listen to much music but love toast and our dog. And darn sure don't want to bother the neighbors. Did that once years ago with my Browning Mark III and a Palomar 250. Neighbor called one night saying they were trying to watch TV. I said, "You can hear me on your television?" And he replied, "Hear you? Hell, we can see you!"

 

[Tallman]

Just be aware that if you run any kind of power that antenna will radiate into just about everything, your TV, Stereo, toaster, dog...etc. I have a similar one called the QSO-King and while it works okay my signal gets into everything.

Mine even gets into my icemaker in my refrigerator and my coffee maker will fire off an expresso. I just have to remember to leave a cup in it.

 

[Riverman]

Mine even gets into my icemaker in my refrigerator and my coffee maker will fire off an expresso. I just have to remember to leave a cup in it.

Will five wraps of the coax around a 4 1/2" cylinder do any good? Don't care about my Mr. Coffee, just don't want it in my ice maker. Have enough problems with that already.

 

[loosecannon]

riverman71, what exactly are the factors keeping you from being able to mount some sort of wire antenna on top of your roof?

HOA?
too dangerous?
afraid of cooking birds?

If we can get some wire stretched across the top of your roof (if the roof is metal maybe we could just turn it into the antenna!) then your radio world will become much bigger.

LC

 

[Riverman]

riverman71, what exactly are the factors keeping you from being able to mount some sort of wire antenna on top of your roof?

HOA?
too dangerous?
afraid of cooking birds?
LC

b. DANGER. My roof is STEEPLY pitched. So much so I had to quit putting up Christmas lights when I turned sixty. Now they line the driveway, sidewalk and flowerbeds in December.

And, I like the stealth of attic antennas.

Will probably just hang a wire dipole. Had one up there as an Inverted V once but, truth is, it didn't perform any better than my 4' Firestik dipole seen here:

I think that's because the Firestik version was more in the clear whereas the longer legs of the full-sized version were in closer proximity to a lot of things (ducting, wiring and an AC/Heating unit) that aren't visible in the photo.

If I hang a full-sized wire dipole horizontally, I can get it up in the clear better. I don't have enough room to hang it straight so it will have to be in the shape of a flat V. Or L, depending on how you look at it.

Or, I could go with a double bazooka as BJ radionut has suggested in another thread.

Summer is drawing to a close and my attic is no longer life-threatening because of the heat. Heck, in the mornings it's downright pleasant. Looking forward to getting up there and doing some fiddling.

 

[Paul-W5lz]

It looks like you should have enough room in that attic for both a 6 and 11 meter antenna. Several ways of going about that, probably the easiest or most common way would be to string up a fan dipole. Nothing fancy, just string them up as straight as you can. The ends of one dipole as far from the ends of the other one as is practical. Or just make a big 'X' out of it. And naturally, tune both of them (that's the hardest part, the tuning... up/down/up/down sort of).

 

[Riverman]

It looks like you should have enough room in that attic for both a 6 and 11 meter antenna. Several ways of going about that, probably the easiest or most common way would be to string up a fan dipole. Nothing fancy, just string them up as straight as you can. The ends of one dipole as far from the ends of the other one as is practical. Or just make a big 'X' out of it. And naturally, tune both of them (that's the hardest part, the tuning... up/down/up/down sort of).

Only needing 11 meters now. Sold my Icom 7100.
I know all the stuff in my attic will mess with the radiation pattern, but if they were in the clear, how does the pattern of a horizontal V differ from that of a straight horizontal one?