wow Imax 2000

[Captain Kilowatt]

Wav I am happy for you that it works but i still don't believe it. Maybe someday I will inherit one to test and will change my opinion.

I have to agree with you. I personally do not accept those readings either as it just plain and simply is not possible unless the antenna exhibits some really serious losses. There has to be something going on with feedline radiation and ground losses as the laws of physics say that a bandwidth from 21-29MHz is not possible with a simple so-called 1/2 wave vertical antenna unless the frequency is a couple of octaves higher. Even with severe losses it will still radiate however compared to a regular tuned vertical it will not perform as good I guarantee. It would be interesting to see the results with a properly isolated feedline that does not radiate.

 

[TonyV225]

Ive tuned mine from 6 - 20 meters aswell as several others just read Eham reviews I know what Ive done with my Antron 99 and was shocked as I to found it hard to believe. Now is it efficient? Common sense says not really but it indeed does work and makes contacts and like any antenna when DX is rolling they all work. For the cost and where it will make contacts the A99 and Imax cant be beat. I just found out about the 6 meter thing and had to try and ofcourse the dang thing tuned right up. I mentioned it on 75 meters that night and a few other guys tried theirs on 6 meters and came back laughing and said Ill be dammed!!! I have other antennas but none the less its still crazy these fiberglass antennas do what they do.

 

[RatsoW8]

I have to agree with you. I personally do not accept those readings either as it just plain and simply is not possible unless the antenna exhibits some really serious losses. There has to be something going on with feedline radiation and ground losses as the laws of physics say that a bandwidth from 21-29MHz is not possible with a simple so-called 1/2 wave vertical antenna unless the frequency is a couple of octaves higher. Even with severe losses it will still radiate however compared to a regular tuned vertical it will not perform as good I guarantee. It would be interesting to see the results with a properly isolated feedline that does not radiate.

Thank you!

 

[wavrider]

CK and RatsoW8.

I agree it is different, and not the most efficient vertical, any mono band 1/4 wl will probably be better than if not equal to performance of the I2K.

Still it does perform, and theory says it is one big lossy antenna due to it's matching.

Not one post claims it to be a GREAT antenna, but it DOES WORK multi band.

For the cost per band I ask any of you to find another vertical that will work four bands, costs under $120 shipped, weighs less than 11 lbs, and is easy to install.

 

[The DB]

I don't know that I would call what it does performing. It functions, that is really about it. To say it "can't be beat" is a stretch at best.

For an antenna that functions better for less on the ham bands, make yourself a fan dipole and mount it as high as you can... Hell, if you already have the tuner, a doublet that is as long as you can get it and some ladderline will work great as well...

It doesn't take a lot to have a good antenna, and if you can do some simple tasks, said antennas above will cost less than the a99/imax as well, especially if you already have a tuner you are planning on using with it...


The DB

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Really any antenna will perform fantastic if you don't have another to do an A/B switch with it.

 

[Robb]

I'd agree that the factory gain is probably generous. But for an antenna that screws together in a few minutes, hook up some coax, and then mount it on a pole, it is convenient if nothing else.

Working DX stations on 15m was easy enough to do when conditions were present.

Lossy? Of course. Effective? Depends on how one defines success.

http://www.video-observer.com/imax/imax2000.htm

 

[KD2GOE]

well i have been testing it and it seems maybe i have a dud some thing is not right compared to my A99. stuff happens i work in manufacturing and some times people slip up so ill send it back..

the guys that i know run theres on 10/11/12/15&17 and it works good!

 

[LDG]

I have an A99 and a couple of dipoles. The SWR on my A99 is flat on 10 and 11 meters, but 12, 15 and 17 are 4's and 5's. This is using the internal meter and an external meter measured on AM, not SSB.

 

[wavrider]

I don't know that I would call what it does performing. It functions, that is really about it. To say it "can't be beat" is a stretch at best.

For an antenna that functions better for less on the ham bands, make yourself a fan dipole and mount it as high as you can... Hell, if you already have the tuner, a doublet that is as long as you can get it and some ladderline will work great as well...

It doesn't take a lot to have a good antenna, and if you can do some simple tasks, said antennas above will cost less than the a99/imax as well, especially if you already have a tuner you are planning on using with it...


The DB

Fan dipole weighs less than 11 pounds? NO

Fan dipole easy to install? NO

IS a fan dipole a vertical? NO

Does cost less than $120

tuner costs more than $120.00

fan dipole May or may not be useable on four bands

Once again DB you are changing the topic of a thread and discussing an antenna that is not the topic of this post is IMAX 2000.

DB, do you have one? Have you installed one? Have you used one on the ham band? Do you have ANY EXPERIENCE AT ALL with an IMAX 2000?

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Fan dipole weighs less than 11 pounds? NO

Make it out of copper wire and not steel pipe! LOL Seriously YES a copper wire fan dipole is indeed less than 11 pounds. I had one for 10,20/40, and 80m with the 40m element working on 15m also. PVC spreaders and it all weighed no more than 5-6 pounds at most.

Fan dipole easy to install? NO

Granted it is not the easiest to install

IS a fan dipole a vertical? NO

It COULD be if the operator chose to do so as long as he has a support catenary above. If he wants it for DX then horizontal is the very much prefered orientation anyway.

Does cost less than $120

tuner costs more than $120.00

A properly built and tuned fan dipole system does not require an antenna tuner with perhaps the exception of using it on 40/80m but then again the Imax 2000 will not work there with or without a tuner with any efficiency.

fan dipole May or may not be useable on four bands

Why not? Properly built and tuned it will work MANY bands. The naval radio station near home has several fan dipole variants, one or two are even vertical, that operate pretty much across the HF spectrum. Nothing special just many elements of different lengths.

Once again DB you are changing the topic of a thread and discussing an antenna that is not the topic of this post is IMAX 2000.

Welcome to the world of internet forums.

DB, do you have one? Have you installed one? Have you used one on the ham band? Do you have ANY EXPERIENCE AT ALL with an IMAX 2000?

 

[The DB]

Fan dipole weighs less than 11 pounds? NO

Irrelevant.

Fan dipole easy to install? NO

In most cases they aren't to bad, a friend of mine has a portable fan dipole he puts up and takes down pretty much at will.

IS a fan dipole a vertical? NO

The post I was responding to did actually mention vertical antenna.

Does cost less than $120

tuner costs more than $120.00

A fan dipole doesn't require a tuner, I mentioned that if you already have a tuner you can put up a large doublet and run parallel feedline, I never said anything about needed the tuner for a fan dipole.

fan dipole May or may not be useable on four bands

Depends on how it is made, and if you make it you can make it work on four or even more bands without the need for a tuner... Hell, if you have enough space, you can make a fan dipole that works with every HF ham band there is, without the need for a tuner.

Once again DB you are changing the topic of a thread and discussing an antenna that is not the topic of this post is IMAX 2000.

DB, do you have one? Have you installed one? Have you used one on the ham band? Do you have ANY EXPERIENCE AT ALL with an IMAX 2000?

I was responding to what was stated in a specific post, yours I think, and namely I was going after the cost statement. And yes, I do have experiences with IMAX 2000's. They are a mediocre antenna on the band they are intended to be used, and even worse on most other bands. Luckily you don't have to have perfection to make an antenna system function, but simply functioning doesn't make the antenna a great antenna. I also have experience with any number of other antenna designs, and can put the imax into perspective based on what I have seen with those designs.


The DB

 

[wavrider]

CK and DB Agreed.
If the fan dipole is not built for 160/80/40 meters
Perhaps a 40/20/10 built out of 28g wire may be less than 11 lbs.

I know for a fact my 160/80/40 meter fan dipole built using 10g wire and pvc spreaders weighs a lot more than 11 lbs.

Agreed the I2K is mediocre at best on any band.

Performance is the interpretation of the operator using it.

No post said it is a stellar performer, but it is a bang for the buck compared to other multi band verticals.

Butternut, cushcraft, hygain etc, all cost $100's more than the I2K. Given the aforementioned are better built verticals.

A fan dipole mounted vertical? Not a ground mounted vertical but a fan dipole with 1/2 wl elements mounted vertical. Inverted V for sure but true vertical.

That could be a nightmare to install

 

[The DB]

Performance is the interpretation of the operator using it.

I like this statement, although I would add "The perception of" in front of it.

A fan dipole mounted vertical? Not a ground mounted vertical but a fan dipole with 1/2 wl elements mounted vertical. Inverted V for sure but true vertical.

That could be a nightmare to install

I have seen somewhere, I think on these forums, a 1/4 wavelength fan vertical antenna someone built. I'll have to look around and see if I can find it.

When it would come to a vertical fan dipole, there are other things that one would have to deal with, such as height above ground for the largest antenna in such a setup. Vertical center fed dipoles don't like being close to an earth its the nature of center fed antennas. But as you said above, this is getting off topic.

I will agree that the a99/imax2000 will function.


The DB

 

[wavrider]

DB, I think MR FX made a multi band ground mounted vertical. Should be a thread on it somewhere on the forum.

It is not a fan dipole mounted vertical, but a multi band vert using 1/4 wl vertical elements and ground mounted radials.