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5/8 wave with close to vertical (drooping) radials

I will pretend to be The DB, and based on what you quoted me as saying up above your question, I would say the best one for a desert area would be the one that works best in your circumstances. Can't really know until you try them.

Now, being myself, the ever humble and ever striving for the grand title of antenna wizardry, I'd say the ground isn't much help, so something providing its own groundplane, like the 5/8 GP, is where I'd start. The master of the Mojave, Jay the RF Trainer, has made them and they have been great.
 
DB,
With all of your knowledge and experience which antenna will work best in a desert area surrounded by mountains ⛰ the t2lt or the sirio 5/8 gain master ?

I will pretend to be The DB, and based on what you quoted me as saying up above your question, I would say the best one for a desert area would be the one that works best in your circumstances. Can't really know until you try them.

Not bad homer, that is something I have said multiple times in the past and it definitely applies here.

However, the first thing that came to mind when I read his post was the antenna you could get up to a higher tip height. The reason is as you posted...

I'd say the ground isn't much help, so something providing its own groundplane,

I agree, desert ground is poor as hell, but I don't think adding a ground plane to an elevated antenna will make much of a difference. Getting an antenna further above said poor ground, at least until about 100 feet up give or take(for the CB band), I think will make more of a difference than using an antenna with a ground plane instead, especially if there are mountains in your region that you will have to get over, at which point getting the antenna even higher will likely help it even further. So in essence, at first pick one, and mount it as high as you can.

And if you can at some point, don't hesitate to swap them out and see which works best for you.


The DB
 
Homer, DB,
Thank you for all of your help. Since you both are here on this forum I am looking strictly to qso via skywave propagation instead of groundwave due to solar cycle 25 returning. I have heard and read that both 11m-1/2 wave, 5/8 wave vertical dipoles antennas can be mounted 1/2 wavelength above ground 18' and will give very good results around the country, world when conditions are right. What's the both of your opinion on this?
 
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It can be so. However, remember, locations can render varying results. But generally speaking, if you pay attention to variables like coax quality, length, cmc choke, height, proximity to objects, terra firma quality, and such, when conditions are right you can own the world.
 
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This past weekend I mounted my 11m 5/8 wavelength vertical wire dipole antenna
1 wavelength above the ground give or take a few feet and had very good skywave propagation conditions. Was able to qso with operator's in
Washington State, Oregon, Northern California, New Mexico, Florida. Operator's were telling me they copied me better when they switched over to their horizontal antenna's instead of their vertical ones. Being that I use a vertical wire dipole the radiation is higher up then a typical groundplane antenna which helps gives better overall performance. Due to the height being
1 wavelength I wasn't able to qso locally as usual with operator's 20+ miles away due being down in a hole surrounded by mountains but was able to get some knives edge conditions with operator 150miles south of me. Will be doing more experiments for see if I can get better locally.
 
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Hello Boat anchor 63, I hope I make sense because I'm still recuperating from head trauma after hitting a tree and I had to read your last post several times but I am not understanding if yuior vertical dipole is 5/8 total so 1/2 of a 5/8 on top and 1/2 of a 5/8 on the bottom or 1.25 wave length total. Would You mind describing it?
 
Hello Boat anchor 63, I hope I make sense because I'm still recuperating from head trauma after hitting a tree and I had to read your last post several times but I am not understanding if yuior vertical dipole is 5/8 total so 1/2 of a 5/8 on top and 1/2 of a 5/8 on the bottom or 1.25 wave length total. Would You mind describing it?
Good morning Needle Bender,
The antenna I was describing was my homemade 11m 5/8 wavelength vertical wire dipole antenna.
 
Good morning Needle Bender,
The antenna I was describing was my homemade 11m 5/8 wavelength vertical wire dipole antenna.
Is it 5/8ƛ tip to tip, or is it 5/8ƛ center to tip (1.25ƛ overall)? What is the total length in feet.
22', 24', 44' ?

In other words, the original gainmaster is 5/8ƛ from end to end, but an EDZ is 1.25ƛ end to end, or 5/8ƛ ×2.

Thanks
 
Is it 5/8ƛ tip to tip, or is it 5/8ƛ center to tip (1.25ƛ overall)? What is the total length in feet.
22', 24', 44' ?

In other words, the original gainmaster is 5/8ƛ from end to end, but an EDZ is 1.25ƛ end to end, or 5/8ƛ ×2.

Thanks
Yes, thank you

What He said.
 

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