ASTROPLANE best vertical antenna ever?

[Needle Bender]

I was referring to the Astroplane above, as far as the Vector, I see it as an off-center fed fullwave, fed close to the .625 - .64 point down from the top, allowing some uncancelled lower current to be radiated by the cone (where it moves toward the voltage node in the ring) and in phase with the upper 1/2 wave.

 

[Haku]

Avanti AV-101 Astroplane 5/8 CB Radio Base Antenna NOS 1978 on sale at eBay, I purchased 2 of them the are the real deal


http://www.ebay.com/itm/112372817972?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT






more than 8dbi


woww

[/QUOTE]

 

[Road Squawker]

even the AP ad states 4.46 bDi.

of course, it also says that its signal "hugs the curvature of the earth..

 

[RatsoW8]

They were very popular back in the 70's along with the Avanti Astrobeam. Unique in the way they attached to a mast and easier for one person to put up than 21 ft of aluminum swaying around at the end of a mast..

 

[Marconi]

Ratso, I never considered the A/P as easy to install...for lots of reasons.

Look close at its construction and think about handling that bugger that can barely support its own weight.

It doesn't have handles anywhere, and if you manage to get the mast up inside and close to top of the mast...how do you get up close enough to attach the U-bolt to the top of the mast or the support bracket in the middle of the two radials hang down with a big fat hoop at the bottom of the radials. All these things gets in the way of an easy install, but it does look easy in pictures.

I have a very high regard for the A/P, but it is not easy if you want to install it out in the open working off of a ladder using a push up pole, a tower, are in a tree.

 

[RatsoW8]

Ratso, I never considered the A/P as easy to install...for lots of reasons.

Look close at its construction and think about handling that bugger that can barely support its own weight.

It doesn't have handles anywhere, and if you manage to get the mast up inside and close to top of the mast...how do you get up close enough to attach the U-bolt to the top of the mast or the support bracket in the middle of the two radials hang down with a big fat hoop at the bottom of the radials. All these things gets in the way of an easy install, but it does look easy in pictures.

I have a very high regard for the A/P, but it is not easy if you want to install it out in the open working off of a ladder using a push up pole, a tower, are in a tree.

I won't disagree. I never owned one but had friends close to where lived then who had them and never heard anyone complain about installing one.

 

[Marconi]

I have several that I've put and down many times including the new Sirio Top One. They are just bulky and very spindly around the bottom of the antenna which has to go over the top of the mast and then down.

This makes a tall wobbly Imax mounted at the bottom of a 23' foot tall antenna easy to install...compared to the A/P and the Starduster, which also look easy.

Did your buddies report how their A/P worked?

 

[murdog]

I have several that I've put and down many times including the new Sirio Top One. They are just bulky and very spindly around the bottom of the antenna which has to go over the top of the mast and then down.

This makes a tall wobbly Imax mounted at the bottom of a 23' foot tall antenna easy to install...compared to the A/P and the Starduster, which also look easy.

Did your buddies report how their A/P worked?

Hey Marconi
Has any ever posted drawings for home brewing the antenna I was looking for the boom for the 6 element quad the other day at the cottage and found the alum I had bought years ago for the " Astroplane"
project .
Murray

 

[Marconi]

Hey Marconi
Has any ever posted drawings for home brewing the antenna I was looking for the boom for the 6 element quad the other day at the cottage and found the alum I had bought years ago for the " Astroplane"
project .
Murray

I have probably posted a model of the A/P with dimensions, but my model probably follows more closely to the old knockoff originally called the Top One and it could be a little bit different than the original Avanti version.

I think the A/P and the Top One were designed as a kits that were fixed as to setup. No adjustments necessary just screw or bolt it together.

Homer BB also built a homebrew version and he may have posted his construction and dimensions. Look up HomerBB as a search with Astro Plane as the topic and you should find a lot of stuff. You could also do a search for Marconi as well.

If you don't have the manual, let me know and I will send you a copy.

 

[The DB]

Homer BB also built a homebrew version and he may have posted his construction and dimensions. Look up HomerBB as a search with Astro Plane as the topic and you should find a lot of stuff. You could also do a search for Marconi as well.

If I recall correctly it was/is Homerbb's favorite antenna design, and it performed very well in comparison to others he built as well...

Here is a link to one of his threads on that antenna.


The DB

 

[murdog]

I have probably posted a model of the A/P with dimensions, but my model probably follows more closely to the old knockoff originally called the Top One and it could be a little bit different than the original Avanti version.

I think the A/P and the Top One were designed as a kits that were fixed as to setup. No adjustments necessary just screw or bolt it together.

Homer BB also built a homebrew version and he may have posted his construction and dimensions. Look up HomerBB as a search with Astro Plane as the topic and you should find a lot of stuff. You could also do a search for Marconi as well.

If you don't have the manual, let me know and I will send you a copy.

Thanx Marconi would be great also looking for the drawings for an AV-190 if you know of any out there .

 

[glenn]

When the antenna was moved from 18 feet to 36 feet, the angle of the lowest null also moved down several degrees. The use of perfect ground in an attempt to demonstrate an objectionable null is highly misleading and completely inaccurate.

In fact the angle of the null we see in perfect ground would just about perfectly line up with the actual primary lobe if it were over real earth. Just about none of us will ever have a situation where the real ground mimics an infinite perfect groundplane.

 

[glenn]

Iall i know is on may 7th i talked 11 countries in europe over 500 contacts into germany poland irland england swedan italy france the ukraine.i held 5.9 copies for over 7 hours well into the am hours there and smoked almost all stateside states including va on nothing but a.homade 1/2 wire.i also did it on a starduster only 5 feet off the ground into europe canada south anerica and the pacific with about 75 watts out a kenwood 940

 

[glenn]

0 db gain dipole i made for 10 bucks outalking almost every vertical and quad beams.now this was one day.but if va is hearing europe i put big signals in there from va frustating licals on imax 2000s at 80 feet running giant amps.at about 30 feet horizontal inbetween trees with a open hole east into europe.

 

[The DB]

Glenn, I am curious why you quoted that post and then said what you said, did I miss something? What Shockwave was talking about has nothing to do with what you posted. You also won't get a response from him as he hasn't posted on this forum for over two years now.


The DB