Base Can you measure your I- Max 2000

[Recon]

Right now I have the tuning rings locked in the position they were in out of the box. After work tomorrow I can take a measurement from the tip to the top ring, then put the rings in the actual middle and measure again.

Why would you want to move the rings?

 

[2315 Robert]

Thanks Robert. If you have a New Imax that is actually shorter, you may be the first to post the New Imax dimensions, from the bottom of the mount to the tip, that we are talking about.

In the meantime, and if your radio can go well above the CB band maybe to 30 MHz, maybe you could check your match up around the top of 10 meters and report back.

Will be over a week or so. I will check 10,12 so forth now.

 

[2315 Robert]

As least you see what the models are suggesting. This is what this whole discussion is all about...the Imax is apparently not a CB antenna any more... unless maybe your have a tuner in-line.

I'm curious to see if some ham operators are still able to work this new Imax as a multiband of sorts anymore.

Here are my findings. All taken on 75ft of tramflex RG8X Diamond SX20 meter and Astatic PDC1(they were the same one easier to see than the other). Texas Ranger 636f and ICOM 706 MKiiG. would have used an 857d but on am it cuts back power. 2m and 440 are as they should be. All SWR at 4 watts(or as close as I could get it).

11m
26.965 1.4
27.205 1.3
27.405 1.3

10m
28.300 1.25
29.700 2.75

12m
24.930 2.5
24.990 2.125

15m
21.275 1.4
21.450 1.3

17m
18.110 4
18.168 4

20m
14.225 5
14.350 5

Old IMAX on 11m was 1.2 on 1 1.1 on 20 and 1.2 on 40(honestly on either side of the band it barely moved). Very nice. I understand that even a dummy load will work however not very efficient. I was a March AFB last year and was getting in full quieting through my MFJ 1500W load on my QYT 8900 on 70cm. Also my Sirio 5/8 GPE27 is quite good when tuned to 40m. You have spoke and outlined this before but I am just amazed by it. You are just one more person that I am grateful for on this site. 73 KM6SIL.

 

[Cam Tetzlaff]

Why would you want to move the rings?

I have zero confidence that my rings are where they should be. They were very loose out of the box.

If all this is true about them not being any good on 11 meter than I'd say there is a very strong case of false advertising going on with Solorcon and there could also be some heat put on the retailers who continue to sell this "24 foot" antenna.

 

[techradioman]

There's not a whole lot anyone can do about this.Solorcon no longer owns the company that makes the IMAX and nobody has deep pockets or enough to care about suing anyone for false advertising.The only thing to do is get one and try and if it doesn't work send back for refund, I don't see any other way really unless some sellers/ retailers are willing to measure before shipping and that I doubt they would do.

 

[M0GVZ]

I have zero confidence that my rings are where they should be. They were very loose out of the box.

If all this is true about them not being any good on 11 meter than I'd say there is a very strong case of false advertising going on with Solorcon and there could also be some heat put on the retailers who continue to sell this "24 foot" antenna.

Please read this article on W8JI.com. He explains why some people find it a fantastic antenna and other people find it's terrible.
https://www.w8ji.com/end-fed_vertical.htm#IMAX

tl;dr Despite what people think it needs a ground plane. Because most people never install a groundplane for it if you're lucky to have the right combination of mast length and coax length it'll work great, if you don't it won't because most of the signal goes up into the air.

 

[KD2GOE]

That equates to 271.25" = 22ft. +.605" (almost 5/8") What is the measurement from the ring adjust to the coax connection?
What area (top, bottom, middle?) of the black ring threaded area did you measure from?

total langth of the bottom is 96" 8 feet

 

[Recon]

Please read this article on W8JI.com. He explains why some people find it a fantastic antenna and other people find it's terrible.
https://www.w8ji.com/end-fed_vertical.htm#IMAX

tl;dr Despite what people think it needs a ground plane. Because most people never install a groundplane for it if you're lucky to have the right combination of mast length and coax length it'll work great, if you don't it won't because most of the signal goes up into the air.

Being that my MAX 2000 is 24' and the VSWR is 1.3:1 on Ch.1, Ch. 20 and Ch. 40, I'm going to take the risk and spend the $77.00 and order and install the Ground Plane Kit. I misplaced the owner's manual for the MAX 2000. Should the tuning rings move up or move down to lower the VSWR?

 

[RT431]

Why would you want to lower your SWR? 1.3 is nothing to sneeze at.
Besides nobody on the receiving end will notice a difference.

 

[Recon]

Why would you want to lower your SWR? 1.3 is nothing to sneeze at.
Besides nobody on the receiving end will notice a difference.

As a few guys have posted, the tuning rings were loose when their antennas arrived and the rings on my antenna were loose also. I tightened the rings, attached the antenna to the 40' telescopic mast and erected the antenna.
I am OK with the 1.3:1. After the snow and cold temperatures are gone, I will retract the telescopic (push-up) mast and attach the ground plane kit and I will have the opportunity to fine tune the tuning rings, but only if I know which direction to move the rings.

 

[ENC Pirate]

As a few guys have posted, the tuning rings were loose when their antennas arrived and the rings on my antenna were loose also. I tightened the rings, attached the antenna to the 40' telescopic mast and erected the antenna.
I am OK with the 1.3:1. After the snow and cold temperatures are gone, I will retract the telescopic (push-up) mast and attach the ground plane kit and I will have the opportunity to fine tune the tuning rings, but only if I know which direction to move the rings.

 

[HomerBB]

Please read this article on W8JI.com. He explains why some people find it a fantastic antenna and other people find it's terrible.
https://www.w8ji.com/end-fed_vertical.htm#IMAX

tl;dr Despite what people think it needs a ground plane. Because most people never install a groundplane for it if you're lucky to have the right combination of mast length and coax length it'll work great, if you don't it won't because most of the signal goes up into the air.

I read it.

Upside - good information.

Downside - no lead on what might be a good mast length/coax length combination.

The real scientific anchor in the article is embodied in the word luck . . .

 

[Recon]

Why would you want to lower your SWR? 1.3 is nothing to sneeze at.
Besides nobody on the receiving end will notice a difference.

You are absolutely correct! If it ain't broken......don't fix it! If I wasn't going to install the Ground Plane Kit in the spring time, I sure as heck wasn't going to lower my mast and antenna just to obtain a better VSWR than what I have. Also, I don't know about anyone else, but I have been using three different radios and the VSWR on the three radios is "slightly" different. After I install the ground plane kit and move the tuning rings up 1/4 turn, I will decide on which radio will be the permanent base station radio and whatever the VSWR results will be, I'm done.

 

[RT431]

I had an A99 yrs ago and installed the gk and noticed NO difference in performance either tx or Rx. Only difference I did see was my wallet was lighter.

 

[Marconi]

attach the ground plane kit and I will have the opportunity to fine tune the tuning rings, but only if I know which direction to move the rings.

IMO, the distance from the bottom of the mounting bracket at the coax connector to a small hole in the middle of the 2.25" inch brass capacitor we see in the image below is exactly 16" inches.

With a small air gap inside and between the bottom and top PVC insulators...is where the matcher wire ends and the radiator begins across a small air gap. The radiator in the Imax seems to be floating.

So, in order to get the radiator length as close as I could for my Eznec model...I simply subtracted this 16" inches from the overall radiator length I reported earlier.

284.75"
-16.00"
----------
268.75"

I used a 3" inch single segment wire for the feed point on my model so wire #2 is showing 265.5" inches instead of the 268.75. The small difference in the 268.75" and the 265.5" inches was the physical trim I made to set the match better at maximum gain.

If you add matching to a model, the process of tuning is often very similar to working with a real antenna but as this notes the adjustments can be very small.