Firestik Fire-Up 99 Has anyone tried one.?

[loosecannon]

Radio check with Firestik:
The local that said I was putting 9 1/2 s-units on him said that I am now showing 20+ DB on his radio.
More radio checks to come!








I have the MFJ-971 Antenna tuner inline for now.
Going back over and checking the swr at the band ends and the free bands.
1:5:1 on 27.855 MHz.
1:7:1 on 26.515 MHz.
1:2:1 on 26.965 MHz.
1:2:1 on 27.405 MHz.






Bonus video!
Shortened Dipole Antenna Part 7/7 - YouTube
Zed Zed's Workbench - Easy to Build Amateur Radio Antenna Projects & More!
RCI RG 99.......$200.......www.LesComm.com - YouTube

well, with an increase like that in signal level, you can be sure that the person you are getting the check from is not a reliable source. (not because of the person, simply because of the impossibility of that much added gain coming from a 1/2 wave vertical antenna, no matter what you do to it)

the reading he gave you would be legit if you had stepped up from an A99 to a 4 element beam pointing right at him.

also, remember that S meters need calibrating after years of operation, and your brothers' radios may be due for a full alignment.

if you really want to see the difference the top sections make, set up a field strength meter at whatever distance causes the needle to barely move, and then switch the top sections and note the difference in field strength.
my guess is that you will notice no difference.
LC

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

The man who gave the radio check is a stroke surviver. The radio check he have me sounded too incredible to be true. My brother gave the second radio check. His report using his Royce was about 1/4,of a s-unit higher with the Firestik but his Cobra radio showed a lessoning of my signal reading.

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

I should be getting my MFJ-346 freq counter this Wednesday. I plan to use it in conjunction with my MFJ-207 swr analyzer to do a frequency sweep of the A99 with the Firestick FS99 and with the stock A99 top section and do a swr graph chart. I was surprised that with the Firestik I had to adjust the A99's tuning rings all the way to the top and the Firestik's adjusting screw all the way in it's tip.

 

[loosecannon]

yeah, that firestik tuning tip just gives you something else to play with.

it and the tuning rings do the same thing, tune reactance out of the antenna.

the problem with the firestik tip is that it adds reactance, and therefore you have more reactance to "tune out".

its the same thing that your antenna tuner does, and we all know that an antenna tuner will never increase your range when the antenna is being used at its resonant freq.

antenna tuners only allow you to stray a lot further away from that freq.
LC

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

It's like it have to shorten it. It wasn't easy trying to set the tuning rings and it. My MFJ-207 injected a signal into the A99 while it was lying horizontal three feet off the ground and attached to the tower mast. I had a two foot jumper connecting the swr analyzer to the A99's SO-239. I stood back where the ground radials were while my brother adjusted everything. Couldn't get within 15 feet of the radiator without affecting the swr. Adjust and stand back. The 207's frequency adjust knob was hard to get it to stay still on frequency. Any sideways wobble would upset it. I'd either have it emitting a signal or not. I had it wiggle the knob(shaft) just right. It's new. The physical length of the Firestik's spiral wrapped wire is 5/8's of a wave long(11 meters)but the physical length is five feet long. The A99's stock top section is six feet long. Later on I'll check the swr curve again using the 207 with the MFJ-346 to see what the swr curve looks like and present my findings.
By the way,I'm wanting to lengthen the mast where it comes out of the tower top from seven feet to ten feet. It's a 1 1/4" outside diameter galvanized water pipe. The mast collars are threaded galvanized water pipe couplings. I could thread a 1 1/5" water pipe into the top collar coupling and run the 1 1/4" pipe inside the 1 1/4" section in order to stabilize that collar coupling joint. That would bring the A99's tuning rings up to the forty foot mark. Three feet can make a difference. That would on the average give me four additional miles direct talking distance.

http://www.davidsenesac.com/Information/line_of_sight.html

I did buy something useful tonight

 

[Marconi]

Nice cat.

Remember I suggested if you try and test too many things at once it will mess with your results and you may find youself chasing your tail with what did what.

You can always make the mast longer after you work your new rig for a while and get a good feel for how is does with the FU stick in the top.

 

[W5LZ]

Kitty? Or 'kitty litter'??
- 'Doc

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

Kitty was a stray looking for it's mother at 2:30 am last Nov. . The high wall litter box and litter(litter was new)are new.

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

I got my MFJ-886 today. Don't know why I called it a 346 the 886 is the one I've been wanting.
I had another discussion with my brother over the radio signal testing we've done comparing the stock A99 & Firestik FS top sections. Seems there was a miscommunication. He said that the stock A99 top section was the one that had a stronger signal than the Firestik. I plan to do more testing Saturday. Now if only I can figure out how to make my base radio dead key at a preset time.

 

[hotrod]

now that sounds reasonable. id think the firestick top would add loss to the antenna
also id ditch the antenna tuner aswell more loss yet. just tune the a99 with the rings
as it was designed for.do that and use the gpk it,ll work pretty decent

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

now that sounds reasonable. id think the firestick top would add loss to the antenna
also id ditch the antenna tuner aswell more loss yet. just tune the a99 with the rings
as it was designed for.do that and use the gpk it,ll work pretty decent

I'd still like to test it more though.
This MFJ-886 is pretty snazzy. The telescoping antenna is fully extended,I'm inside the house keying down my Galaxy DX-959,and the base antenna is 75 feet away.

 

[hotrod]

I'd still like to test it more though.
This MFJ-886 is pretty snazzy. The telescoping antenna is fully extended,I'm inside the house keying down my Galaxy DX-959,and the base antenna is 75 feet away.

exactly what are ya gonn use that for???

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

exactly what are ya gonn use that for???

Well,I didn't want to spend that much money on a nice antenna analyzer so I bought a MFJ-207 swr analyzer. It either has to be zero beat against a radio of a known frequency or plug a freq counter into into the 208's freq out jack. I am wanting to use it to tune the 207 throughout a frequency spectrum and do a swr graph chart of the A99 for starters. Plus it's something new to learn.

Oh! The 207 is a pain in the caboose. To get it right in the frequency being tested. I think a three inch diameter dial instead if the half inch one would help greatly. Either that or make a gear reduction drive knob interface.

 

[Lil'Yeshua]

I plan on replacing the mast pole with a 10' 1 1/2" mast pole,bracing it to the tower. I wonder if I got a 10' fiberglass pole from DX Engineering,what dia. Would have the best strength for the A99?




Actually two poles. Two feet of 1 3/4" fiberglass pole slide down on top part of 1 1/2" galvanized mast. 1 1/2" fiberglass pole slide down in top of 1 3/4" fiberglass pole with approximately four feet protruding out the top for the A99 to mount on.
8' 1 3/4"
8' 1 1/2"

 

[hotrod]

i wouldnt mount ny antenna to a fiberglass pole .id stick w/ what ya got