Ground plane antennas ?....

[Oatmeal]

Ive been looking at a few GP antennas....

Ok Ive seen where Workman has a 5/8 base antenna, and you have the Maco Alpha V 5/8s and then the Maco V 5000 5/8s antenna...

What is the differences between the 3 ?.....
Other than the prices...

 

[443]

I think it goes like this:

1. Worman 5/8 = copy of Maco V 5/8 no difference
2. Maco V 5/8 = same as Workman 5/8
3. Maco V5000 = heavy duty (thicker material, larger diameter maybe) but same performance as V 5/8 regular, just better built to handle adverse weather conditions.

That's if I remember everything right. Owned the Maco V 5/8 for years, was a great antenna. Own an IMAX 2000 now, also a great antenna, though all of the local old timers have had their's struck by lightning, so I am leary... My V 5/8 never took a lightening strike and I had it for years and years.

 

[Oatmeal]

10-4, I have a Imax 600ft back on the mountain and its about 10ft off the ground....
I thought about going to a Maco 5/8s and try something else.....

Maybe I just need to raise the Imax and give it a fair shot before I do anything else...
I just dont like the fiberglass antennas, seems like to me them just dont have the receive that the aluminum antennas had or have...

I used to run the old super penetrator years ago, and boy do I miss that thing...

 

[Robb]

Workman antennas should be boycotted - IMO.

Many of their designs are complete copies from other mfrs. Tom Charles - owner of Maco antennas - told me he wasn't very pleased at all with Workman antennas. They ripped him off for a few of his antenna designs - which were patented. Workman products are made in China. Workman uses inferior materials - so don't expect a well-built antenna. It might work - but that is all you can really say for it . . .

 

[Robb]

10-4, I have a Imax 600ft back on the mountain and its about 10ft off the ground....
I thought about going to a Maco 5/8s and try something else.....

Maybe I just need to raise the Imax and give it a fair shot before I do anything else...
I just dont like the fiberglass antennas, seems like to me them just dont have the receive that the aluminum antennas had or have...

I used to run the old super penetrator years ago, and boy do I miss that thing...

I sure hope you aren't using 600 ft of coax to feed it! LOL! You would lose almost ALL of your receive/transmit ability if using poor or even fair quality coax for that length of a run. Run as short of a piece of coax as you can to do the job right. IMAX will do better if you use an 'ugly baun'.
http://www.worldwidedx.com/cb-antennas/48415-ugly-balun.html

Put it up as high as you can safely put it w/o risking life or limb.
Then - see if you want to try a different antenna.
I'll bet that IMAX will be just fine once you do - IMO . . .

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

GRUMPY'S OLDE TIME RADIO FORUM / The Best CB Radio Forum on the Net for Browning/Tram & Classic Tube Type Radio Information - workman W58

 

[1342]

Ive been looking at a few GP antennas....

Ok Ive seen where Workman has a 5/8 base antenna, and you have the Maco Alpha V 5/8s and then the Maco V 5000 5/8s antenna...

What is the differences between the 3 ?.....
Other than the prices...

from what i have heard the workman is identical to the v 5/8 and the 5000 has a thicker gauge tap wire for higher power.i have a maco and upgraded the tap wire to larger gauge you can check it out at the maco 5/8 to .64 thread below.you may want to keep that imax like rob suggested and try to either upgrade coax and or reduce the length/loss.