Snake_Eyes said:
Master Chief,
Regarding your post, are you claiming that the 5/8 wave 21 foot base pole army bigstick (for example), outperforms the Imax 2000? Gees, I must not be doing my research well enough. I ordered the Imax 2000! How big a difference are we talking here?
Rule #1: A 5/8 is a 5/8 is a 5/8.
Some 5/8 have lower loss feedpoints and therefore are more efficient than others, but whatever energy finally makes it to the radiating element, they will all perform the same (some with more energy)
Rule #2: An antenna does not live on gain figures alone.
Two electrically similar antennas, one being more MECHANICALLY sound than the other, do not compare apples to apples with eachother. I'll take the superior quality of the Shakespear over the Imax 2000 anyday!
To stray slightly, but to also make my point, this is why Jay's I-10K is the best antenna on the market! Not only does it employ a low loss matching network, but it is mechanically the best antenna currently on the market! The radiating element itself performs just like any other 5/8 radiating element, it just has more signal to radiate due to the less lossy, more efficent, feedpoint! (Yes, the top-hat also helps improve performance, but that will be our little secret!)
I choose the Shakespear due to its mechanical superiority. Electrically, I believe they both perform about the same. Then again, the Imax does have, what I believe, a lower efficient matching network than the Army Big Stick. No, I am not in the position to prove it. Its just my opinion.
